Copyright, 1898, by Pacific Press Publishing Co
THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE SHEPHERDS.
1 Behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people.”
THE
D esire of Ages
“ His name shall be called Immanuel, God with us."
BY
MRS. E. G. WHITE
AUTHOR OP " PATR1ARCHS AND PROPHETS,” "GREAT
CHRIST AND SATAN,” “ STEPS TO CHRIST,
THOUGHTS FROM
t h e M o u n t o f B l e s s i n g ,’
Et c .
OAKLAND, CAL.
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY
NEW YORK,
SAN FRANCISCO,
LONDON
Entered According to Act of Congress in the Year 1898, by
PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COM PANY,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
Entered at Stationers’ Hall, London, England.
TO
THE GREAT FAMILY
FOR WHOM OUR ELDER BROTHER
LIVED AND DIED
“ tm m ortal Love, forever full,
Forever flow ing free,
Forever shared, forever Whole,
A never-ebbing sea.
“ We may not clim b the heavenly steeps,
To bring the Lord C hrist down ;
In Vain We search the lowest deeps,
For Him no depths can droWn.
“ B u t Warm, sweet, tender, even yet
A present help is H e ;
And faith has yet its Olivet,
And love its Galilee,
" The healing of the seamless dress
Is by our beds of pain;
We touch Him in life’s throng and press,
And We are Whole again.”
" Through the tender mercy of our God,
. .
. the Dayspring from on
high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the
shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke i : 78, 79.
PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE.
In the hearts of ali mankind, of whatever race or
station in life, there are inexpressible longings for
something they do not now possess.
This longing is
implanted in the very constitution of man by a merci
ful God, that man may not be satisfied with his pres
ent conditions or attainments, whether bad, or good,
or better.
God desires that the human shall seek the
best, and find it to the eternal blessing of his soul.
Satan, by wily scheme and craft, has perverted these
longings of the human heart.
He makes men be
lieve that this desire may be satisfied by pleasure, by
wealth, by ease, by fame, by power; but those who
have been thus deceived by him (and they number
myriads) find all these things pall upon the sense,
leaving the soul as barren and unsatisfied as before.
It is God’s design that this longing of the human
heart should lead to the One who alone is able to
satisfy it.
The desire is of Him, that it may lead to
Him, the fulness and fulfilment of that desire.
That
fulness is found in Jesus the Christ, the Son of the
Eternal God.
“ For it was the good pleasure of the
Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell;” “ for
in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bod
ily.”
And it is also true that “ in Him ye are made
full” with respect to every desire divinely implanted
and normally followed.
Haggai calls Him “ the Desire of All Nations,” and
we may call Plim “ the Desire of All Ages,” even as
He is the “ King of Ages.”
It is the purpose of this book to set forth Jesus
( vii)
PUBLISHERS
PREFACE.
Christ as the One in whom every longing may be
satisfied.
There is many a “ Life of Christ’"' written,
excellent books, large funds of information, elaborate
essays on chronology, and contemporaneous history,
customs, and events, with much of the teaching and
many glimpses of the many-sided life of Jesus of
Nazareth.
Yet it may be truly said, “ The half has
never been told.”
It is not, however, the purpose of this work to set
forth a harmony of the Gospels, or even to give in
strictly chronological order the important events and
wonderful lessons of the life of Christ; its purpose is
to present the love of God as revealed in His Son, the
divine beauty of the life of Christ, of which all may
partake, and not to satisfy the desires of the merely
curious nor the questionings of critics.
But even as
by the attraction of His own goodness of character
Jesus drew His disciples unto Himself, and by His
personal presence, by His sympathetic touch and feel
ing in all their infirmities and needs, and by His con
stant association, transformed their characters from
the earthly to the heavenly, from the selfish to the
sacrificing, from small-hearted ignorance and preju
dice to large-hearted knowledge and profound love
for souls of all nations and races, even so it is the pur
pose of this book so to present the blessed Redeemer
as to help the reader to come to Him face to face,
heart to heart, and find in Him, even as did the dis
ciples of old, Jesus the Mighty One, who saves “ to
the uttermost,” and transforms to His own divine
image all those who come unto God by Him.
Yet
how impossible it is to reveal His life!
It is like at
tempting to put upon canvas the living rainbow; into
characters of black and white the sweetest music!
In the following pages the author, a woman of
large and deep and long experience in the things of
viii
p u b l is h e r s’
p r e f a c e .
IX
God, has set forth new beauties from the life of Jesus.
She has brought many new gems from the precious
casket.
She opens before the reader undreamed-of
riches from this infinite treasure-house.
New and glo
rious light hashes forth from many a familiar passage,
the depth of which the reader supposed he had long
before fathomed.
To state it in brief, Jesus Christ is
revealed as the Fulness of the Godhead, the infinitely
merciful Saviour of sinners, the Sun of Righteous
ness, the merciful High Priest, the Healer of all hu
man maladies and diseases, the tender, compassionate
Friend, the constant, ever-present, and helpful Com
panion, the Prince of the House of David, the Shield
of His people, the Prince of Peace, the Coming King,
the Everlasting Father, the culmination and fruition
of the desires and hopes of all the ages.
Under the blessing of God this book is given to the
world with the prayer that the Lord by His Spirit will
make the words of this book words of life to many
souls whose longings and desires are yet unsatisfied;
that they “ may know Him, and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings,”
and finally, throughout a blessed eternity, at His right
hand, share in “ that fulness of joy,” and “ pleasures
forevermore,” which will be the ripened fruitage of
all those who find in Him the all in all, “ the Chiefest
among
ten thousand,” and “ the One altogether
lovely.”
PUBLISHERS.
CONTENTS.
SECTION I. AN OUTLOOK.
CHAPTER
PAGE
I.
God with Us ..................................................... 19
II.
T he Chosen People ......................................29
III. T he Fulness of the T ime............................. 35
SECTION II. EARLY YEARS.
IV. Unto Y ou a Saviour...................................45
V. T he Ded icatio n..........................................51
VI.
We Have Seen His S tar........................60
VII.
As a Ch ild ........................................................ 69
VIII.
T he Passover Vi s i t .......................................78
IX.
Days of Co n flic t...........................................88
SECTION III. THE ANOINTED ONE
X.
T he Voice in the W ilderness.............101
XI.
T he Ba p t ism ............................................. . 116
XII.
T he T emptation . . . .....................................122
XIII. T he Victo ry.................................................... 136
XIV. We Have Found the Messia s................. 144
X V .' At the Marriage Fe a s t ........................... 159
XVI.
In His T em ple.............................................172
XVII.
Nico d em u s....................................................187
XVIII.
He Must Increase...................................... 199
XIX.
At Jacob’s We l l .....................................
.205
XX. E xcept Y e S ee Signs and Wonders . . . 220
XXI. Bethesda and the Sanhedrim.................225
XXII.
Imprisonment and Death of John . . . 243
SECTION IV. DAYS OF PROMISE.
XXIII. T he Kingdom of God Is at Hand . . . . 261
XXIV. Is Not T his the Carpenter’s Son?. . .268
[x i]
XII
CONTENTS.
XXV.
T he Call by the Se a ....................................278
XXVI.
A t Ca p er n a u m ................................................... 286
XXVII. T hou Canst Make Me Cl e a n .....................299
XXVIII.
L evi-Ma t t h e w ..................................
312
XXIX.
T he Sa b b a t h .......................................................324
XXX.
H e Ordained T w e l v e ....................................335
XXXI. T he S ermon on the Mo u n t .........................345
XXXII. T he Cen tu rio n................................................... 366
XXXIII. Who are My Br et h r en? ................................373
XXXIV. T he In v it a t io n ................................................382
XXXV.
Peace Be S t i l l ................................................... 388
XXXVI. T he T ouch of F a i t h ....................................400
XXXVII.
T he F irst E v a n g e l is t s................................406
XXXVIII.
Come R est A w h i l e ........................................419
XXXIX.
G ive Y e T hem to Eat ....................................426
SECTION V.
FALLIN G SHADOWS.
XL.
A Night on the L a k e ................................... 439
XLI.
T he Crisis in Ga l il e e ................................... 447
X LII.
T radition- .......................................................... 464
XLIII.
Barriers B roken Do w n............................... 470
XLIV.
T he T rue S ig n .................................................. 477
XLV. T he F oreshadowing of the Cross . . .485
XLVI.
H e Was T r a n sfig u red................................... 498
XLVII.
Mi n i s t r y ..............................................................505
XLVIII.
Who Is th e G rea t est? ............................... 512
SECTION VI.
TH E REJECTED ONE.
XLIX.
A t the F east of Ta b er n a c les................ 529
«
L.
A mong S nares . ..............................................539
LI.
T he L ight of L i f e ...........................................550
LII.
T he Divine S hepherd ...................................568
LIII.
T he L ast J ourney from Ga lile e . . . . 277
LIV.
T he G ood S a m a r it a n ...................................591
LV.
Not with Outward S h o w ............................600
LVI.
Blessing th e Ch il d r e n ................................607
LVII.
One T hing T hou La c k e s t ............................614
LVIII.
L azarus, Come F o r t h ................................... 620
LIX.
Priestly Pl o t t in g s .......................................636
CONTENTS.
XIII
SECTION VII. NEARING THE END.
LX. T he Law of the New Kingdom................ 647
LXI. Zaccheus............................................................654
LXII. T he Feast at Simon’s Ho u s e ....................660
LXIII. T hy K ing Co m eth......................................... 675
LXIV. A Doomed Pe o p l e ..........................................687
LXV. T he T emple Cleansed Ag a i n ....................696
LXVI. Controversy.................................................... 713
LXVU. Woes on the Ph a risees...............................724
LXVIII. In the Outer Court .....................................739
LXIX. On the Mount of Ol i v e s ........................... 747
LXX. T he Least of T hese My Brethren . . .761
LXXI. A Servant of Servants...............................768
LXXII. In Remembrance of Me ...............................780
LXXIII. Let Not Y our Heart Be T roubled . . .792
SECTION VIII. THE CRUCIFIED.
LXXIV. Geth sem a n e.................................................... 819
LXXV. Before Annas and the Court of Caiaphas 833
LXXVI. Ju d a s...................................................................854
LXXVII. In Pilate’s J udgment Ha l l ........................864
LXXVIII. Ca l v a r y ........................................................... 889
LXXIX. It Is F in ish e d .................................................910
SECTION IX. TO THE FATHER’S THRONE.
LXXX. In Joseph’s T omb............................................. 923
LXXXI. T he Lord Is Rise n ..........................................937
LXXXII. Why Weepest Thou? ...................................946
LXXXIII. T he Walk to Emmaus...................................954
LXXXIV. Peace Be Unto You . . . . . ' ....................961
LXXXV. By the Sea Once Mo r e...............................969
LXXXVI. Go T each All Na t io n s...............................979
LXXXVII. To My Father and Y our Father . . . . 995
A ppendix................................
I003
Scriptural In d e x ............................................................... I0I3
General In d e x ..................................................
1019
AN OUTLOOK.
the dory of God in the face of Jesus Christ0” " ’® £ " ° W“
Se ° f
GOD WITH US.
CHAPTER ONE.
“ His name shall be called Immanuel,
.
.
.
God
with us.”
“ The light of the knowledge of the glory of God”
is seen “ in the face of Jesus Christ.”
From the days
of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the
Father; He was “ the image of God,” the image of
His greatness and majesty, “the outshining of His
glory.”
It was to manifest this glory that He came
to our world.
To this sin-darkened earth He came to
reveal the light of God’s love,—to be “ God with us. ’
Therefore it was prophesied of Him, His name shall
be called Immanuel.”
By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal
God both to men and to angels.
He was the Word
of G od— God’s thought made audible.
In His prayer
for His disciples He says, “ I have declared unto them
Thy name,”— “merciful and gracious, long-suffering,
and abundant in goodness and truth,
that the love
wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and
I in them.”
But not alone for His earth-born chil
dren was this revelation given.
Our little world is
the lesson-book of the universe.
God’s wonderful
purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming Jove, is
the theme into which “ angels desire to look,
and it
will be their study throughout endiess ages.
Both the
redeemed and the unfallen beings, will find in the cross
of Christ their science and their song.
It will be seen
( 1 9 )
20
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
that the glory shining in the face of Jesus is the glory
of self-sacrificing love.
In the light from Calvary it
will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the
law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which
“ seeketh not her own” has its source in the heart of
God; and that in the meek and lowly One is mani
fested the character of Him who dwelleth in the light
which no man can approach unto.
'In the beginning, God was revealed in all the works
of creation.
It was Christ that spread the heavens,
and laid the foundations of the earth.
It was His
hand that hung the worlds in space, and fashioned the
flowers of the field.
“ His strength setteth fast the
mountains.”
“ The sea is His, and He made it.” 1
It
was He that filled the earth with beauty, and the air
with song.
And upon all things in earth, and air, and
sky, He wrote the message of the Father’s love.
Now sin has marred God’s perfect work, yet that
handwriting remains. Even now all created things de
clare the glory of His excellence.
There is nothing,
save the selfish heart of man, that lives unto itself.
No bird that cleaves the air, no an mal that moves upon
the ground, but ministers to some other life.
There
is no leaf of the forest, or lowly blade of grass, but has
its ministry.
Every tree and shrub and leaf pours
forth that element of life, without which neither man
nor animal could live; and man and animal, in turn,
minister to the life of tree and shrub and leaf.
The
flowers breathe fragrance and unfold their beauty in
blessing to the world.
The sun sheds its light to
gladden a thousand worlds.
The ocean, itself the
source of all our springs and fountains, receives the
streams from every land, but takes to give.
The
mists ascending from its bosom fall in showers to
water the earth, that it may 'bring forth and bud.
1 Ps. 65 :6; 95 : 5.
GOD WITH US.
21
The angels of glory find their joy in giving,—giv
ing love and tireless watchcare to souls that are fallen
and unholy.
Heavenly beings woo the hearts of men;
they bring to this dark world light from the courts
above; by gentle and patient ministry they move upon
the human spirit, to bring the lost into a fellowship
with Christ which is even closer than they themselves
can know.
But turning from all lesser representations, we be
hold God in Jesus.
Looking unto Jesus we see that
it is the glory of our God to give.
“I do nothing of
Myself,” said Christ; “the living Father hath sent Me,
and I live by the Father.”
“I seek not Mine own
glory,” but the glory of Him that sent Me.2
In these
words is set forth the great principle which is the law
of life for the universe.
All things Christ received
from God, but He took to give.
So in the heavenly
courts, in His ministry for all created beings: through
the beloved Son, the Father’s life flows out to all;
through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous serv
ice, a tide of love, to the great Source of all.
And thus
through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete,
representing the character of the great Giver, the law
of life.
In heaven itself this law was broken.
Sin orig
inated in self-seeking.
Lucifer, the covering cherub,
desired to be first in heaven.
Fie sought to gain con
trol of heavenly beings, to draw them away from their
Creator, and to win their homage to himself.
There
fore he misrepresented God, attributing to Him the de
sire for self-exaltation.
With his own evil characteris
tics he sought to invest the loving Creator.
Thus he
deceived angels. Thus he deceived men. He led them
to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His good-
Because God is a God of justice and terrible
sJohn 8:28; 6:57; 8:50; 7:18.
ness.
22
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
majesty, Satan caused them to look upon Him as
severe and unforgiving.
Thus he drew men to join
him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe
settled down upon the world.
The earth was dark through misapprehension of
God.
That the gloomy shadows might be lightened,
that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s
deceptive power was to be broken.
This could not
be done by force.
The exercise of force is contrary
to the principles of God’s government; He desires
only the service of love; and love can not be com
manded; it can not be won by force or authority.
Only by love is love awakened.
To know God is to
love Him; His character must be manifested in con
trast to the character of Satan.
This work only one
Being in all the universe could do.
Only He who
knew the height and depth of the love of God, could
make it known.
Upon the world’s dark night the
Sun of Righteousness must rise, “ with healing in His
wings.” 3
The plan for our redemption was not an after
thought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam.
It was a revelation of “the mystery which hath been
kept in silence through times eternal.” 4
It was an
unfolding of the principles that from the eternal ages
have been the foundation of God’s throne.
From the
beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of
Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive
power of the apostate.
God did not ordain that sin
should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made
provisions to meet the terrible emergency.
So great
was His love for the world, that He covenanted to
give His only begotten Son, “that whosoever believ-
eth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.”5
5Mai. 4:2.
*Rom. 16:25, R. V.
6John 3:16.
GOD WITH US.
23
Lucifer had said, “ I will exalt my throne above the
stars of
God;
. . .
I will be like the Most
High.” 0
But Christ, “being in the form of God,
counted it not a thing to be grasped to be on an equal
ity with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of
a servant, being made in the likeness of men.” T
This was a voluntary sacrifice.
Jesus might have
remained at the Father’s side.
He might have re
tained the glory of heaven, and the homage of the
angels.
But He chose to give back the scepter into
the Father’s hands, and to step down from the throne
of the universe, that He might bring light to the be
nighted, and life to the perishing.
Nearly two thousand years ago, a voice of mys
terious import was heard in heaven, from the throne
of God, “ Lo, I come.”
“ Sacrifice and offering Thou
wouldst not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me.
.
.
.
Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is
written of Me), to do Thy will, O God.” 8
In these
words is announced the fulfilment of the purpose that
had been hidden from eternal ages.
Christ was about
to visit our world, and to become incarnate.
He
says, “ A body hast Thou prepared Me.”
Had He
appeared with the glory that was His with the Father
before the world was, we could not have endured the
light of His presence.
That we might behold it and
not be destroyed, the manifestation of His glory was
shrouded.
His divinity was veiled with humanity,—
the invisible glory in the visible human form.
This great purpose had been shadowed forth in
types and symbols.
The burning bush, in which
Christ appeared to Moses, revealed God.
The sym
bol chosen for the representation of the Deity was
a lowly shrub, that seemingly had no attractions.
6Isa. 14:13, 14.
7 Phil. 2:6, 7, R. V., margin.
8Heb. 10:5-7.
24
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
I his enshrined the Infinite.
The all-merciful God
shrouded His glory in a most humble type, that
Moses could look upon it and live.
So in the pillar
of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, God
communicated with Israel, revealing to men His will,
and imparting to them His grace.
God’s glory was
subdued, and His majesty veiled, that the weak vision
of finite men might behold it.
So Christ was to come
in "the body of our humiliation,” 9 “ in the likeness of
men.’
In the eyes of the world He possessed no
beauty that they should desire Him; yet He was the
incarnate God, the light of heaven and earth.
His
glory was veiled, His greatness and majesty were
hidden, that
He might
draw near to sorrowful,
tempted men.
God commanded Moses for Israel, “ Let them make
Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” 10
and He abode in the -sanctuary, in the midst of His
people.
Through all their weary wandering in the
desert, the symbol of His presence was with them.
So Christ set up His tabernacle in the midst of our
human encampment.
He pitched His tent by the
side of the tents of men, that He might dwell among
us, and make us familiar with His divine character
and life.
“The Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the
only begotten from the Father) full of grace and
truth.” 11
Since Jesus came to dwell with us, we know that
God is acquainted with our trials, and sympathizes
with our griefs.
Every son and daughter of Adam
may understand that our Creator is the friend of sin
ners.
For in every doctrine of grace, every promise
of joy, every deed of love, every divine attraction pre-
* Phil. 3:21, R. V.
“ Ex. 25:8.
11 John 1:14, R. V., margin.
GOD WITH US.
25
sented in the Saviour’s life on earth, we see “ God
with us." /
Satan represents God’s law of love as a law of
selfishness.
He declares that it is impossible for us
to obey its precepts.
The fall of our first parents,
with ail the woe that has resulted, he charges upon
the Creator, leading men to look upon God as the
author of sin, and suffering, and death.
Jesus was to
unveil this deception.
As one of us He was to give
an example of obedience.
For this He took upon
Himself our nature, and passed through our experi- j
,-ences.
“ In all things it behooved Him to be made
* like unto His brethren.” 12
If we had to bear any
thing which Jesus did not endure, then upon this >
point Satan would represent the power of God as in
sufficient for us.
Therefore Jesus was “ in all points
tempted like as we are."13
He endured every trial to
which we are subject.
And He exercised in His own
behalf no power that is not freely offered to us.
As
man, He met temptation, ancj
overcame in the
strength given Him from God.
He says, “ I delight
to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within
M'y heart.” 14
As He went about doing good, and
healing all who were afflicted by Satan, He made
plain to men the character of God’s law and the na
ture of His service.
His life testifies that it is possi
ble for us also to obey the law of God.
By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by
His divinity, He lays hold upon the throne of God.
As the Son of man. He gave us an example of obedi
ence; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey.
Tt was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb
spoke to Moses saying, “ I AM TH AT I AM.
.
.
.
Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM
hath sent me unto you.”15
This was the pledge of
1JHeb. 2:17.
13Heb. 4:15.
uPs. 40:8.
15 Ex. 304.
26
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Israel’s deliverance.
So when He came “in the like
ness ol men,” He declared Hirnseh the I AM.
The
Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, is
God “manifest in the flesh.” 10
And to us He says,
“ ‘I AM the Good Shepherd.’
T AM the living
Bread.’
‘I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.’
‘All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.’17
‘I AM the assurance of every promise.’
‘I AM ; be
not afraid.’ ”
“ God with us” is the surety of our de
liverance from sin, the assurance of our power to obey
the law of heaven.
In stooping to take upon Himself humanity, Christ
revealed a character the opposite of the character of
Satan.
But He stepped still lower in the path of
humiliation.
“ Being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.” 18
As the high priest
laid aside his gorgeous pontifical robes, and officiated
in the white linen dress of the common priest, so
Christ took the form of a servant, and offered sacri
fice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim.
“ He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was
upon Him.” 10
Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be
treated as He deserves.
He was condemned for our
sins, in which He had no share, that we might be
justified by His righteousness, in which we had no
share.
He suffered the death which was ours, that
we might receive the life which was His.
“ With His
stripes we are healed.”
By His life and His death, Christ has achieved even
more than recovery from the ruin wrought through
sin.
It was Satan’s purpose to bring about an eternal
161 Tim. 3:16.
17John 10:1 r, 6:51; 14:6; Matt. 28:18.
18 Phil. 2:8.
19Isa. 53:5.
GOD WITH US.
27
separation between God and man; but in Christ we
become more closely united to God than if we had
never fallen.
In taking our nature, the Saviour has
bound Himself to humanity by a tie that is never to
be broken.
Through the eternal ages He is linked
with us.
“ God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son.”20
He gave Him not only to
bear our sins, and to die as our sacrifice; He gave
Him to the fallen race.
To assure us of His im
mutable counsel of peace, God gave His only begot
ten Son to become one of the human family, forever
to retain His human nature.
This is the pledge that
God will fulfil His word.
“ Unto us a child is born;
unto us a son is given; and the government shall be
upon His shoulder.”
God has adopted human nature
in the person of His Son, and has carried the same
into the highest heaven.
It is the “ Son of man” who
shares the throne of the universe.
It is the “ Son of
man” whose name shall be called, “Wonderful, Coun
selor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peace.”21
The I AM is the Daysman be
tween God and humanity, laying His hand upon both.
He who is “ holy, harmless, undefiied, separate from
sinners,” is not ashamed to call us brethren.22
In
Christ the family of earth and the family of heaven
are bound together.
Christ glorified is our brother.
Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is
enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love.
S O f His people God says, “They shall be as the
stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His
land.
For how great is His goodness, and how great
is His beauty!”28
The exaltation of the redeemed
will be an eternal testimony to God’s mercy.
“ In the
ages to come,” He will “ show the exceeding riches
20John 3:16.
21 Isa. 9:6.
22 Heb. 7:26; 2:11.
23Zech. 9:16, 17.
28
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of His grace in His kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus.”
“ To the intent that
.
.
.
unto
the principalities and the powers in the heavenly
places might be made known
.
.
.
the manifold
wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose
which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 24
Through Christ's redeeming work the government
of God stands justified.
The Omnipotent One is
made known as the God of love.
Satan’s charges
are refuted, and his character unveiled.
Rebellion
can never again arise.
Sin can never again enter the
universe.
Through eternal ages all are secure from
apostasy.
By love’s self-sacrifice, the inhabitants of
earth and heaven are bound to their Creator in bonds
of indissoluble union.
The work of redemption will be complete.
In the
place where sin abounded, God’s grace much more
abounds.
The earth itself, the very field that Satan
claims as his, is to be not only ransomed but exalted.
Our little world, under the curse of sin the one dark
blot in His glorious creation, will be honored above
all other worlds in the universe of God.
Here, where
the Son of God tabernacled in humanity; where the
King of Glory lived and suffered and died,—here,
when He shall make all things new, the tabernacle of
God shall be with men, “and He shall dwell with
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself
shall be with them, and be their God-.”
And through
endless ages as the redeemed walk in the light of the
Lord, they will praise Him for His unspeakable
Gift,—
Immanuel, u God with us.”
“ Eph. 2:7; 3:10, 11, R. V .
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.
CHAPTER TWO.
For more than a thousand years the Jewish people
had awaited the Saviour’s coming.
Upon this event
they had rested their brightest hopes.
In song and
prophecy, in temple rite and household prayer, they
had enshrined His name.
And yet at His coming,
they knew Him not.
The Beloved of heaven was to
them “ as a root out of a dry ground;” He had "no
form nor comeliness;” and they saw in Him no beauty
that they should desire Him.
“ He came unto His
own, and His own received Him not.”1
Yet God had chosen Israel.
He had called them
to preserve among men the knowledge of His law,
and of the symbols and prophecies that pointed to the
Saviour.
He desired them to be as wells of salvation
to the world.
What Abraham was in the land of his
sojourn, what Joseph was in Egypt, and Daniel in the
courts of Babylon, the Hebrew people were to be
among the nations:
They were to reveal God to
men.
In the call of Abraham the Lord had said, _ I will
bless thee,
.
.
.
and thou shalt be a blessing,
.
and in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed.” 2
The same teaching was repeated through
the prophets.
Even after Israel had been wasted by
war and captivity, the promise was theirs, The rem
nant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as
’ Isa. 53:2; John 1:11.
2Gen. 12:2, 3-
29)
30
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass,
that tarrieth not for man, nor vvaiteth for the sons of
men.” 3
Concerning the temple at Jerusalem, the
Lord declared through Isaiah, “ Mine house shall be
called an house of prayer for all peoples.” 4
But the Israelites fixed their hopes upon worldly
greatness.
From the time of their entrance to the
land of Canaan, they departed from the command
ments of God, and followed the ways of the heathen.
It was in vain that God sent them warning by His
prophets.
In vain they suffered the chastisement of
heathen oppression.
Every reformation was followed
by deeper apostasy.
Had Israel been true to God, He could have ac
complished His purpose through their honor and
exaltation.
If they had walked in the ways of obedi
ence, He would have made them “ high above all
nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name,
and in honor.”
“ All people of the earth,” said Moses,
“shall see that thou art called by the name of Jeho
vah; and they shall be afraid of thee.”
“ The nations
which shall hear all these statutes” shall say, “Surely
this great nation is a wise and understanding peo
ple.” 3
But because of their unfaithfulness, God’s
purpose could be wrought out only through con
tinued adversity and humiliation.
They were brought into subjection to Babylon,
and scattered through the lands of the heathen.
In
affliction many renewed their faithfulness to His cov
enant.
While they hung their harps upon the wil
lows, and mourned for the holy temple that was laid
waste, the light of truth shone out through them, and
a knowledge of God was spread among the nations.
The heathen systems of sacrifice were a perversion of
3 Micah 5:7.
* Isa. 56:7, R. V.
5 Deut. 26:19; 28:10; 4:6.
THE CHOSEN PEOPLE.
31
the system that God had appointed; and many a sin
cere observer of heathen rites learned from the
Hebrews the meaning of the service divinely or
dained, and in faith grasped the promise of a Re
deemer.
Many of the exiles suffered persecution.
Not a few
lost their lives because of their refusal to disregard the
Sabbath and to observe the heathen festivals.
As
idolaters were roused to crush out the truth, the Lord
brought His servants face to face with kings and
rulers, that they and their people might receive the
light.
Time after time the greatest monarchs were
led to proclaim the supremacy of the God whom their
Hebrew captives worshiped.
By the Babylonish captivity the Israelites were
effectually cured of the worship of graven images.
During the centuries that followed, they suffered from
the oppression of heathen foes, until the conviction
became fixed that their prosperity depended upon
their obedience to the law of God.
But with too
many of the people, obedience was not prompted by
love.
The motive was selfish.
They rendered out
ward service to God as the means of attaining to
national greatness.
They did not become the light
of the world, but shut themselves away from the world
in order to escape temptation to idolatry.
In the in
struction given through Moses, God had placed re
strictions upon their association with idolaters; but
this teaching had been misinterpreted.
It was in
tended to prevent them from conforming to the prac
tises of the heathen.
But it was used to build up a
wall of
separation
between Israel and all
other
nations.
The Jews looked upon Jerusalem as their
heaven, and they were actually jealous lest the Lord
should show mercy to the Gentiles.
32
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
After the return from Babylon, much attention was
given to religious instruction.
AH over the country,
synagogues were erected, where the law was ex
pounded by the priests and scribes.
And schools
were established, which, together with the arts and sci
ences, professed to teach the principles of righteous
ness.
But these agencies became corrupted.
Dur
ing the captivity, many of the people had received
heathen ideas and customs, and these were brought
into their religious service.
In many things they
conformed to the practises of idolaters.
As they departed from God, the Jews in a great
degree lost sight of the teaching of the ritual service.
That service had been instituted by Christ Himself.
In every part it was a symbol of Him; and it had been
full of vitality and spiritual beauty.
But the Jews
lost the spiritual life from their ceremonies, and clung
to the dead forms.
They trusted to the sacrifices and
ordinances themselves, instead of resting upon Him
to whom they pointed.
In order to supply the place
of that which they had lost, the priests and rabbis
multiplied requirements of their own; and the more
rigid they grew, the less of the love of God was mani
fested.
They measured their holiness by the multi
tude of their ceremonies, while their hearts were filled
with pride and hypocrisy.
With all their minute and burdensome injunctions,
it was an impossibility to keep the law.
Those who
desired to serve God, and who tried to observe the
rabbinical precepts, toiled under a heavy burden.
They could find no rest from the accusings of a
troubled conscience.
Thus Satan worked to discour
age the people, to lower their conception of the char
acter of God, and to bring the faith of Israel into con
tempt.
He hoped to establish the claim put forth
when he rebelled in heaven,— that the requirements
T H E CH O SEN P E O P LE .
33
of God were unjust, and could not be obeyed.
Even
Israel, he declared, did not keep the law.
While the Jews desired the advent of the Messiah,
they had no true conception of His mission.
They
did not seek redemption from sin, but deliverance
from the Romans.
They looked for the Messiah to
come as a conqueror, to break the oppressor’s power,
and exalt Israel to universal dominion.
Thus the
way was prepared for them to reject the Saviour.
At the time of the birth of Christ the nation was
chafing under the rule of her foreign masters, and
racked with internal strife.
The Jews had been per
mitted to maintain the form of a separate govern
ment; but nothing could disguise the fact that they
were under the Roman yoke, or reconcile them to the
restriction of their power.
The Romans claimed the
right of appointing and removing the high priest, and
the office was often secured by fraud, bribery, and
even murder.
Thus the priesthood became more and
more corrupt.
Yet the priests still possessed great
power, and they employed it for selfish and merce
nary ends.
The people were subjected to their merci
less demands, and were also heavily taxed by the
Romans.
This state of affairs caused widespread
discontent.
Popular outbreaks were frequent.
Greed
and violence, distrust and spiritual apathy, were eat
ing out the very heart of the nation.
Hatred of the Romans, and national and spiritual
pride, led the Jews still to adhere rigorously to their
forms of worship.
The priests tried to maintain a
reputation for sanctity by scrupulous attention to the
ceremonies of religion.
The people, in their dark
ness and oppression, and the rulers, thirsting for
power, longed for the coming of One who would van
quish their enemies and restore the kingdom to
Israel.
They had studied the prophecies, but with-
3
out spiritual insight.
Thus they overlooked those
scriptures that point to the humiliation of Christ’s
first advent, and misapplied those that speak of the
gjory of His second coming.
Pride obscured their
vision.
They interpreted
prophecy in accordance
with their selfish desires.
34
t h e d e s i r e o f a g e s .
THE FULNESS OF THE TIME.
CHAPTER THREE.
“When the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son
. . .
to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons.” 1
The
Saviour’s
coming
was
foretold in Eden.
When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, they
looked for its speedy fulfilment.
They joyfully wel
comed their first-born son, hoping that he might be
the Deliverer.
But the fulfilment of the promise tar
ried.
Those who first received it, died without the
sight.
From the days of Enoch the promise was re
peated
through patriarchs and prophets, keeping
alive the hope of His appearing, and yet He came
not.
The prophecy of Daniel revealed the time of
His advent, but not all rightly interpreted the mes
sage.
Century after century passed away; the voices
of the prophets ceased.
The hand of the oppressor
was heavy upon Israel, and many were ready to ex
claim, “The davs are prolonged, and every vision
faileth.” 2
But like the stars in the vast circuit of their ap
pointed path, God’s purposes know no haste and no
delay.
Through the symbols of the great darkness
and the smoking furnace, God had revealed to Abra
ham the bondage of Israel in Egypt, and had declared
that the time of their sojourning should be four hun-
‘ Gal. 4:4, 5.
2Eze. 12:22.
(3 5)
36
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
dred years.
“Afterward,” He said, “ shall they come
out with great substance.”3
Against that word, all
the power of Pharaoh’s proud empire battled in vain.
. n ^he selfsame day appointed in the divine prom
ise, “ it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord
went out from the land of Egypt.”4
So in heaven’s
council the hour for the coming of Christ had been
determined.
When the great clock of time pointed
to that hour, Jesus was born in Bethlehem.
W hen the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son.”
Providence had directed the move
ments of nations, and the tide of human impulse and
influence, until the world was ripe for the coming of
the Deliverer.
The nations were united under one
government.
One language was widely spoken, and
was everywhere recognized as the language of litera
ture.
From all lands the Jews of the dispersion
gathered to Jerusalem to the annual feasts.
As these
returned to the places of their sojourn, they could
spread throughout the world the tidings of the Mes
siah’s coming.
At this time the systems of heathenism were losing
their hold upon the people.
Men were weary of
pageant and fable.
They longed for a religion that
could satisfy the heart.
While the light of truth
seemed to have departed from among men, there were
souls who were looking for light, and who were filled
with perplexity and sorrow.
They were thirsting for
a knowledge of the living God, for some assurance of
a life beyond the grave.
As the Jews had. departed from God, faith had
grown dim, and hope had well-nigh ceased to illu
minate the future.
The words of the prophets were
uncomprehended.
To the masses of the people,
death was a dread mystery; beyond was uncertainty
3Gen. 15:14.
4Ex. 12:41.
THE FULNESS OF THE TIME.
37
and gloom.
It was not alone the wailing of the
mothers of Bethlehem, but the cry from the great
heart of humanity, that was borne to the prophet
across the centuries,— the voice in Ramah, “lamenta
tion, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel
weeping for her children, and would not be com
forted, because they are not.’”’
In “the region and
shadow of death,” men sat unsolaced.
With longing
eyes they looked for the coming of the Deliverer,
when the darkness should be dispelled, and the mys
tery of the future should be made plain.
Outside of the Jewish nation there were men who
foretold the appearance of a divine instructor.
These
men were seeking for truth, and to them the Spirit of
inspiration was imparted.
One after another, like
stars in the darkened heavens, such teachers had
arisen.
Their words of prophecy had kindled hope in
the hearts of thousands of the Gentile world.
For hundreds of years the Scriptures had been
translated into the Greek language, then widely
spoken throughout the Roman empire.
The Jews
wrere scattered everywhere, and their expectation of
the Messiah’s coming was to some extent shared by
the Gentiles.
Among those whom the Jews styled
heathen, were men who had a better understanding
of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah
than had the teachers in Israel.
There were some
who hoped for Flis coming as a deliverer from
sin.
Philosophers endeavored to study into the mys
tery of the Plebrew economy.
But the bigotry of the
Tews hindered the spread of the light.
Intent on
maintaining the separation between themselves and
other nations, they were unwilling to impart the
knowledge they still possessed concerning the sym
bolic service.
The true Interpreter must come.
The
5 Matt. 2:18.
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
One whom all these types prefigured, must explain
their significance.
Through
nature, through
types and
symbols,
through patriarchs and prophets, God had spoken to
the world.
Lessons must be given to humanity in
the language of humanity.
The Messenger of the
covenant must speak.
His voice must be heard in
His own temple.
Christ must come to utter words
which should be clearly and definitely understood.
He, the author of truth, must separate truth from the
chaff of man's utterance, which had made it of no
effect.
The principles of God’s government and the
plan of redemption must be clearly defined.
The
lessons of the Old Testament must be fully set before
men.
Among the Jews there were yet steadfast souls, de
scendants of that holy line through whom a knowledge
of God had been preserved.
These still looked for the
hope of the promise made unto the fathers.
They
strengthened their faith by dwelling upon the assur
ance given through Moses, “A prophet shall the
Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren,
like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatso
ever He shall say unto you.” 6
Again, they read how
the Lord would anoint One “ to preach good tidings
unto the meek,” “ to bind up the broken-hearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives,” and to declare the
“acceptable year of the Lord.” 7
They read how He
would “ set judgment in the earth,” how the isles
should “wait for His law,” how the Gentiles should
come to His light, and kings to the brightness of His
rising.8
The dying words of Jacob filled them with hope:
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-
6 Acts 3:22.
TIsa. 61:1, 2.
8 Isa. 42:4; 60:3.
3&
THE FULNESS OF THE TIME.
39
giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come.”®
The waning power of Israel testified that the Mes
siah’s coming was at hand.
The prophecy of Daniel
pictured the glory of His reign over an empire which
should succeed all earthly kingdoms; and, said the
prophet, “ It shall stand forever.” 10
While few un
derstood the nature of Christ’s mission, there was a
wide-spread expectation of a mighty prince who
should establish his kingdom in Israel, and who
should come as a deliverer to the nations.
The fulness of the time had come.
Humanity,
becoming more degraded through ages of transgres
sion, called for the coming of the Redeemer.
Satan
had been working to make the gulf deep and impass
able between earth and heaven.
By his falsehoods
he had emboldened men in sin.
It was his purpose
to wear out the forbearance of God, and to extinguish
His love for man, so that He would abandon the
world to Satanic jurisdiction.
Satan was seeking to shut out from men a knowl
edge of God, to turn their attention from the temple
of God, and to establish his own kingdom.
His
strife for supremacy had seemed to be almost wholly
successful.
It is true that in every generation God
had His agencies.
Even among the heathen there
were men through whom Christ was working to up
lift the people from their sin and degradation.
But
these men were despised and hated.
Many of them
suffered a violent death.
The dark shadow that
Satan had cast over the world grew deeper and
deeper.
Through heathenism, Satan had for ages turned
men away from God; but he won his great triumph
in perverting the faith of Israel.
By contemplating
and worshiping their own conceptions, the heathen
9 Gen. 49:10.
10 Dan. 2:44.
4 0
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
had lost a knowledge of God, and had become more
and more corrupt.
So it was with Israel.
The
principle that man can save himself by his own
works, lay at the foundation of every heathen re
ligion; it had now become the principle of the Jewish
religion.
Satan had implanted this principle. Wher
ever it is held, men have no barrier against sin.
lhe message of salvation is communicated to men
through human agencies.
But the Jews had sought
to make a monopoly of the truth which is eternal life.
I hey had hoarded the living manna, and it had
turned to corruption.
The religion which they tried
to shut up to themselves became an offense.
They
robbed God of His glory, and defrauded the world
by a counterfeit of the gospel.
They had refused to
surrender themselves to God for the salvation of the
world, and they became agents of Satan for its de
struction.
The people whom God had called to be the pillar
and ground of the truth, had become representatives
of Satan.
They were doing the work that he desired
them to do, taking a course to misrepresent the char
acter of God, and cause the world to look upon Him
as a tyrant.
T he very priests who ministered in the
temple had lost sight of the significance of the service
they performed.
They had ceased to look beyond
the symbol to the thing signified.
In presenting the
sacrificial offerings they were as actors in a play.
The ordinances which God Himself had appointed
were made the means of blinding the mind and hard
ening the heart.
God could do no more for man
through these channels.
The whole system must be
swept away.
The deception of sin had reached its height.
All
the agencies for depraving the souls of men had been
put in operation.
The Son of God, looking upon the
THE FULNESS OF THE TIME.
41
world, beheld suffering and misery.
With pity He
saw how men had become victims of Satanic cruelty.
He looked with compassion upon those who were
being corrupted, murdered, and lost.
They had
chosen a ruler who chained them to his car as
captives.
Bewildered and deceived, they were mov
ing on in gloomy procession toward eternal ruin,—
to death in which is no hope of life, toward night to
which comes no morning.
Satanic agencies were
incorporated with men.
The bodies of human be
ings, made for the dwelling-place of God, had become
the habitation of demons.
The senses, the nerves,
the passions, the organs of men, were worked by
supernatural agencies in the indulgence of the vilest
lust.
The very stamp of demons
was impressed
upon the countenances of men.
Human faces re
flected the expression of the legions of evil with
which they were possessed.
Such was the prospect
upon which the world’s Redeemer looked.
What a
spectacle for Infinite Purity to behold!
Sin had become a science, and vice was conse
crated as a part of religion.
Rebellion had struck its
roots deep into the heart, and the hostility of man
was most violent against heaven.
It was demon
strated before the universe that, apart from God,
humanity could not be uplifted.
A new element of
life and power must be imparted by Him who made
the world.
With intense interest the unfallen worlds had
watched to see Jehovah arise, and sweep away the
inhabitants of the earth.
And if God should do this,
Satan was ready to carry out his plan for securing to
himself the allegiance of heavenly beings.
He had
declared that the principles of God’s government
make forgiveness impossible.
Had the world been
destroyed, he would have claimed that his accusa-
42
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
tions were proved true.
He was ready to cast blame
upon God, and to spread his rebellion to the worlds
above.
But instead of destroying the world, God
sent His Son to save it.
Though corruption and
defiance might be seen in every part of the alien
province, a way for its recovery was provided.
At
the very crisis, when Satan seemed about to triumph,
the Son of God came with the embassage of divine
grace.
Through every age, through every hour, the
love of God had been exercised toward the fallen
race.
Notwithstanding the perversity of men, the
signals of mercy had been continually exhibited.
And when the fulness of the time had come, the
Deity was glorified by pouring upon the world a
flood of healing grace that was never to be obstructed
or withdrawn till the plan of salvation should be ful
filled.
Satan was exulting that he had succeeded in de
basing the image of God in humanity.
Then Jesus
came to restore in man the image of his Maker.
None but Christ can fashion anew the character that
has been ruined by sin.
He came to expel the de
mons that had controlled the will.
He came to lift
us up from the dust, to reshape the marred character
after the pattern of His divine character, and to make
it beautiful with His own glory.
EARLY YEARS.
Bethlehem and Nazareth.
UNTO YOU A SAVIOUR.
CHAPTER FOUR.
The King of Glory stooped low to take humanity.
Rude and forbidding were His earthly surroundings.
His glory was veiled, that the majesty of His out
ward form might not become an object of attraction.
He shunned all outward display.
Riches, worldly
honor, and human greatness can never save a soul
from death; Jesus purposed that no attraction of an
earthly nature should call men to His side.
Only the
beauty of heavenly truth must draw those who would
follow Him.
The character of the Messiah had long
been foretold in prophecy, and He desired men to
accept Him upon the testimony of the word of God.
The angels had wondered at the glorious plan of
redemption.
They watched to see how the people
of God would receive His Son, clothed in the garb
of humanity.
Angels came to the land of the chosen
people.
Other nations were dealing in fables and
worshiping false gods.
To the land where the glory
of God had been revealed, and the light of prophecy
had shone, the angels came.
They came unseen to
Jerusalem, to the appointed expositors of the Sacred
Oracles, and the ministers of God’s house.
Already
to Zacharias the priest, as he ministered before the
altar, the nearness of Christ’s coming had been an
nounced.
Already the forerunner was born, his mis-
This chapter is based on Luke 2:1-20.
(4 5)
“ He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant.” Isa. 53:2.
46
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
sion attested by miracle and prophecy.
The tidings
of his birth and the wonderful significance of his mis
sion had been spread abroad.
Yet Jerusalem was
not preparing to welcome her Redeemer.
With amazement the heavenly messengers beheld
the indifference of that people whom God had called
to communicate to the world the light of sacred truth.
/ f The Jewish nation had been preserved as a witness
that Christ was to be born of the seed of Abraham
and of David’s line; yet they knew not that His com
ing was now at hand.
In the temple the morning
and evening sacrifice daily pointed to the Lamb of
God; yet even here was no preparation to receive
Him.
The priests and teachers of the nation knew
not that the greatest event of the ages was about to
take
place.
They
rehearsed
their
meaningless
prayers, and performed the rites of worship to be
seen by men, but in their strife for riches and worldly
honor they were not prepared for the revelation of
the Messiah.
The same indifference pervaded the
land of Israel.
Hearts selfish and world-engrossed
were untouched by the joy that thrilled all heaven.
Only a few were longing to behold the Unseen.
To
these heaven’s embassy was sent.
Angels attend Joseph and Mary as they journey
from their home in Nazareth to the city of David.
The decree of imperial Rome for the enrolment of
the peoples of her vast dominion, has extended to the
dwellers among the hills of Galilee.
As in old time
Cyrus was called to the throne of the world’s empire
that he might set free the captives of the Lord, so
Caesar Augustus is made the agent for the fulfilment
of God’s purpose in bringing the mother of Jesus to
Bethlehem.
She is of the lineage of David, and the
Son of David must be born in David’s city.
Out of
Bethlehem, said the prophet, “ shall He come forth
UNTO YOU A SAVIOUR.
47
.
.
that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings
forth have been from of old, from the days of eter
nity.” 1
But in the city of their royal line, Joseph
and Mary are unrecognized and unhonored.
Weary
and homeless, they traverse the entire length of the
narrow street, from the gate of the city to the eastern
extremity of the town, vainly seeking a resting-place
for the night.
There is no room for them at the
crowded inn.
In a rude building where the beasts
are sheltered, they at last find refuge, and here the
Redeemer of the world is born.
Men know it not, but the tidings fill heaven with
rejoicing.
With a deeper and more tender interest
the holy beings from the world of light are drawn to
the earth.
The whole world is brighter for His pres
ence.
Above the hills of Bethlehem are gathered an
innumerable throng of angels.
They wait the signal
to declare the glad news to the world.
Had the
leaders in Israel been true to their trust, they might
have shared the joy of heralding the birth of Jesus.
Rut now they are passed by.
God declares, “ I will pour water upon him that is
thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.”
“ Unto
the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.” 2
To
those who are seeking for light, and who accept it
with gladness, the bright rays from the throne of
God wall shine.
In the fields where the boy David had led his
flock, shepherds were still keeping watch by night,
lhrough the silent hours they talked together of the
promised Saviour, and prayed for the coming of the
King to David’s throne.
“And, lo, the angel of the
Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold,
l Micah 5:2, margin.
2 Isa. 44:3; Ps. 112:4.
4s
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be
to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
At these words, visions of glory fill the minds of
the listening shepherds.
The Deliverer has come to
Israel!
Power, exaltation, triumph, are associated
with His coming.
But the angel must prepare them
to recognize their Saviour in poverty and humilia
tion.
“ This shall be a sign unto you,” he says; “ ye
shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger.”
The heavenly messenger had quieted their fears.
He had told them how to find Jesus.
With tender
regard for their human weakness, he had given them
time to become accustomed to the divine radiance.
Then the joy and glory could no longer be hidden.
The whole plain was lighted up with the bright shin
ing of the hosts of God.
Earth was hushed, and
heaven stooped to listen to the song,—
“ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men.”
O that to-day the human family could recognize
that song!
The declaration then made, the note
then struck, will swell to the close of time, and re
sound to the ends of the earth.
When the Sun of
Righteousness shall arise, with healing in His wings,
that song will be re-echoed by the voice of a great
multitude, as the voice of many waters, saying,
“Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” 3
As the angels disappeared, the light faded away,
and the shadows of night once more fell on the hills
of Bethlehem.
But the brightest picture ever beheld
by human eyes remained in the memory of the shep
herds.
“ And it came to pass, as the angels were
3 Rev. 19:6.
UNTO YOU A SAVIOUR.
45
gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds
said one to another, Let us now go even unto Beth
lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And
they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph,
and the babe lying in a manger.”
Departing with great joy, they made known the
things they had seen and heard.
“And all they that
heard it wondered at those things which were told
them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these
things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the
shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God.”
Heaven and earth are no wider apart to-day than
when shepherds listened to the angels’ song.
Hu
manity is still as much the object of heaven’s solici
tude as when common men of common occupations
met angels at noon-day, and talked with the heavenly
messengers in the vineyards and the fields.
T o us
in the common walks of life, heaven may be very
near.
Angels from the courts above will attend the
steps of those who come and go at God’s command.
The story of Bethlehem is an exhaustless theme. \
In it is hidden “the depth of the riches both of the I
wisdom and knowledge of God.” 4
We marvel a t'
the Saviour's sacrifice in exchanging the throne of
heaven for the manger, and the companionship of
adoring angels for the beasts of the stall.
Human
pride and self-sufficiency stand rebuked in His pres- !
ence.
Yet this was but the beginning of His won
derful condescension.
It would have been an al-
most infinite humiliation"7or the Son of (jod to take'!
man’s nature, even when Adam stood in his inno-
cence m Eclen.
ffut Jesus" accepted humanity when
the race had been weakened by four thousand years
of sin.
Like every child of Adam He accepted the
' Rom 11:33
4
50
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
I.
results of the working of the great law of heredity.
What these results were is shown in the history of
His earthly ancestors.
He came with such a hered
ity to share our sorrows and temptations, and to
give us the example of a sinless life.
Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position
in the courts of God.
He hated Him the more when
he himself was dethroned.
He hated Him who
pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners.
Yet
into the world where Satan claimed dominion God
permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject
to the weakness of humanity.
He permitted Him
to meet life s peril in common with every human soul,
to fight the battle as every child of humanity must
fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
The hearf oTtK’Tiuman father yearns over his son.
He looks into the face of his little child, and trembles
at the thought of life’s peril.
He longs to shield his
dear one from Satan s power, to hold him back from
temptation and conflict.
To meet a bitterer con
flict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only
begotten Son, that the path of life might be made
?«re for our little pnes.
“ Herein is love.”
Wonder,
O heavens! and be astonished, O earth!
THE DEDICATION.
CHAPTER FIVE.
About forty days after the birth of Christ, Joseph
and Mary took Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to
the Lord, and to offer sacrifice.
This was accord
ing to the Jewish law, and as man’s substitute Christ
must conform to the law in every particular.
He
had already been subjected to the rite of circumcision,
as a pledge of His obedience to the law.
As an offering for the mother, the law required a
lamb of the first year for a burnt-offering, and: a
young pigeon or a turtle dove for a sin-offering^
But the law provided that if the parents were too poor
to bring a lamb, a pair of turtle doves or two young
pigeons, one for a burnt-offering, the other for a
sin-offering, might be accepted.
The offerings presented to the Lord were to be
without
blemish.
These
offerings
represented
Christ, and from this it is evident that Jesus Himself
was free from physical deformity.
He was the
“ lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1
His
physical structure was not marred by any defect; His
body was strong and healthy.
And throughout His
lifetime He lived in conformity to nature’s laws.
Physically as well as spiritually, He was an example
of what God designed all humanity to be through obe
dience to His laws.
The dedication of the first-born had its origin in the
This chapter is based on Luke 2:21-38. ,
1 1 Peter 1:19.
( 51 )
52
the desire of ages.
earliest times.
God had promised to give the First
born of heaven to save the sinner.
This gift was to
be acknowledged in every household by the consecra
tion of the first-born son.
He was to be devoted to
the priesthood, as a representative of Christ among
men.
In the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, the dedi
cation of the first-born was again commanded. While
the children of Israel were in bondage to the Egyp
tians, the Lord directed Moses to go to Pharoah, king
of Egypt, and say, “ Thus saith the Lord, Israel is My
son, even My first-born; and I say unto thee, Let My
son go, that he may serve Me: and if thou refuse to
let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy first
born.”2
Moses delivered his message; but the proud king's
answer was, “W ho is the Lord, that I should obey
Lis voice to let Israel go?
I know not the Lord
neither will I let Israel go.’’8
The Lord worked for
His people by signs and wonders, sending terrible
judgments upon Pharaoh.
At length the destroying
angd was bidden to slay the first-born of man and
beast among the Egyptians.
That the Israelites
might be spared, they were directed to place upon
t ieir door posts the blood of a slain lamb.
Every
house was to be marked, that when the angel came
on Ms mission of death, he might pass over the homes
of the Israelites.
■
After sending this judgment upon Egypt, the Lord
said to Moses, “ Sanctify unto Me all the first-born
•
•
•
°oth of man and beast; it is Mine;” “for on
t ie cay that I smote all the first-born in the land of
Egypt, I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in Israel
both man and beast: Mine shall they be; I am the
l ord.
After the tabernacle service was established,
2 Ex' 4:22’ 23>
3 Ex- 5:2.
«Ex. 13:2; Num. .v ia
THE DEDICATION.
53
the Lord chose the tribe of Levi in the place of the
first-born of all Israel to minister in the sanctuary.
But the first-born were still to be regarded as the
Lord’s, and were to be bought back by a ransom.
Thus the law for the presentation of the first-born
was made particularly significant.
While it was a
memorial of the Lord's wonderful deliverance of the
children of Israel, it prefigured a greater deliverance,
to be wrought out by the only begotten Son of God.
As the blood sprinkled on the door posts had saved
the first-born of Israel, so the blood of Christ has
power to save the world.
What meaning then was attached to Christ’s pres
entation.
But the priest did not see through the
veil; he did not read the mystery beyond.
The pres
entation of infants was a common scene.
Day after
day the priest received the redemption money as the
babes were presented to the Lord.
Day after day he
went through the routine of his work, giving little
heed to parents or children, unless he saw some indi
cation of the wealth or high rank of the parents.
Jo
seph and Mary were poor; and when they came with
their child, the priest saw only a man and woman
dressed as Galileans, and in the humblest garments.
There was nothing in their appearance to attract at
tention, and they presented only the offering made
by the poorer classes.
The priest went through the ceremony of his offi
cial work.
He took the child in his arms, and held
it up before the altar.
After handing it back to its
mother, he inscribed the name “Jesus” on the roll of
the first-born.
Little did he think, as the babe lay in
his arms, that it was the Majesty of Heaven, the King
of Glory.
The priest did not think that this babe was
the One of whom Moses had written, “ A prophet
shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your
54
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all
things whatsoever He shall say unto you.” 5
He did
not think that this babe was He whose glory Moses
had asked to see.
But One greater than Moses lay
in the priest’s arms; and when he enrolled the child's
name, he was enrolling the name of One who was the
foundation of the whole Jewish economy.
That name
was to be its death warrant; for the system of sacri
fices and offerings was waxing old; the type had al
most reached its antitype, the shadow its substance.
The shekinah had departed from the sanctuary, but
in the Child of Bethlehem was veiled the glory before
which angels bow.
This unconscious babe was the
promised seed, to whom the first altar at the gate of
Eden pointed.
This was Shiloh, the peace-giver.
It
was He who declared Himself to Moses as the I AM.
It was He who in the pillar of cloud and of fire, had
been the guide of Israel.
This was He whom seers
had long foretold.
He was the Desire of all nations,
the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright
and Morning Star.
The name of that helpless little
babe, inscribed in the roll of Israel, declaring Him
our brother, was the hope of fallen humanity.
The
child for whom the redemption money had been paid
was He who was to pay the ransom for the sins of the
whole world.
He was the true “ high priest over the
house of God,” the head of “an unchangeable priest
hood,” the intercessor at “the right hand of the
Majesty on high.” 6
Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
In the
temple the Son of God was dedicated to the work He
had come to do.
The priest looked upon Him as he
would upon any other child.
But though he neither
saw nor felt anything unusual, God’s act in giving
His Son to the world was acknowledged.
This occa-
6 Acts 3:22.
®Heb. 10:21; 7:24; 1 :3.
THE DEDICATION.
55
sion did not pass without some recognition of Christ.
“ There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Sim
eon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting
for the Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost
was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by
the Holy Ghost that he should not see death, before
he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”
As Simeon enters the temple, he sees a family pre
senting their first-born son before the priest.
Their
appearance bespeaks poverty; but Simeon under
stands the warnings of the Spirit, and he is deeply
impressed that the infant being presented to the Lord
is the Consolation of Israel, the One he has longed to
see.
To the astonished priest, Simeon appears like
a man enraptured.
The child has been returned to
Mary, and he takes it in his arms and presents it to
God, while a joy that he has never before felt enters
his soul.
As he lifts the infant Saviour toward heaven,
he says, “ Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart
in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have
seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before
the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and the glory of Thy people Israel.”
The spirit of prophecy was upon this man of God,
and while Joseph and Mary stood by, wondering at
his words, he blessed them, and said unto Mary, “ Be
hold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of
many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken
against (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own
soul also,); that the thoughts of many hearts may be
revealed.”
Anna also, a prophetess, came in and confirmed
Simeon’s testimony concerning Christ.
As Simeon
spoke, her face lighted up with the glory of God, and
she poured out her heartfelt thanks that she had been
permitted to behold Christ the Lord.
56
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
1 hese humble worshipers had not studied the proph
ecies in vain.
Cut those who held positions as rulers
and priests in Israel, though they too had before
them the precious utterances of prophecy, were not
walking in the way of the Lord, and their eyes were
not open to behold the Light of life.
So it is still.
Events upon which the attention of
all heaven is centered, are undiscerned, their very
occurrence is unnoticed, by religious leaders, and
worshipers in the house of God.
Men acknowledge
Christ in history, while they turn away from the liv
ing Christ.
Christ in His word calling to self-sacri
fice, in the poor and suffering who plead for relief, in
the righteous cause that involves poverty and toil and
reproach, is no more readily received to-day than He
was eighteen hundred years ago.
Mary pondered the broad and far-reaching proph
ecy of Simeon.
As she looked upon the child in he*'
arms, and recalled the words spoken by the shepherds
of Bethlehem, she was full of grateful joy and bright
hope.
Simeon’s words called to her mind the pro
phetic utterances of Isaiah: “ There shall come forth a
rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow
out of his roots.* and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest
upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowl
edge and of the fear of the Lord.
.
.
.
And right
eousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithful
ness the girdle of His reins.” “ The people that walked
m darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell
in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath
the light shined.
.
.
.
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called
W onderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlast
ing Father, the Prince of Peace.” 7
7 Isa. 11:1-5; 9:2-6.
THE DEDICATION.
57
Yet Mary did not understand Christ’s mission.
Simeon had prophesied of Him as a light to lighten
the Gentiles, as well as a glory to Israel.
Thus the
angels had announced the Saviour’s birth as tidings
of joy to all peoples.
God was seeking to correct the
narrow, Jewish conception of the Messiah’s work.
He desired men to behold Him, not merely as the
deliverer of Israel, but as the Redeemer of the world.
But many years must pass before even the mother
of Jesus would understand His mission.
Mary looked forward to the Messiah’s reign on
David’s throne, but she saw not the baptism of suffer
ing by which it must be won.
Through Simeon it is
revealed that the Messiah is to have no unobstructed
passage through the world.
In the words to Mary,
“ A sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,”
God in His tender mercy gives to the mother of Jesus
an intimation of the anguish that already for His sake
she had begun to bear.
“ Behold,” Simeon had said, “this child is set for
the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a
sign which shall be spoken against.”
They must fall
who would rise again.
We must fall upon the Rock
and be broken, before we can be uplifted in Christ.
Self must be dethroned, pride must be humbled, if we
would know the glory of the spiritual kingdom.
The
Jews would not accept the honor that is reached
through humiliation.
Therefore they would not re
ceive their Redeemer.
He was a sign that was spoken
against.
“That the thoughts of many hearts may be re
vealed.”
In the light of the Saviour’s life, the hearts
of all, even from the Creator to the prince of dark
ness, are revealed.
Satan has represented God as self
ish and oppressive, as claiming all, and giving noth
ing, as requiring the service of His creatures for His
own glory, and making no sacrifice for their good.
But the gift of Christ reveals the Father’s heart.
It
testifies that the thoughts of God toward us are
“thoughts of peace, and not of evil.”8
It declares
that while God’s hatred of sin is as strong as death,
His love for the sinner is stronger than death.
Hav
ing undertaken our redemption, He will spare noth
ing, however dear, which is necessary to the comple
tion of His work.
No truth essential to our salvation
is withheld, no miracle of mercy is neglected, no divine
agency is left unemployed.
Favor is heaped upon
favor, gift upon gift.
The whole treasury of heaven
is open to those He seeks to save.
Having collected
the riches of the universe, and laid open the resources
of infinite power, He gives them all into the hands of
Christ, and says, All these are for man.
Use these
gifts to convince him that there is no love greater
than Mine in earth or heaven.
His greatest happi
ness will be found in loving Me.
At the cross of Calvary, love and selfishness stood
face to face.
Flere was their crowning manifestation.
Christ had lived only to comfort and bless, and in
putting Him to death, Satan manifested the malig
nity of his hatred against God.
He made it evident
that the real purpose of his rebellion was to dethrone
God, and to destroy Him through whom the love of
God was shown.
By the life and the death of Christ, the thoughts of
men also are brought to view.
From the manger to
the cross, the life of Jesus was a call to self-surrender,
and to fellowship in suffering.
It unveiled the pur
poses of men.
Jesus came with the truth of heaven,
and all who were listening to the voice of the Holy
Spirit were drawn to Him.
The worshipers of self
belonged to Satan s kingdom.
In their attitude to-
8Jer. 29:11.
5^>
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
THE DEDICATION.
5S
ward Christ, all would show on which side they stood.
And thus every one passes judgment on himself.
In the day of final judgment, every lost soul will
understand the nature of his own rejection of truth.
The cross will be presented, and its real bearing will
be seen by every mind that has been blinded by trans
gression.
Before the vision of Calvary with its mys
terious Victim, sinners will stand condemned.
Every
lying excuse will be swept away.
Human apostasy
will appear in its heinous character.
Men will see
what their choice has been.
Every question of truth
and error in the long-standing controversy will then
have been made plain.
In the judgment of the uni
verse, God will stand clear of blame for the existence
or continuance of evil.
It will be demonstrated that
the divine decrees are not accessory to sin.
There
was no defect in God’s government, no cause for dis
affection.
When the thoughts of all hearts shall be
revealed, both the loyal and the rebellious will unite
in declaring, “Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King
of saints.
Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glo
rify Thy name?
.
.
.
For Thy judgments are
made manifest.”9
*Rev. 15:3, 4.
WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR.
CHAPTER SIX.
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea
in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came
wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where
is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen
His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.”
Ihe wise men from the East were philosophers.
They belonged to a large and influential class, that
included men of noble birth, and comprised much of
the wealth and learning of their nation.
Among these
were many who imposed on the credulity of the
people.
Others were upright men who studied the
indications of Providence in nature, and who were
honored for their integrity and wisdom.
Of this
character were the wise men who came to Jesus.
Ihe light ox God is ever shining amid the darkness
of heathenism.
As these magi studied the starry
heavens, and sought to fathom the mystery hidden in
their bright paths, they beheld the glory of the Cre
ator.
Seeking clearer knowledge, they turned to the
Hebrew Scriptures.
In their own land were treas
ured prophetic writings that predicted the coming of
a divine teacher.
Balaam belonged to the magicians,
though at one time a prophet of God; by the Holy
Spirit he had foretold the prosperity of Israel and the
appearing of the Messiah; and his prophecies had
been handed down by tradition from century to cen-
This chapter is based on Matthew 2.
(60)
tury.
But in the Old Testament the Saviour’s advent
was more clearly revealed.
The magi learned with
joy that His coming was near, and that the whole
world was to be filled with a knowledge of the glory
of the Lord.
The wise men had seen a mysterious light in the
heavens upon that night when the glory of God
flooded the hills of Bethlehem.
A s the light faded,
a luminous star appeared, and lingered in the sky.
It was not a fixed star nor a planet, and the phenom
enon excited the keenest interest.
That star was a
distant company of shining angels, but of this the
wise men were ignorant.
Yet they were impressed
that the star was of special import to them.
They
consulted priests and philosophers, and searched the
scrolls of the ancient records.
The prophecy of Bal
aam had declared, “There shall come a star out of
Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” 1
Could
this strange star have been sent as a harbinger of the
Promised One?
The magi had welcomed the light
of heaven-sent truth; now it was shed upon them in
brighter rays.
Through dreams they were instructed
to go in search of the new-born Prince.
As by faith Abraham went forth at the call of God,
“ not knowdng whither he went;”2 as by faith Israel
followed the pillar of cloud to the promised land, so
did these Gentiles go forth to find the promised Sa
viour.
The Eastern country abounded in precious
things, and the magi did not set out empty-handed.
It was the custom to offer presents as an act of hom
age to princes or other personages of rank, and the
richest gifts the land afforded were borne as an offer
ing to Him in whom all the families of the earth were
to be blessed.
It was necessary to journey by night
in order to keep the star in view; but the travelers
'Num. 24:17.
l Heb. 11:8.
WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR.
6 1
62
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
beguiled the hours by repeating traditional sayings
and prophetic utterances concerning the One they
sought.
At every pause for rest they searched the
prophecies; and the conviction deepened that they
were divinely guided.
While they had the star before
them as an outward sign, they had also the inward
evidence of the Holy Spirit, which was impressing
their hearts, and inspiring them with hope.
The
journey, though long, was a happy one to them.
They have reached the land of Israel, and are de
scending the Mount of Olives, with Jerusalem in
sight, when lo, the star that has guided them all the
weary way rests above the temple, and after a season
fades from their view.
W ith eager steps they press
onward, confidently expecting the Messiah’s birth to
be the joyful burden of every tongue.
But their in
quiries are in vain.
Entering the holy city, they
repair to the temple.
To their amazement they find
none who seem to have a knowledge of the new-born
King.
Their questions call forth no expressions of
joy, but rather of surprise and fear, not unmingled
with contempt.
The priests are rehearsing traditions.
They extol
their religion and their own piety, while they denounce
the Greeks and Romans as heathen, and sinners above
others.
The wise men are not idolaters, and in the
sight of God they stand far higher than do these, His
professed worshipers; yet they are looked upon by
the Jews as heathen.
Even among the appointed
guardians of the Holy Oracles their eager question
ings touch no chord of sympathy.
The arrival of the magi was quickly noised through
out Jerusalem.
Their strange errand created an ex
citement among the people, which penetrated to the
palace of King Herod.
The wily Edomite was
aroused at the intimation of a possible rival.
Count
WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR.
63
less murders had stained his pathway to the throne.
Being of alien blood, he was hated by the people over
whom he ruled.
His only security was the favor of
Rome.
But this new prince had a higher claim. He
was born to the kingdom.
Herod suspected the priests of plotting with the
strangers to excite a popular tumult and unseat him
from the throne.
He concealed his mistrust, how
ever, determined to thwart their schemes by superior
cunning.
Summoning the chief priests and the
scribes, he questioned them as to the teaching of their
sacred books in regard to the place of the Messiah’s
birth.
This inquiry front the usurper of the throne, and
made at the request of strangers, stung the pride o.’
the Jewish teachers.
The indifference with which
they turned to the rolls of prophecy enraged the jeal
ous tyrant.
He thought them trying to conceal their
knowledge of the matter.
With an authority they
dared not disregard, he commanded them to make
close search, and to declare the birthplace of their
expected King.
“ And they said unto him, In Beth
lehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet,—
“ And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah;
For out of thee shall come forth a governor,
Which shall be shepherd of My people Israel.” 3
Herod now invited the magi to a private interview.
A tempest of wrath and fear was raging in his heart,
but he preserved a calm exterior, and received the
strangers courteously.
He inquired at what time the
star had appeared, and professed to hail with joy the
intimation of the birth of Christ.
He bade his visit
ors, “ Search diligently for the young child; and when
3R. V.
64
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may
come and worship Him also.”
So saying, he dis
missed them to go on their way to Bethlehem.
The priests and elders of Jerusalem were not as
ignorant concerning the birth of Christ as they pre
tended.
The report of the angels’ visit to the shep
herds had been brought to Jerusalem, but the rabbis
had treated it as unworthy of their notice.
They
themselves might have found Jesus, and might have
been ready to lead the magi to His birthplace; but in
stead of this, the wise men came to call their attention
to the birth of the Messiah.
“ Where is He that is
born King of the Jews?” they said; “for we have seen
His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.”
Now pride and envy closed the door against the
light.
If the reports brought by the shepherds and
the wise men were credited, they would place the
priests and rabbis-in a most unenviable position, dis
proving their claim to be the exponents of the truth
of God.
These learned teachers would not stoop to
be instructed by those whom they termed heathen.
It could not be, they said, that God had passed them
by, to communicate with ignorant shepherds or un-
circumcised
Gentiles.
They determined
to show
their contempt for the reports that were exciting
King Herod and all Jerusalem.
They would not
even go to Bethlehem to see whether these things
were so.
And they led the people to regard the in
terest in Jesus as a fanatical excitement.
Here began
the rejection of Christ by the priests and rabbis.
From this point their pride and stubbornness grew
into a settled hatred of the Saviour.
While God was
opening the door to the Gentiles, the Jewish leaders
were closing the door to themselves.
The wise men departed alone from Jerusalem.
The shadows of night were falling as they left the
WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR.
gates, but to their great joy they again saw the star,
and were directed to Bethlehem.
They had received
no such intimation of the lowly estate of Jesus as was
given to the shepherds.
After the long journey they
had been disappointed by the indifference of the
Jewish leaders, and had left Jerusalem less confident
than when they entered the city.
At Bethlehem they
found no royal guard stationed to protect the new
born King.
None of the world’s honored men were
in attendance.
Jesus was cradled in a manger.
His
parents, uneducated peasants, were His only guar
dians.
Could this be He of whom it was written, that
He should “ raise up the tribes of Jacob,” and “ re
store the preserved of Israel;” that He should be “a
light to the Gentiles,” and for “ salvation unto the end
of the earth” ?4
“When they were come into the house, they saw
the young child with Mary His mother, and fell
down and worshiped
Him.”
Beneath the lowly
guise of Jesus, they recognized the presence of
Divinity.
They gave their hearts to Him as their
Saviour, and then poured out their gifts,— “ gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh.”
What a faith was theirs!
It might have been said of the wise men from the
East, as afterward of the Roman centurion, “ I have
not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” 5
The wise men had not penetrated Herod’s design
toward Jesus.
When the object of their journey was
accomplished, they prepared to return to Jerusalem,
intending to acquaint him with their success.
But
in a dream they received a divine message to hold
no further
communication with
him.
Avoiding
Jerusalem, they set out for their own country by an
other route.
Tn like manner Joseph received warning to flee
* Isa. 49:6.
5Matt. 8:ro.
S
66
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
into Egypt with Mary and the child.
And the angel
said, “ Be thou there until I bring thee word; for
Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him.”
Joseph obeyed without delay, setting out on the jour
ney by night for greater security.
Through the wise men, God had called the atten
tion of the Jewish nation to the birth of His Son.
Their inquiries in Jerusalem, the popular interest
excited, and even the jealousy of Herod, which com
pelled the attention of the priests and rabbis, directed
minds to the prophecies concerning the Messiah,
and to the great event that had just taken place.
Satan was bent on shutting out the divine light
from the world, and he used his utmost cunning to
destroy the Saviour.
But He who never slumbers
nor sleeps, was watching over His beloved Son.
He
who had rained manna from heaven for Israel, and
had fed Elijah in the time of famine, provided in a
heathen land a refuge for Mary and the child Jesus.
And through the gifts of the magi from a heathen
country, the Lord supplied the means for the journey
into Egypt and the sojourn in a land of strangers.
The magi had been among the first to welcome
the Redeemer.
Their gift was the first that was laid
at His feet.
And through that gift, what privilege of
ministry was theirs!
The offering from the heart
that loves, God delights to honor, giving it highest
efficiency in service for Him.
If we have given our
hearts to Jesus, we also shall bring our gifts to Him.
Our gold and silver, our most precious earthly pos
sessions, our highest mental and spiritual endow
ments, will be freely devoted to Elim who loved us
and gave Himself for us.
Elerod in Jerusalem impatiently awaited the return
of the wise men.
As time passed, and they did not
appear, his suspicions were roused.
The unwill
WE HAVE SEEN HIS STAR.
67
ingness of the rabbis to point out the Messiah’s
birthplace seemed to indicate that they had pene
trated his design, and that the magi had purposely
avoided him.
He was maddened at the thought.
Graft had failed, but there was left the resort to force.
He would make an example of this child-king. Those
haughty Jews should see what they might except in
their attempts to place a monarch on the throne.
Soldiers were at once sent to Bethlehem, with
orders to put to dea
lll£~ CQflfl.ict. by ..'the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
iAnd He came- to make us partakers of the divine
nature.
So long as we are united to Him by faith,
sm lias no more dominion over us.
God reaches for
the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold
upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to
perfection of character.
12 John
13 Isa. 50:7-10,
John 14:30.
THE TEMPTATION.
135
And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown
us.
By what means did He overcome in the con
flict »with Satan?— By the word of God.
Only by
the word could He resist temptation.
“ It is writ
ten,” He said.
And unto us are given “ exceeding
great and precious promises, that by these ye might
be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.” 15
Every promise in God’s word is ours.
“ By every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” are
we to live.
When assailed by temptation, look not
to circumstances or to the weakness of sen, but to
the power of the word.
All its strength is yours.
“Thy word,” says the psalmist, “have I hid in mine
heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”
“ By the
word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of
the destroyer.” 1®
16 2 Peter 1:4.
18 Ps. 119:11; i7^4-
THE VICTORY.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
“ Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city,
and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and
saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast
Thyself down; for it is written,—
“ He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee;
And in their hands they shall bear Thee up,
Lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.”
Satan now supposes that he has met Jesus on His
own ground.
The wily foe himself presents words
that proceeded from the mouth of God.
He still
appears as an angel of light, and he makes it evident
that he is acquainted with the Scriptures, and under
stands the import of what is written.
As Jesus be
fore used the word of God to sustain His faith, ti e
tempter now uses it to countenance his deception.
He claims that he has been only testing the fidelity of
Jesus, and he now commends His steadfastness.
As
the Saviour has manifested trust in God, Satan urges
Him to give still another evidence of His faith.
But again the temptation is prefaced with the in
sinuation of distrust, “ If Thou be the Son of God.”
Christ was tempted to answer the “ if;” but He re
frained from the slightest acceptance of the doubt.
This chapter is based on Matt. 4:5-11; Mark 1:12, 13;
Luke 4:5-13.
( 13 6 )
THE VICTORY.
137
in order to give evi-
Thejempter thought to take advantage of Christ’s
humanity, and urge Him to piesumption.
But
while Saitan can solicit, he cannot compel to sin.
He said to Jesus, “ Cast Thyself down,” knowing that
he could not cast Him down; for God would inter
pose to deliver Him.
Nor could Satan force Jesus
to cast Himself down.
Unless Christ should consent
to temptation, He could not be overcome.
Not all
the power of earth or hell could force Him in the
slightest degree to depart from the will of His Father.
The tempter can never compel us to do evil.
He
cannot control minds unless they are yielded to his
control.
The will must consent, faith must let go its
hold upon Christ, before Satan can exercise his power
upon us.
But every sinful desire we cherish affords
him a foothold.
Every point in which we fail of
meeting the divine standard, is an open door by which
he can enter to tempt and destroy us.
And every
failure or defeat on our part gives occasion for him
to reproach Christ.
When Satan quoted the promise, “ He shall give
His angels charge over Thee,” he omitted the words,
“to keep Thee in all Thy ways;” that is, in all the
ways of God’s choosing.
Jesus refused to go out
side the path of obedience.
While manifesting per
fect trust in His Father, He would not place Himself,
unbidden, in a position that would necessitate the
interposition of His Father to save Him from death.
He would not force Providence to come to His res
cue, and thus fail of giving man an example of trust
and submission.
Jesus declared to Satan, “ It is written again, Thou
shalt not tempt the Lord thv God.”
These words
were spoken by Moses to the children of Israel when
He would not imperil His life
deuce to Satan.
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
they thirsted in the desert, and demanded that Moses
should give them water, exclaiming, “ Is the Lord
among us, or not?’’1
God had wrought marvelously
for them; yet in trouble they doubted Him, and de
manded evidence that He was with them.
In their
unbelief they sought to put Him to the test.
And
Satan was urging Christ to do the same thing.
God
had already testified that Jesus was His Son; and now
to ask for proof that He was the Son of God, would
be putting God’s word to the test,—tempting Him.
And the same would be true of asking for that which
God had not promised.
It would manifest distrust,
and be really proving or tempting Him.
W e should
not present our petitions to God to prove whether He
will fulfil His word, but because He will fulfil it; not
to prove that He loves us, but because He loves us.
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he
that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that
He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”2
But faith is in no sense allied to presumption.
Only he who
has true faith
is
secure
against
presumption.
For
presumption is Satan’s
coun
terfeit of
faith.
Faith
claims
God’s
promises,
and
brings forth
fruit in
obedience.
Presump
tion also claims the promises, but uses them as
Satan did, to excuse transgression.
Faith would
have led our first parents to trust the love of God,
and to obey His commands.
Presumption led them
to transgress His law, believing that His great love
would save them from the consequence of their sin. It
is not faith that claims the favor of Heaven without
complying with the conditions on which mercy is to
be granted.
Genuine faith has its foundation in the
promises and provisions of the Scriptures.
Often when Satan has failed of exciting distrust,
1 Ex. 17.7.
2 Hcb. 11:6.
138
THE VICTORY.
139
he succeeds in leading us to presumption.
If he
can cause us to place ourselves unnecessarily in the
way of temptation, he knows that the victory is his.
God will preserve all who walk in the path of obedi
ence; but to depart from it is to venture on Satan’s
ground.
There we are sure to fall.
The Saviour
has bidden us, “ Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation.” 3
Meditation and prayer would keep
us from rushing unbidden into the way of danger,
and thus we should be saved from many a defeat.
Yet w’e should not lose courage when assailed by
temptation.
Often when placed in a trying situation
we doubt that the Spirit of God has been leading us.
But it was the Spirit’s leading that brought Jesus into
the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.
When God
brings us into trial, He has a purpose to accomplish
for our good.
Jesus did not presume on God’s
promises by going unbidden into temptation, neither
did He give up to despondency when temptation
came upon Him.
Nor should we.
“ God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able; but will with the temptation also make a
way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
He
says, “ Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy
vows unto the Most High; and call upon Me in the
day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify Me.” 4
Jesus was victor in the second temptation, and
now Satan manifests himself in his true character.
But he does not appear as a hideous monster, with
cloven feet and bats’ wings.
He is a mighty angel,
though fallen.
He avows himself the leader of rebel
lion and the god of this world.
Placing Jesus upon a high mountain, Satan caused
the kingdoms of the world, in all their glory, to pass
8Mark 14:38.
*1 Cor. 10:13; Ps. 50:14, 15.
14 o
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
in panoramic view before Him.
The sunlight lay on
templed cities, marble palaces, fertile fields, and fruit
laden vineyards.
The traces of evil were hidden.
The eyes of Jesus, so lately greeted by gloom and
desolation, now gazed upon a scene of unsurpassed
loveliness and prosperity.
Then the tempter’s voice
was heard: “All this power will I give Thee, and the
glory of them; for that is delivered unto me; and to
whomsoever I will I give it.
If Thou therefore wilt
worship me, all shall be Thine.”
Christ’s mission could be fulfilled only through
suffering.
Before Him was a life of sorrow, hard
ship, and conflict, and an ignominious death.
He
must bear the sins of the whole world.
He must en
dure separation from His Father’s love.
Now "the
tempter offered to yield up the power he had usurped.
Christ might deliver Himself from the dreadful future
by acknowledging the supremacy of Satan.
But to
do this was to yield the victory in the great contro
versy .j It was in seeking to exalt himself above the
Son of God, that Satan had sinned in heaven.
Should he prevail now, it would be the triumph of
rebellion.
When Satan declared to Christ, The kingdom and
glory of the world are delivered unto me, and to
whomsoever I will I give it, he stated what was true
only in part, and he declared it to serve his own pur
pose of
deception.
Satan’s dominion
was
that
wrested from Adam, but Adam was the vicegerent of
the Creator.
His was not an independent rule.
The
earth is God’s, and He has committed all things to
F is Son.
Adam was to reign subject to Christ.
When Adam betrayed his sovereignty into Satan’s
hands, Christ still remained the rightful King.
Thus
the Lord had said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “The
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giv-
THE VICTORY.
eth it to whomsoever He will.” 5
Satan can exercise
his usurped authority only as God permits.
When the tempter offered to Christ the kingdom
and glory of the world, he was proposing that Christ
should yield up the real kingship of the world, and
hold dominion subject to Satan.
This was the same
dominion upon which the hopes of the Jews were set.
They desired the kingdom of this world.
If Christ
had consented to offer them such a kingdom, they
would gladly have received Him.
But the curse of
sin, with all its woe, rested upon it.
Christ declared
to the tempter, “ Get thee behind Me, Satan; for it
is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
Him only shalt thou serve.”
By the one who had revolted in heaven, the king
doms of this world were offered Christ, to buy His
homage to the principles of evil; but He would
not be bought; He had come to establish a kingdom
of righteousness, and He would not abandon His
purpose.
With
the
same temptation Satan ap
proaches men, and here he has better success than
with Christ.
To men he offers the kingdom of this
world on condition that they will acknowledge his
supremacy.
He requires that they sacrifice integ
rity,
disregard
conscience,
indulge
selfishness.
Christ bids them seek first the kingdom of God, and
His righteousness; but Satan walks by their side and
says, “Whatever may be true in regard to life eternal,
in order to make a success in this world you must
serve me.
I hold your welfare in my hands.
I can
give you riches, pleasures, honor, and happiness.
Hearken to my counsel.
Do not allow yourselves
to be carried away with whimsical notions of hon
esty or self-sacrifice.
I will prepare the way before
you.
Thus multitudes are deceived.
They con-
■' Han. 4:17.
1 4 1
142
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
sent to live for the service of self, and Satan is satis
fied.
While he allures them with the hope of worldly
dominion, he gains dominion over the soul.
But he
offers that which is not his to bestow, and which is
soon to be wrested from him.
In return he beguiles
them of their title to the inheritance of the sons of
God.
Satan had questioned whether Jesus was the Son
of God.
In his summary dismissal he had proof
that he could not gainsay.
Divinity flashed through
suffering humanity.
Satan had no power to resist
the command.
Writhing with humiliation and rage,
he was force
looked with amazement on the works of Jesus, and
were convicted that in Him the prophecies concern
ing the Messiah were fulfilled.
The sin of the dese
cration of the temple rested, in a great degree, upon
the priests.
It was by their arrangement that the
court had been turned into a market-place,
d he
IN HIS TEMPLE.
l8 l
1 82
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
people were comparatively innocent.
They were
impressed by the divine authority of Jesus; but with
them the influence of the priests and rulers was para
mount.
They regarded Christ’s mission as an inno
vation, and questioned His right to interfere with
what was permitted by the authorities of the temple.
They were offended because the traffic had been in
terrupted, and they stifled the convictions of the Holy
Spirit.
Above all others the priests and rulers should have
seen in Jesus the anointed of the Lord; for in their
hands were the sacred scrolls that described His mis
sion, and they knew that the cleansing of the temple
was a manifestation of more than human power.
Much as they hated Jesus, they could not free them
selves from the thought that He might be a prophet
sent by God to restore the sanctity of the temple.
With a deference born of this fear, they went to Him
with the inquiry, “ What sign showest Thou unto us,
seeing that Thou doest these things?”
Jesus had shown them a sign.
In flashing light
into their hearts, and in doing before them the works
which the Messiah was to do, He had given convinc
ing evidence of His character.
Now when they
asked for a sign, He answered them by a parable,
showing that He read their malice, and saw to what
lengths it would lead them.
“ Destroy this temple,”
He said, “and in three days I will raise it up.”
In these words His meaning was twofold.
He
referred not only to the destruction of the Jewish
temple and worship, but to His own death,— the de
struction of the temple of His body.
This the Jews
were already plotting.
As the priests and rulers
returned to the temple, they had proposed to kill
Jesus, and thus rid themselves of the troubler.
Yet
when He set before them their purpose, they did not
IN HIS TEMPLE.
understand Him.
They took His words as applying
only to the temple at Jerusalem, and with indigna
tion exclaimed, “ Forty and six years was this temple
in building, and wilt Thou rear it up in three days? ’
Now they felt that Jesus had justified their unbelief,
and they were confirmed in their rejection of Him.
Christ did not design that His words should be
understood by the unbelieving Jews, nor even by
His disciples at this time.
He knew that they would
be misconstrued by His enemies, and would be
turned against Him.
At His trial they would be
brought as an accusation, and on Calvary they would
be flung at Him as a taunt.
But to explain them
now would give His disciples a knowledge of His
sufferings, and bring upon them sorrow which as
yet they were not able to bear.
And an explanation
would prematurely disclose to the Jews the result of
their prejudice and unbelief.
Already they had en
tered upon a path which they would steadily pursue
until He should be led as a lamb to the slaughter.
It was for the sake of those who should believe on
Him that these words of Christ were spoken.
He
knew that they would be repeated.
Being spoken at
the Passover, they would come to the ears of thou
sands, and be carried to all parts of the world.
After
He had risen from the dead, their meaning would be
made plain.
To many they would be conclusive
evidence of His divinity.
Because of their spiritual darkness, even the dis
ciples of Jesus often failed of comprehending His
lessons.
But many of these lessons were made plain
to them by subsequent events.
When He walked
no more with them, His words were a stay to their
hearts.
As referring to the temple at
Jerusalem, the
Saviour’s words, “ Destroy this temple, and in three
183
THE DESIRE OE AGES.
days I will raise it up,” had a deeper meaning than
the hearers perceived.
Christ was the foundation
and life of the temple.
Its services were typical of
the sacrifice of the Son of God.
The priesthood was
established to represent the mediatorial character
and work of Christ
The entire plan of sacrificial
worship was a foreshadowing of the Saviour’s death
to redeem the world.
There would be no efficacy
in these offerings when the great event toward which
they had pointed for ages was consummated.
Since the whole ritual economy was symbolical of
Christ, it had no value apart from Him.
When the
Jews sealed their rejection of Christ by delivering
Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance
to the temple and its services.
Its sacredness had
departed.
It was doomed to destruction.
From
that day sacrificial offerings and the service con
nected with them were meaningless.
Like the offer
ing of Cain, they did not express faith in the
Saviour.
In putting Christ to death, the Jews vir
tually destroyed their temple.
When Christ was
crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain
from top to bottom, signifying that the great final
sacrifice had been made, and that the system of sacri
ficial offerings was forever at an end.
“ In three days I will raise it up.”
In the Sa
viour’s death the powers of darkness seemed to pre
vail, and they exulted in their victory.
But from the
rent sepulcher of Joseph, Jesus came forth a con
queror.
“ Having spoiled principalities and powers,
He made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them.” 9
By virtue of His death and resurrection
He became the minister of the “ true tabernacle, which
the Lord pitched, and not man.” 10
Men reared the
Jewish tabernacle; men builded the Jewish temple;
•Col. 2:15.
14Heb. 8:2.
184
IN HIS TEMPLE.
185
but the sanctuary above, of which the earthly was a
type> was built by no human architect.
“ Behold the
Man whose name is The Branch;
. . .
He shall
build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the
glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne; and
He shall be a priest upon His throne.” 11
The sacrificial service that had pointed to Christ
passed away; but the eyes of men were turned to
the true sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The
earthly priesthood ceased; but we look to Jesus, the
minister of the new covenant, and “to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of
Abel.”
“The way into the holiest of all was not yet
made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing;
.
.
.
but Christ being come an high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more'
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
.
.
.
by His own blood He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”12
“ Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He
ever liveth to make intercession for them.” 13 Though
the ministration was to be removed from the earthly
to the heavenly temple; though the sanctuary and
our great high priest would be invisible to human
sight, yet the disciples were to suffer no loss thereby.
They would realize no break in their communion,
and no diminution of power because of the Saviour’s
absence.
While Jesus ministers in the sanctuary
above, He is still by His Spirit the minister of the
church on earth.
He is withdrawn from the eye of
sense, but His parting promise is fulfilled, “Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” 14
While He delegates His power to inferior ministers,
His energizing presence is still with His church.
11 Zech. 6:12, 13.
12 Heb. 12:24; 9:8-12.
13 Heb. 7:25.
14 Matt. 28:20.
i8 6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
• . . Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our pro
fession.
For we have not a high priest which can
not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet with
out sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need.” 1®
,5 Heb. 4:14-16.
NICODEMUS.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
Nicodemus held a high position of trust in the
Jewish nation.
He was highly educated, and pos
sessed talents of no ordinary character, and he was
an honored member of the national council.
With
others, he had been stirred by the teaching of
Jesus.
Though rich, learned, and honored, he had
been strangely attracted by the humble Nazarene.
The lessons that had fallen from the Saviour’s lips
had greatly impressed him, and he desired to learn
more of these wonderful truths.
Christ’s exercise of authority in the cleansing of
the temple had roused the determined hatred of the
priests and rulers.
They feared the power of this
stranger.
Such boldness on the part of an obscure
Galilean was not to be tolerated.
They were bent
on putting an end to His work.
But not all were
agreed in this purpose.
There were some that feared
to oppose one who was so evidently moved upon
by the Spirit of God.
They remembered how
prophets had been slain for rebuking the sins of the
leaders in Israel.
They knew that the bondage of
the Jews to a heathen nation was the result of their
stubbornness in rejecting reproofs from God.
They
feared that in plotting against Jesus, the priests and
rulers were following in the steps of their fathers,
and would bring fresh calamities upon the nation.
This chapter is based on John 3:1-17.
(187)
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Nicodemus shared these feelings.
In a council of
the Sanhedrim, when the course to be pursued toward
Jesus was considered, Nicodemus advised caution
and moderation.
He urged that if Jesus was really
invested with authority from God, it would be peril
ous to reject His warnings.
The priests dared not
disregard this counsel, and for the time they took no
open measures against the Saviour.
Since hearing Jesus, Nicodemus had anxiously
studied the prophecies relating to the Messiah; and
the more he searched, the stronger was his convic
tion that this was the One who was to come.
With
many others in Israel he had been greatly distressed
by the profanation of the temple.
He was a witness
of the scene when Jesus drove out the buyers and
the sellers; he beheld the wonderful manifestation of
divine power; he saw the Saviour receiving the poor
and healing the sick; he saw their looks of joy, and
heard their words of praise; and he could not doubt
that Jesus of Nazareth was the Sent of God.
He greatly desired an interview with Jesus, but
shrank from seeking Him openly.
It would be too
humiliating for a ruler of the Jews to acknowledge
himself in sympathy with a teacher as yet so little
known.
And should his visit come to the knowl
edge of the Sanhedrim, it would draw upon him
their scorn and denunciation.
He resolved upon a
secret interview, excusing this on the ground that if
he were to go openly, others might follow his exam
ple.
Learning by special inquiry the Saviour’s place
of retirement in the Mount of Olives, he waited until
the city was hushed in slumber, and then sought
Him.
In the presence of Christ, Nicodemus felt a strange
timidity, which he endeavored to conceal under an
air of composure and dignity.
“ Rabbi,” he said, “ we
188
NICODEMUS.
l 8 g
know that Thou art a teacher come from God; for
no man can do these miracles that Thou doest, ex
cept God be with him.”
By speaking of Christ’s
rare gifts as a teacher, and also of His wonderful
power to perform miracles, he hoped to pave the
way for his interview.
His words were designed to
express and to invite confidence; but they really ex
pressed unbelief.
He did not acknowledge Jesus to
be the Messiah, but only a teacher sent from God.
Instead of recognizing this salutation, Jesus bent
His eyes upon the speaker, as if reading his very
soul.
In His infinite wisdom He saw before Him a
seeker after truth.
He knew the object of this visit,
and with a desire to deepen the conviction already
resting upon His listener’s mind, He came directly to
the point, saying solemnly, yet kindly, “Verily, verily,
I say unto thee, Except a man be born from above,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 1
Nicodemus had come to the Lord thinking to enter
into a discussion with Him, but Jesus laid bare the
foundation principles of truth.
He said to Nico
demus, It is not theoretical knowledge you need, so
much as spiritual regeneration.
You need not to
have your curiosity satisfied, but to have a new heart.
You must receive a new life from above, before you
can appreciate heavenly things.
Until this change
takes place, making all things new, it will result in no
saving good for you to discuss with Me My authority
or My mission.
Nicodemus had heard the preaching of John the
Baptist concerning
repentance and
baptism, and
pointing the people to One who should baptize with
the Holy Spirit.
He himself had felt that there was
a lack of spirituality among the Jews; that, to a great
degree, they were controlled by bigotry and worldly
1 Margin.
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ambition.
He had hoped for a better state of things
at the Messiah’s coming.
Yet the heart-searching
message of the Baptist had failed to work in him con
viction of sin.
He was a strict Pharisee, and prided
himself on his good works.
He was widely esteemed
for his benevolence and his liberality in sustaining
the temple service, and he felt secure of the favor of
God.
He was startled at the thought of a kingdom
too pure for him to see in his present state.
The figure of the new birth, which Jesus had used,
was not wholly unfamiliar to Nicodemus.
Converts
from heathenism to the faith of Israel were often
compared to children just born.
Therefore he must
have perceived that the words of Christ were not to
be taken in a literal sense.
But by virtue of his birth
as an Israelite he regarded himself as sure of a place
in the kingdom of God.
He felt that he needed no
change. ^ Hence his surprise at the Saviour’s words.
He was irritated by their close application to himself.
The pride of the Pharisee was struggling against the
honest desire of the seeker after truth.
He wondered
that Christ should speak to him as He did, not re
specting his position as ruler in Israel.
Surprised out of his self-possession, he answered
Christ in words full of irony, “ How can a man be
born when he is old?”
Like many others when cut
ting truth is brought home to the conscience, he re
vealed the fact that the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God.
There is in him nothing
that responds to spiritual things; for spiritual things
are spiritually discerned.
But the Saviour did not meet argument with argu
ment.
Raising His hand with solemn, quiet dignity,
He pressed the truth home with greater assurance.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
I90
NICODEMUS.
the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus knew that Christ
here referred to water baptism, and the renewing of
the heart by the Spirit of God.
He was convinced
that he was in the presence of the One whom John
the Baptist had foretold.
Jesus continued: “ That which is born of the flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
By nature the heart is evil, and “who can bring a
clean thing out of an unclean? not one.”2
No hu
man invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul.
“The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
“ Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blas
phemies.” 3
The fountain of the heart must be puri
fied before the streams can become pure.
He who is
trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping
the law, is attempting an impossibility.
There is no
safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form
of godliness.
The Christian’s life is not a modifica
tion or improvement of the old, but a transformation
of nature.
There is a death to self and sin, and a new
life altogether.
This change can be brought about
only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit.
Nicodemus was still perplexed, and Jesus used the
wind to illustrate His meaning: “The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
The wind is heard among the branches of the
trees, rustling the leaves and” flowers; yet it is invis
ible, and no man knows whence it comes, or whither
it goes.
So with the work of the Holy Spirit upon
the heart.
It can no more be explained than can the
movements of the wind.
A person may not be able
sJob 14:4.
3 Rom. 87; Matt. 15:19.
191
192
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
to tell the exact time or place, or to trace all the cir
cumstances in the process of conversion; but this
does not prove him to be unconverted.
By an
agency as unseen as the wind, Christ is constantly
working upon the heart.
Little by little, perhaps
unconsciously to the receiver, impressions are made
that tend to draw the soul to Christ.
These may be
received
through
meditating upon Him, through
reading the Scriptures, or through hearing the word
from the living preacher.
Suddenly, as the Spirit
comes with more direct appeal, the soul gladly sur
renders itself to Jesus.
By many this is called sud
den conversion, but it is the result of long wooing by
the Spirit of God,—a patient, protracted process.
W hile the wind is itself invisible, it produces effects
that are seen and felt.
So the work of the Spirit
upon the soul will reveal itself in every act of him
who has felt its saving power.
When the Spirit of
God takes possession of the heart, it transforms the
life.
Sinful thoughts are put away, evil deeds are
renounced; love, humility, and peace take the place
of anger, envy, and strife.
Joy takes the place of
sadness, and the countenance reflects the light of
heaven.
No one sees the hand that lifts the burden,
or beholds the light descend from the courts above.
1 he blessing comes when by faith the soul surrenders
itself to God.
Then that power which no human
eye can see, creates a new being in the image of God.
It is impossible for finite minds to comprehend
the work of redemption.
Its mystery exceeds hu
man knowledge; yet he who passes from death to
life realizes that it is a divine reality.
The begin
ning of redemption we may know here through a
personal experience.
Its results reach through the
eternal ages.
While Jesus was speaking, some gleams of truth
NICODEMUS.
193
penetrated the ruler’s mind.
The softening, subdu
ing influence of the Holy Spirit impressed his heart.
Yet he did not fully understand the Saviour’s words.
He was not so much impressed by the necessity of
the new birth as by the manner of its accomplish
ment.
He said wonderingly, “ How can these things
be?”
“ Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not
these things?” Jesus asked.
Surely one entrusted
with the religious instruction of the people should
not be ignorant of truths so important.
His words
conveyed the lesson that instead of feeling irritated
over the plain words of truth, Nicodemus should
have had a very humble opinion of himself, because
of his spiritual ignorance.
Yet Christ spoke with
such solemn dignity, and both look and tone ex
pressed such earnest love, that Nicodemus was not
offended as he realized his humiliating condition.
But as Jesus explained that His mission on earth
was to establish a spiritual instead of a temporal
kingdom, His hearer was troubled.
Seeing this,
Jesus added, “ If I have told you earthly things, and
ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of
heavenly things?”
If Nicodemus could not receive
Christ’s teaching, illustrating the work of grace upon
the heart, how could he comprehend the nature^ of
His glorious
heavenly kingdom.-'
Not
discerning
the nature of Christ’s work on earth, he could not
understand His work in heaven.
The Jews whom Jesus had driven from the temple,
claimed to be children of Abraham, but they fled
from the Saviour’s presence because they could not
endure the glory of God which was manifested in
Him.
Thus they gave evidence that they were not
fitted by the grace of God to participate in the sacred
services of the temple.
They were zealous to main-
13
194
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
tain an appearance of holiness, but they neglected
holiness of heart.
While they were sticklers for the
letter of the law, they were constantly violating its
spirit.
Their great need was that very change
which Christ had been explaining to Nicodemus,—
a new moral birth, a cleansing from sin, and a renew
ing of knowledge and holiness.
There was no excuse for the blindness of Israel in
regard to the work of regeneration.
Under the in
spiration of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah had written, “We
are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous
nesses are as filthy rags.”
David had prayed, “ Create
in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit
within me.”
And through Ezekiel the promise had
been given, “A new heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you
an heart of flesh.
And I will put My Spirit within
you, and cause you to walk in My statutes.” 4
Nicodemus
had
read
these scriptures with a
clouded mind; but he now began to comprehend
their meaning.
He saw that the most rigid obedi
ence to the mere letter of the law as applied to the
outward life, could entitle no man to enter the king
dom of heaven.
In the estimation of men, his life
had been just and honorable; but in the presence of
Christ he felt that his heart was unclean, and his life
unholy.
Nicodemus was being drawn to Christ.
As the
Saviour explained to him concerning the new birth,
he longed to have this change wrought in himself.
By what means could it be accomplished?
Jesus
answered the unspoken question: “ As Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the
Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
4 Isa. 64:6; Ps, 51:10; Eze. 36:26, 27.
NICODEMUS.
T95
Here was ground with which
Nicodemus was
familiar.
The symbol of the uplifted serpent made
plain to him the Saviour’s mission.
When the peo
ple of Israel were dying from the sting of the fiery
serpents, God directed Moses to make a serpent of
brass, and place it on high in the midst of the con
gregation.
Then the word was sounded throughout
the encampment that all who would look upon the
serpent should live.
The people well knew that in
itself the serpent had no power to help them.
It was
a symbol of Christ.
As the image made in the like
ness of the destroying serpents was lifted up for their
healing, so One made “ in the likeness of sinful
flesh” 5 was to be their Redeemer.
Many of the
Israelites regarded the sacrificial service as having
in itself virtue to set them free from sin.
God de
sired to teach them that it had no more value than
that serpent of brass.
It was to lead their minds to
the
Saviour.
Whether for the healing of
their
wounds or the pardon of their sins, they could do
nothing for themselves but show their faith in the
Gift of God.
They were to look and live.
Those who had been bitten by the serpents might
have delayed to look.
They might have questioned
how there could be efficacy in that brazen symbol.
They might have demanded a scientific explanation.
But no explanation was given.
They must accept
the word of God to them through Moses.
To refuse
to look, was to perish.
Not through controversy and discussion is the
soul enlightened.
We must look and live.
Nico
demus received the lesson, and carried it with him.
He searched the Scriptures in a new way, not for the
discussion of a theory, but in order to receive life for
the soul.
He began to see the kingdom of heaven
5 Rom. 8:3.
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
as he submitted himself to the leading of the Holy
Spirit.
There are thousands to-day who need to learn the
same truth that was taught to Nicodemus by the up
lifted serpent.
They depend on their obedience to
the law of God to commend them to His favor.
When they are bidden to look to Jesus, and believe
that He saves them solely through His grace, they
exclaim, “ How can these things be?’’
Like Nicodemus, we must be willing to enter into
life in the same way as the chief of sinners.
Than
Christ, “there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.” 6
Through
faith we receive the grace of God; but faith is not our
Saviour.
It earns nothing.
It is the hand by which
we lay hold upon Christ, and appropriate His merits,
the remedy for sin.
And we cannot even repent
without the aid of the Spirit of God.
The Scripture
says of Christ, “ Him hath God exalted with
His
right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give
repentance to Israel, and
forgiveness of
sins.” 7
Repentance
comes
from Christ as truly as does
pardon.
How, then, are we to be saved?— “ As Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness,” so the Son of man
lias been lifted up, and every one who has been de
ceived and bitten by the serpent, may look and live.
“ Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world.” 8
The light shining from the cross
reveals the love of God.
His love is drawing us to
Himself.
If we do not resist this drawing, we shall
be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the
sins that have crucified the Saviour.
Then the Spirit
of God through faith produces a new life in the soul.
The thoughts and desires are brought into obedience
“-'Acts 4:12.
7Acts5:3i.
8 John 1:29.
196
NICODEMUS.
I97
to the will of Christ.
The heart, the mind, are cre
ated anew in the image of Him who works in us to
subdue all things to Himself.
Then the law of God
is written in the mind and heart, and we can say with
Christ, “ I delight to do Thy will, O my God.”9
In the interview with Nicodemus, Jesus unfolded
the plan of salvation, and His mission to the world.
In none of His subsequent discourses did He ex
plain so fully, step by step, the work necessary to be
done in the hearts of all who would inherit the king
dom of heaven.
At the very beginning of His min
istry He opened the truth to a member of the San
hedrim, to the mind that was most receptive, and to
an appointed teacher of the people.
But the leaders
of Israel did not welcome the light.
Nicodemus hid
the truth in his heart, and for three years there was
little apparent fruit.
But Jesus was acquainted with the soil into which
He cast the seed.
The words spoken at night to
one listener in the lonely mountain were not lost.
For a time Nicodemus did not publicly acknowledge
Christ, but he watched His life, and pondered His
teachings.
In the Sanhedrim council he repeatedly
thwarted the schemes of the priests to destroy Him.
When at last Jesus was lifted up on the cross, Nico
demus remembered the teaching upon Olivet: “ As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life.”
The light from that secret interview illumined
the cross upon Calvary, and Nicodemus saw in Jesus
• the world’s Redeemer.
After the Lord’s ascension, when the disciples were
scattered by persecution, Nicodemus came boldly to
the front.
He employed his wealth in sustaining the
9 Ps. 40:8.
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
infant church that the Jews had expected to be
blotted out at the death of Christ.
In the time of
peril he who had been so cautious and questioning,
was firm as a rock, encouraging the faith of the dis
ciples, and furnishing means to carry forward the
work of the gospel.
He was scorned and persecuted
by those who had paid him reverence in other days.
He became poor in this world’s goods; yet he fal
tered not in the faith which had its beginning in that
night conference with Jesus.
Nicodemus related to John the story of that inter
view, and by his pen it was recorded for the instruc
tion of millions.
The truths there taught are as
important to-day as they were on that solemn night
in the shadowy mountain, when the Jewish ruler
came to learn the way of life from the lowly Teacher
of Galilee.
HE MUST INCREASE.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
For a time the Baptist’s influence over the nation
had been greater than that of its rulers, priests, or
princes.
If he had announced himself as the Mes
siah, and raised a revolt against Rome, priests and
people would have flocked to his standard.
Every
consideration that appeals to the ambition of the
world’s
conquerors,
Satan had
stood
ready
to
urge upon John the Baptist
But with the evidence
before him of his power, he had steadfastly refused
the splendid bribe.
The attention which was fixed
upon him, he had directed to Another.
Now he saw the tide of popularity turning away
from himself to the Saviour.
Day by day the crowds
about him lessened.
When Jesus came from Jerusa
lem to the region about Jordan, the people flocked
to hear Him.
The number of His disciples increased
daily.
Many came for baptism, and while Christ
Himself did not baptize, He sanctioned the adminis
tration of the ordinance by His disciples.
Thus He
set His seal upon the mission of ^ His forerunner.
But the disciples of John looked with jealousy upon
the growing popularity of Jesus.
They stood read)
to criticize His work, and it was not long before they
found occasion.
A question arose between them and
the Jews as to whether baptism availed to cleanse the
soul from sin; they maintained that the baptism of
This chapter is based on John 3:22-36.
( 199)
198
200
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Jesus differed essentially from that of John.
Soon
they were in dispute with Christ’s disciples in regard
to the form of words proper to use at baptism, and
finally as to the right of the latter to baptize at all.
The disciples of John came to him with their
grievances, saying, “ Rabbi, He that was with thee
beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, be
hold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to Him.”
Through these words, Satan brought
temptation
upon John.
Though John’s mission seemed about to
close, it was still possible for him to hinder the work
of Christ.
If he had sympathized with himself, and
expressed grief or disappointment at being super
seded, he would have sown the seeds of dissension,
would
have encouraged envy and jealousy,
and
would seriously have impeded the progress of the
gospel.
John had by nature the faults and weaknesses
common to humanity, but the touch of divine love
had transformed him.
He dwelt in an atmosphere
uncontaminated with selfishness and ambition, and
far above the miasma of jealousy.
He manifested
no sympathy with the dissatisfaction of his disciples,
but showed how clearly he understood his relation to
the Messiah, and how gladly he welcomed the One
for whom he had prepared the way.
He said, “A man can receive nothing, except it be
given
him from heaven.
Ye yourselves bear me
witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I
am sent before Him.
He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom.
But the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly
because of the bridegroom’s voice.”
John repre
sented himself as the friend who acted as a messenger
between the betrothed parties, preparing the way for
the marriage.
When the bridegroom had received
HE MUSi INCREASE.
201
his bride, the mission of the friend was fulfilled.
He
rejoiced in the happiness of those whose union he
had promoted.
So John had been called to direct
the people to Jesus, and it was his joy to witness the
success of the Saviour’s work.
He said, “This my
joy therefore is fulfilled.
He must increase, but I
must decrease.”
Looking in faith to the Redeemer, John had risen
to the height of self-abnegation.
He sought not to
attract men to himself, but to lift their thoughts
higher and still higher, until they should rest upon
the Lamb of God.
He himself had been only a
voice, a cry in the wilderness.
Now with joy he ac
cepted silence and obscurity, that the eyes of all
might be turned to the Light of life.
Those who are true to their calling as messengers
for God, will not seek honor for thentselves.
Love for
self will be swallowed up in love for Christ.
No
rivalry will mar the precious cause of the gospel.
They will recognize that it is their work to proclaim,
as did John the Baptist, “ Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world.”1
They
will lift up Jesus, and with Him humanity will be
lifted up.
“Thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in
the high and holy place, with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.” 2
The soul of the prophet, emptied of self, was filled
with the light of the divine.
As he witnessed to the
Saviour’s glory, his words were almost a counterpart
of those that Christ Himself had spoken in His inter
view with Nicodemus.
John said, “ He that cometh
from above is above all: he that is of the earth is
’ John 1:29.
J Isa. 57:15.
202
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh
from heaven is above all.
.
.
.
For He whom
God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God
giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.”
Christ
could say, “ I seek not Mine own will, but the will of
the Father which hath sent Me.”
To Him it is de
clared, “ Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated in
iquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed
Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.” ''
The Father “giveth not the Spirit by measure unto
Him.”
So with the followers of Christ.
W e can receive
of heaven’s light only as we are willing to be emptied
of self.
We cannot discern the character of God, or
accept Christ by faith, unless we consent to the bring
ing into captivity of every thought to the obedience
of Christ.
To all who do this, the Holy Spirit is
given without measure.
In Christ “ dwelleth all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him ye are
made full.” 4
The disciples of John had.declared that all men
were coming to Christ; but with clearer insight, John
said, “ No man receiveth His witness;” so few were
ready to accept Him as the Saviour from sin.
But
“ he that hath received His witness hath set his seal
to this, that God is true.”5
“He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life.”
No need of disputation
as to whether Christ’s baptism or John’s purified from
sin.
It is the grace of Christ that gives life to the
soul.
Apart from Christ, baptism, like any other
service, is a worthless form.
“ He that believeth not
the Son shall not see life.”
The success of Christ’s work, which the Baptist
had received with such joy, was reported also to the
authorities at Jerusalem.
The priests and rabbis had
3John 5:30; Heb. 1:9.
4 Col. 2:9, 10, R. V.
5 R. V.
HE MUST INCREASE.
203
been jealous of John’s influence as they saw the
people leaving the synagogues and flocking to the
wilderness; but here was One who had still greater
power to attract the multitudes.
Those leaders in
Israel were not willing to say with John, “ He must
increase, but I must decrease.”
They arose with a
new determination to put an end to the work that was
drawing the people away from them.
Jesus knew that they would spare no effort to
create a division between His own disciples and those
of John.
He knew that the storm was gathering
which would sweep away one of the greatest prophets
ever given to the world.
Wishing to avoid all occa
sion for misunderstanding or dissension, He quietly
ceased His labors, and withdrew to Galilee.
W e
also, while loyal to truth, should try to avoid all that
may lead to discord and misapprehension.
For when
ever these arise, they result in the loss of souls.
Whenever circumstances occur that threaten to cause
division, we should follow the example of Jesus and
of John the Baptist.
John had been called to lead out as a reformer.
Because of this, his disciples were in danger of fixing
their attention upon him, feeling that the success of
the work depended upon his labors, and losing sight
of the fact that he was only an instrument through
which God had wrought.
But the work of John was
not sufficient to lay the foundation of the Christian
church.
When he had fulfilled his mission, another
work was to be done, which his testimony could not
accomplish.
His disciples did not understand this.
When they saw Christ coming in to take the work,
they were jealous and dissatisfied.
The same dangers still exist.
God calls a man to
do a certain work; and when he has carried it as far
as he is qualified to take it, the Lord brings in others,
204
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
to carry it still farther.
But, like John’s disciples,
many feel that the success of the work depends on the
first laborer.
Attention is fixed upon the human in
stead of the divine, jealousy comes in, and the work
of God is marred.
The one thus unduly honored is
tempted to cherish self-confidence.
He does not
realize his dependence on God.
The people are
taught to rely on man for guidance, and thus they fall
into error, and are lead away from God.
The work of God is not to bear the image and su
perscription of man.
From time to time the Lord
will bring in different agencies, through whom His
purpose can best be accomplished.
Happy are they
who are willing for self to be humbled, saying with
John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must
decrease.”
AT JACOB’S WELL.
CHAPTER NINETEEN.
On the way to Galilee Jesus passed through Sama
ria.
It was noon when He reached the beautiful vale
of Shechem. At the opening of this valley was Jacob’s
well.
Wearied with His journey, He sat down here
to rest while His disciples went to buy food.
The Jews and the Samaritans were bitter enemies,
and as far as possible avoided all dealing with each
other.
To trade with the Samaritans in case of ne
cessity was indeed counted lawful by the rabbis; but
all social intercourse with them was condemned.
A
Jew would not borrow from a Samaritan, nor receive
a kindness, not even a morsel of bread or a cup of
water.
The disciples, in buying food, were acting in
harmony with the custom of their nation.
But be
yond this they did not go.
To ask a favor of the
Samaritans, or in any way seek to benefit them, did
not enter into the thought of even Christ’s disciples.
As Jesus sat by the well-side, He was faint from
hunger and thirst.
The journey since morning had
been long, and now the sun of noon-tide beat upon
Him.
His thirst was increased by the thought of the
cool, refreshing water so near, yet inaccessible to
Him; for He had no rope nor water-jar, and the well
was deep.
The lot of humanity was His, and He
waited for some one to come to draw.
A woman of Samaria approached, and seeming un-
This chapter is based on John 4^-42.
( 205)
206
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
conscious of His presence, filled her pitcher with
water.
As she turned to go away, Jesus asked her
for a drink.
Such a favor no oriental would with
hold.
In the East water was called “the gift of God.”
To offer a drink to the thirsty traveler was held to be
a duty so sacred that the Arabs of the desert would
go out of their way in order to perform it.
The
hatred between Jews and Samaritans prevented the
woman from offering a kindness to Jesus; but the
Saviour was seeking to find the key to this heart, and
with the tact born of divine love, He asked, not
offered, a favor.
The offer of a kindness might have
been rejected; but trust awakens trust.
The King
of heaven came to this outcast soul, asking a service
at her hands.
He who made the ocean, who controls
the waters of the great deep, who opened the springs
and channels of the earth, rested from His weariness
at Jacob’s well, and was dependent upon a stranger’s
kindness for even the gift of a drink of water.
The woman saw that Jesus was a Jew.
In her
surprise she forgot to grant His request, but tried to
learn the reason for it.
“ How is it,” she said, “that
Thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a
woman of Samaria?”
Jesus answered, “ If thou knewest the gift of God,
and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink,
thou wouldst have asked of Him, and He would have
given thee living water.”
You wonder that I should
ask of you even so small a favor as a draught of water
from the well at our feet.
Had you asked of Me, I
would have given you to drink of the water of ever
lasting life.
The woman had not comprehended the words of
Christ, but she felt their solemn import.
Her light,
bantering manner began to change.
Supposing that
Jesus spoke of the well before them, she said, “ Sir
AT JACOB'S WELL.
207
Thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep;
from whence then hast Thou that living water?
Art
Thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us
the well, and drank thereof himself?”
She saw be
fore her only a thirsty traveler, wayworn and dusty.
In her mind she compared Him with the honored
patriarch Jacob.
She cherished the feeling which is
so natural, that no other well could be equal to that
provided by the fathers.
She was looking backward
to the fathers, forward to the Messiah’s coming, while
the Hope of the fathers, the Messiah Himself, was
beside her, and she knew Him not.
How many
thirsting souls are to-day close by the living fountain,
yet looking far away for the well-spring of life!
“ Say
not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?
(that is, to bring Christ down from above); or, W ho
shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ
again from the dead.)
.
.
.
The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart.
.
.
.
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” 1
Jesus did not immediately answer the question in
regard to Himself, but with solemn earnestness He
said, “ Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst
again; but whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water spring
ing up into everlasting life.”
He who seeks to quench his thirst at the fountains
of this world, will drink only to thirst again.
Every
where men are unsatisfied.
They long for something
to supply the need of the soul.
Only One can meet,
that want.
The need of the world, “ the desire of all
nations,” is Christ.
The divine grace which He alone
‘ Rom. 10:6-9.
208
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
can impart, is as living water, purifying, refreshing,
and invigorating the soul.
Jesus did not convey the idea that merely one
draught of the water of-life woitid suffice the receiver.
He who tastes of the love of Christ will continually
long for more; but he seeks for nothing else.
The
riches, honors, and pleasures of the world do not at
tract him.
The constant cry of his heart is, “ More
of Thee.”
And He who reveals to the soul its neces
sity, is waiting to satisfy its hunger and thirst. Every
human resource and dependence will fail.
The cis
terns will be emptied, the pools become dry; but our
Redeemer is an inexhaustible fountain.
W e may
drink, and drink again, and ever find a fresh supply.
He in whom Christ dwells, has within himself the
fountain of blessing,— “a well of water springing up
into everlasting life.”
From this source he may
draw strength and grace sufficient for all his needs.
As Jesus spoke of the living water, the woman
looked upon Him with wondering attention.
He
had aroused her interest, and awakened a desire for
the gift of which He spoke.
She perceived that it
was not the water of Jacob’s well to which He re
ferred; for of this she used continually, drinking, and
thirsting again.
“ Sir,” she said, “give me this water,
that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”
Jesus now abruptly turned the conversation.
Be
fore this soul could receive the gift He longed to be
stow, she must be brought to recognize her sin and
her Saviour.
He “ saith unto her, Go, call thy hus
band, and come hither.”
She answered, “ I have no
husband.”
Thus she hoped to prevent all question
ing in that direction.
But the Saviour continued,
“ Thou hast well said, I have no husband; for thou
hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast
is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.”
a t Ja c o b ’ s w e l l .
209
The listener trembled.
A mysterious hand was
turning the pages of her life history, bringing to view
that which she had hoped to keep forever hidden.
W ho was He that could read the secrets of her life?
There came to her thoughts of eternity, of the future
Judgment, when all that is now hidden shall be re
vealed.
I11 its light, conscience was awakened.
She could deny nothing; but she tried to evade all
mention of a subject so unwelcome.
With deep rev
erence, she said, “ Sir, I perceive that Thou art a
prophet.”
Then, hoping to silence conviction, she
turned to points of religious controversy.
If this was
a prophet, surely He could give her instruction con
cerning these matters that had been so long disputed.
Patiently Jesus permitted her to lead the conversa
tion whither she would.
Meanwhile He watched for
the opportunity of again bringing the truth home to
her heart.
“ Our fathers worshiped in this moun
tain,” she said, “and ye say that in Jerusalem is the
place where men ought to worship.”
Just in sight
was Mount Gerizim.
Its temple was demolished, and
only the altar remained.
The place of worship had
been a subject of contention between the Jews and
the Samaritans.
Some of the ancestors of the latter
people had once belonged to Israel; but because of
their sins, the Lord suffered them to be overcome by
an idolatrous nation.
For many generations they
were
intermingled with
idolaters, whose religion
gradually contaminated their own.
It is true they
held that their idols were only to remind them of the
living God, the Ruler of the universe; nevertheless
the people were led to reverence their graven images.
When the temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt in the
days of Ezra, the Samaritans wished to join the Jews
in its erection.
This privilege was refused them, and
a bitter animosity sprung up between the two peoples.
14
210
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The Samaritans built a rival temple on Mount Geri-
zim.
Here they worshiped in accordance with the
Mosaic ritual, though they did not wholly renounce
idolatry.
But disasters attended them, their temple
was destroyed by their enemies, and they seemed to
be under a curse; yet they still clung to their tradi
tions and their forms of worship.
They would not
acknowledge the temple at Jerusalem as the house of
God, nor admit that the religion of the Jews was su
perior to their own.
In answer to the woman, Jesus said, “ Believe Me,
the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this moun
tain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Ye
worship ye know not what: we know what we worship;
for salvation is of the Jews.”
Jesus had shown that
He was free from Jewish prejudice against the Samar
itans.
Now He sought to break down the prejudice
of this Samaritan against the Jews.
While referring
to the fact that the faith of the Samaritans was cor
rupted with idolatry, He declared that the great truths
of redemption had been committed to the Jews, and
that from among them the Messiah was to appear. In
the Sacred Writings they had a clear presentation of
the character of God and the principles of His govern
ment.
Jesus classed Himself with the Jews as those
to whom God had given a knowledge of Himself.
He desired to lift the thoughts of His hearer above
matters of form and ceremony, and questions of con
troversy.
“ The hour cometh,” He said, “and now
is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to
worship Him.
God is a Spirit; and they that wor
ship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Here is declared the same truth that Jesus had re
vealed to Nicodemus when He said, “ Except a man
be born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.”2
Not by seeking a holy mountain or a sacred
temple are men brought into communion with heaven.
Religion is not to be confined to external forms and
ceremonies.
The religion that comes from God is
the only religion that will lead to God.
In order to
serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine
Spirit.
This will purify the heart and renew the
mind, giving us a new capacity for knowing and lov
ing God.
It will give us a willing obedience to all
His requirements.
This is true worship.
It is the
fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit.
By the Spirit
every sincere prayer is indited, and such prayer is
acceptable to God.
Wherever a soul reaches out
after God, there the Spirit’s working is manifest, and
God will reveal Himself to that soul.
For such wor
shipers He is seeking.
He waits to receive them-, and
to make them His sons and daughters.
As the woman talked with Jesus, she was impressed
with His words.
Never had she heard such senti
ments from the priests of her own people or from the
Jews.
As the past of her life had been spread out be
fore her, she had been made sensible of her great
want.
She realized her soul-thirst, which the waters
of the well of Sychar could never satisfy.
Nothing
that had hitherto come in contact with her had so
awakened her to a higher need.
Jesus had convinced
her that Fie read the secrets of her life; yet she felt
that He was her friend, pitying and loving her.
While the very purity of His presence condemned
her sin, Fie had spoken no word of denunciation, but
had told her of His grace, that could renew the soul.
She began to have some conviction of His character.
The question arose in her mind, “Might not this be
the long-looked-for Messiah?”
She said to Him, “ I
know that Messias cometh, whidi is called Christ;
aJohn 3:3, margin.
a t Ja c o b’ s w e l l .
21 i
212
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
when He is come, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus
answered, “ I that speak unto thee am He.”
As the woman heard these words, faith sprung up
in her heart.
She accepted the wonderful announce
ment from the lips of the divine Teacher.
This woman was in an appreciative state of mind.
She was ready to receive the noblest revelation; for
she was interested in the Scriptures, and the Holy
Spirit had been preparing her mind to receive more
light.
She had studied the Old Testament promise,
“ The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me;
unto Him ye shall hearken.”8
She longed to under
stand this prophecy.
Light was already flashing into
her mind.
The water of life, the spiritual life which
Christ gives to every thirsty soul, had begun to spring
up in her heart.
The Spirit of the Lord was working
with her.
The plain statement made by Christ to this woman
could not have been made to the self-righteous Jews.
Christ was far more reserved when He spoke to them.
That which had been withheld from the Jews, and
which the disciples were afterward enjoined to keep
secret, was revealed to her.
Jesus saw that she
would make use of her knowledge in bringing others
to share His grace.
When the disciples returned from their errand, they
were surprised to find their Master speaking with the
woman.
He had not taken the refreshing draught
that He desired, and He did not stop to eat the food
His disciples had brought.
When the woman had
gone, the disciples entreated Him to eat.
They saw
Him silent, absorbed, as in rapt meditation.
His face
was beaming with light, and they feared to interrupt
His communion with heaven.
But they knew that
3 Deut. 18:15.
AT JACOB S WELL.
213
He was faint and weary, and thought it their duty to
remind Him of His physical necessities.
Jesus rec
ognized their loving interest, and He said, “I have
meat to eat that ye know not of.”
The disciples wondered who could have brought
Him food; but He explained, “ My meat is to do the
will of Him that sent Me, and to accomplish His
work.” 4
As His words to the woman had aroused
her conscience, Jesus rejoiced.
He saw her drink
ing of the water of life, and His own hunger and
thirst were satisfied.
The accomplishment of the
mission which He had left heaven to
perform,
strengthened the Saviour for His labor, and lifted
Him above the necessities of humanity.
T o minister
to a soul hungering and thirsting for the truth was
more grateful to Him than eating or drinking.
It
was a comfort, a refreshment to Him.
Benevolence
was the life of His soul.
Our Redeemer thirsts for recognition.
He hun
gers for the sympathy and love of those whom He
has purchased with His own blood.
He longs with
inexpressible desire that they should come to Him
and have life.
As the mother watches for the smile
of recognition from her little child, which tells of the
dawning of intelligence, so does Christ watch for the
expression of grateful love which shows that spiritual
life is begun in the soul.
The woman had been filled with joy as she listened
to Christ’s words.
The wonderful revelation was al
most overpowering.
Leaving her water-pot, she re
turned to the city, to carry the message to others.
Jesus knew why she had gone.
Leaving her water-
pot spoke unmistakably as to the effect of His words.
Tt was the earnest desire of her soul to obtain the liv
ing water; and she forgot her errand to the well, she
‘ R. V.
214
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
forgot the Saviour’s thirst, which she had purposed
to supply.
With heart overflowing with gladness,
she hastened on her way, to impart to others the pre
cious light she had received.
“ Come, see a man, which told me all things that
ever I did,” she said to the men of the city.
“ Is not
this the Christ?”
Her words touched their hearts.
There was a new expression on her face, a change in
her whole appearance.
They were interested to see
Jesus.
“ Then they went out of the city, and came
unto Him.”
As Jesus still sat at the well-side, He looked over
the fields of grain that were spread out before Him,
their tender green touched by the golden sunlight.
Pointing His disciples to the scene, He employed it
as a symbol: “ Say not ye, There are yet four months,
and then cometh harvest?
Behold, I say unto you,
Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are
white already to harvest.”
And as He spoke, He
looked on the groups that were coming to the well.
It was four months to the time for harvesting the
grain, but here was a harvest ready for the reaper.
“ He that reapeth,” He said, “receiveth wages, and
gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that
soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and an
other reapeth.”
Here Christ points out the sacred
service owed to God by those who receive the gospel.
They are to be His living agencies.
He requires
their individual service.
And whether we sow or
reap, we are working for God.
One scatters the
seed; another gathers in the harvest; and both the
sower and the reaper receive wages.
They rejoice
together in the reward of their labor.
Jesus said to the disciples, “I sent you to reap that
whereon ye bestowed no labor.
Other men labored,
and ye are entered into their labors.”
The Saviour
was here looking forward to the great ingathering on
the day of Pentecost.
The disciples were not to re
gard this as the result of their own efforts.
They
were entering into other men’s labors.
Ever since
the fall of Adam, Christ had been committing the
seed of the word to His chosen servants, to be sown
in human hearts.
And an unseen agency, even an
omnipotent power, had worked silently but effectu
ally to produce the harvest.
The dew and rain and
sunshine of God’s grace had been given, to refresh
and nourish the seed of truth.
Christ was about to
water the seed with His own blood.
His disciples
were privileged to be laborers together with God.
They were co-workers with Christ and with the holy
men of old.
By the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost, thousands were to be converted in a day.
This was the result of Christ’s sowing, the harvest of
His work.
In the words spoken to the woman at the well,
good seed had been sown, and how quickly the har
vest was received.
The Samaritans came and heard
Jesus, and believed on Him.
Crowding about Him
at the well, they plied Him with questions, and
eagerly received His explanations of many things
that had been obscure to them.
As they listened,
their perplexity began to clear away.
They were
like a people in great darkness tracing up a sudden
ray of light till they had found the day.
But they
were not satisfied with this short conference.
They
were anxious to hear more, and to have their friends
also listen to this wonderful teacher.
They invited
Him to their city, and begged Him to remain with
them.
For two days He tarried in Samaria, and
many more believed on Him.
The Pharisees despised the simplicity of Jesus.
AT JACOB’ S WELL.
215
/
They ignored TIis miracles, and demanded a sign that
He was the Son of God.
But the Samaritans asked
no sign, and Jesus performed no miracles among
them, save in revealing the secrets of her life to the
woman at the well.
Yet many received Him.
In
their new joy they said to the woman, “ Now we be
lieve, not because of thy saying; for we have heard
Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the
Christ, the Saviour of the world.”
The Samaritans believed that the Messiah was to
come as the Redeemer, not only of the Jews, but of
the world.
The Holy Spirit through Moses had
foretold Him as a prophet sent from God.
Through
Jacob it had been declared that unto Him should the
gathering of the people be; and through Abraham,
that in Him all the nations of the earth should be
blessed.
On these scriptures the people of Samaria
based their faith in the Messiah.
The fact that the
Jews had misinterpreted the later prophets, attributing
to the first advent the glory of Christ’s second com
ing, had led the Samaritans to discard all the sacred
writings except those given through Moses.
But as
the Saviour swept away these false interpretations,
many accepted the later prophecies and the words of
Christ Himself in regard to the kingdom of God.
Jesus had begun to break down the partition wall
between Jew and Gentile, and to preach salvation to
the world.
Though He was a Jew, He mingled
freely with the Samaritans, setting at naught the
Pharisaic customs of His nation.
In face of their
prejudices He accepted the hospitality of this de
spised people.
He slept under their roofs, ate with
them at their tables,— partaking of the food prepared
and served by their hands,—-taught in their streets,
and treated them with the utmost kindness and
courtesy.
216
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
a t Ja c o b ’ s w e l l .
217
In the temple at Jerusalem a low wall separated the
outer court from all other portions of the sacred
building.
Upon this wall were inscriptions in dif
ferent languages, stating that none but Jews were
allowed to pass this boundary.
Had a Gentile pre
sumed to enter the inner inclosure, he would have
desecrated the temple, and would have paid the pen
alty with his life.
But Jesus, the originator of the
temple and its service, drew the Gentiles to Him by
the tie of human sympathy, while His divine grace
brought to them the salvation which the Jews re
jected.
The stay of Jesus in Samaria was designed to be
a blessing to His disciples, who were still under the
influence of Jewish bigotry.
They felt that loyalty
to their own nation required them to cherish enmity
toward the Samaritans.
They wondered at the con
duct of Jesus.
They could not refuse to follow His
example, and during the two days in Samaria, fidelity
to Him kept their prejudices under control; yet in
heart they were unreconciled.
They were slow to
learn that their contempt and hatred must give place
to pity and sympathy.
But after the Lord’s ascen
sion, His lessons came back to them with a new
meaning.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
they recalled the Saviour’s look, His words, the re
spect and tenderness of His bearing toward these
despised strangers.
When Peter went to preach in
Samaria, he brought the same spirit into his own
work.
When
John
was called
to Ephesus and
Smyrna, he remembered the experience at Shechem,
and was filled with gratitude to the divine Teacher,
who, foreseeing the difficulties they must meet, had
given them help in His own example.
The Saviour is still carrying forward the same
work as when He proffered the water of life to the
218
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
woman of Samaria.
Those who call themselves His
followers, may despise and shun the outcast ones;
but no circumstance of birth or nationality, no con
dition of life, can turn away His love from the chil
dren of men.
To every soul, however sinful, Jesus
says, If thou hadst asked of Me, I would have given
thee living water.
The gospel invitation is not to be narrowed down,
and presented only to a select few, who, we suppose,
will do us honor if they accept it.
The message is
to be given to all.
Wherever hearts are open to re
ceive the truth, Christ is ready to instruct them.
He
reveals to them the Father, and the worship accept
able to Him who reads the heart.
For such He uses
no parables.
To them, as to the woman at the well,
He says, “ I that speak unto thee am He.”
When Jesus sat down to rest at Jacob’s well, He
had come from Judea, where His ministry had pro
duced little fruit.
He had been rejected by the
priests and rabbis, and even the people who professed
to be His disciples had failed of perceiving His divine
character.
He was faint and weary; yet He did not
neglect the opportunity of speaking to one woman,
though she was a stranger, an alien from Israel, and
living in open sin.
The Saviour did not wait for congregations to as
semble.
Often He began His lessons with only a
few gathered about Him, but one by one the passers-
by paused to listen, until a multitude heard with won
der and awe the words of God through the heaven
sent Teacher.
The worker for Christ should not feel
that he cannot speak with the same earnestness to a
few hearers as to a large company.
There may be
only one to hear the message; but who can tell how
far-reaching will be its influence?
It seemed a small
matter, even to His disciples, for the Saviour to
a t Ja c o b’ s w e l l .
219
spend His time upon a woman of Samaria.
But He
reasoned more earnestly and eloquently with her
than with kings, councillors, or high priests.
The
lessons He gave to that woman have been repeated
to the earth’s remotest bounds.
As soon as she had found the Saviour, the Samar
itan woman brought others to Him.
She proved
herself a more effective missionary than His own
disciples.
The disciples saw nothing in Samaria to
indicate that it was an encouraging field.
Their
thoughts were fixed upon a great work to be done in
the future.
They did not see that right around them
was a harvest to be gathered.
But through the
woman whom they despised, a whole cityful were
brought to hear the Saviour.
She carried the light
at once to her countrymen.
This woman represents the working of a practical
faith in Christ.
Every true disciple is born into the
kingdom of God as a missionary.
He who drinks
of the living water becomes a fountain of life.
The
receiver becomes a giver.
The grace of Christ in
the soul is like a spring in the desert, welling up to
refresh all, and making those who are ready to per
ish eager to drink of the water of life.
EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND
WONDERS.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
The Galileans who returned from the Passover
brought back the report of the wonderful works of
Jesus.
The judgment passed upon His acts by the
dignitaries at Jerusalem opened His way in Galilee.
Many of the people lamented the abuse of the temple
and the greed and arrogance of the priests.
They
hoped that this man, who had put the rulers to flight,
might be the looked-for Deliverer.
Now tidings had
come that seemed to confirm their brightest anticipa
tions.
It was reported that the prophet had declared
Himself to be the Messiah.
But the people of Nazareth did not believe on Him.
For this reason, Jesus did not visit Nazareth on His
way to Cana.
The Saviour declared to His disciples
that a prophet has no honor in his own country. Men
estimate character by that which they themselves are
capable of appreciating.
The narrow and worldly-
minded judged of Christ by His humble birth, His
lowly garb, and daily toil.
They could not appreci
ate the purity of that spirit upon which was no stain
of sin.
The news of Christ’s return to Cana soon spread
throughout Galilee, bringing hope to the suffering
and distressed.
In Capernaum the tidings attracted
the attention of a Jewish nobleman who was an offi-
This chapter is based on John 4:43-54.
(220)
EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS.
221
cer in the king’s service.
A son of the officer was
suffering from what seemed to be an incurable dis
ease.
Physicians had given him up to die; but when
the father heard of Jesus, he determined to seek help
from Him.
The child was very low, and, it was
feared, might not live till his return; yet the noble
man felt that he must present the case in person. He
hoped that a father’s prayers might awaken the sym
pathy of the great Physician.
On reaching Cana he found a throng surround-
ing Jesus.
With an anxious heart he pressed through
to the Saviour’s presence.
His faith faltered when
he saw only a plainly dressed man, dusty and worn
with travel.
He doubted that this person could do
what he had come to ask of him; yet he secured an
interview with Jesus, told his errand, and besought
the Saviour to accompany him to his home.
But al
ready his sorrow was known to Jesus.
Before the
officer had left his home, the Saviour had beheld his
affliction.
But He knew also that the father had, in his own
mind, made conditions concerning his belief in Jesus.
Unless his petition should be granted, he would not
receive Him as the Messiah.
While the officer waited
in an agony of suspense, Jesus said, “ Except ye see
signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”
Notwithstanding all the evidence that Jesus was
the Christ, the petitioner had determined to make his
belief in Him conditional on the granting of his own
request.
The Saviour contrasted this questioning
unbelief with the simple faith of the Samaritans, who
asked for no miracle or sign.
His word, the ever
present evidence of His divinity, had a convincing
power that reached their hearts.
Christ was pained
that His own people, to whom the sacred oracles had
been committed, should fail to hear the voice of God
speaking to them in His Son.
222
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Yet the nobleman had a degree of faith; for he had
come to ask what seemed to him the most precious
of all blessings.
Jesus had a greater gift to bestow.
He desired, not only to heal the child, but to make the
officer and his household sharers in the blessings of
salvation, and to kindle a light in Capernaum, which
was so soon to be the field of His own labors.
But
the nobleman must realize his need before he would
desire the grace of Christ.
This courtier represented
many of his nation.
They were interested in Jesus
from selfish motives.
They hoped to receive some
special benefit through His power, and they staked
their faith on the granting of this temporal favor; but
they were ignorant as to their spiritual disease, and
saw not their need of divine grace.
Like a flash of light, the Saviour’s words to the
nobleman laid bare his heart.
He saw that his mo
tives in seeking Jesus were selfish.
His vacillating
faith appeared to him in its true character.
In deep
distress he realized that his doubt might cost the life
of his son.
He knew that he was in the presence of
One who could read the thoughts, and to whom all
things were possible.
In an agony of supplication
he cried, “ Sir, come down ere my child die!”
His
faith took hold upon Christ as did Jacob, when,
wrestling with the angel, he cried, “ I will not let thee
go, except thou bless me.” 1
Like Jacob he prevailed.
The Saviour cannot with
draw from the soul that clings to Him, pleading its
great need.
“ Go thy way,” He said; “thy son liveth.”
The nobleman left the Saviour’s presence with a peace
and joy he had never known before.
Not only did
he believe that his son would be restored, but with
strong confidence he trusted in Christ as the Re
deemer.
At the same hour the watchers beside the dying
1 Gen. 32:26.
EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS.
223
child in the home at Capernaum beheld a sudden
and mysterious change.
The shadow of death was
lifted from the sufferer’s face.
The flush of fever
gave place to the soft glow of returning health.
The
dim eyes brightened with intelligence, and strength
returned to the feeble, emaciated frame.
No signs
of his malady lingered about the child.
His burning
flesh had become soft and moist, and he sank into a
quiet sleep.
The fever had left him in the very heat
of the day.
The family were amazed, and great was
the rejoicing.
Cana was not so far from Capernaum but that the
officer might have reached his home on the evening
after his interview with Jesus; but he did not hasten
on the homeward journey.
It was not until the next
morning that he reached Capernaum.
What a home
coming was that!
When he went to find Jesus, his
heart was heavy with sorrow.
The sunshine seemed
cruel to him, the songs of the birds a mockery.
How
different his feelings now!
All nature wears a new
aspect
He sees with new eyes.
As he journeys in
the quiet of the early morning, all nature seems to be
praising God with him.
While he is still some dis
tance from his own dwelling, servants come out to
meet him, anxious to relieve the suspense they are
sure he must feel.
He shows no surprise at the news
they bring, but with a depth of interest they cannot
know, he asks at what hour the child began to mend.
They answer, “ Yesterday at the seventh hour the
fever left him.”
At the very moment when the father’s
faith grasped the assurance, “ Thy son liveth,” divine
love touched the dying child.
The father hurries on to greet his son.
He clasps
him to his heart as one restored from the dead, and
thanks God again and again for this wonderful res
toration.
2 2 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The nobleman longed to know more of Christ.
As
he afterward heard His teaching, he and all his house
hold became disciples.
Their affliction was sanctified
to the conversion of the entire family.
Tidings of the
miracle spread; and in Capernaum, where so many
of His mighty works were performed, the way was
prepared for Christ’s personal ministry.
He who blessed the nobleman at Capernaum is just
as desirous of blessing us.
But like the afflicted
father, we are often led to seek Jesus by the desire for
some earthly good; and upon the granting of our re
quest we rest our confidence in His love.
The Sa
viour longs to give us a greater blessing than we ask;
and He delays the answer to our request that He may
show us the evil of our own hearts, and our deep need
of His grace.
He desires us to renounce the selfish
ness that leads us to seek Him.
Confessing our help
lessness and bitter need, we are to trust ourselves
wholly to His love.
The nobleman wanted to see the fulfilment of his
prayer before he should believe; but he had to accept
the word of Jesus, that his request was heard, and the
blessing granted.
This lesson we also have to learn.
Not because we see or feel that God hears us, are we
to believe.
We are to trust in His promises.
When
we come to Him in faith, every petition enters the
heart of God.
When we have asked for His blessing,
we should believe that we receive it, and thank Him
that we have received it.
Then we are to go about
our duties, assured that the blessing will be realized
when we need it most.
When we have learned to do
this, we shall know that our prayers are answered.
God will do for us “exceeding abundantly,” “accord
ing to the riches of His glory,” and “ the working of
His mighty power.” 2
2 Eph. 3: 20, r6; 1:19.
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM,
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.
“ Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a
pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda,
having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude
of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for
the moving of the water.”
At certain seasons the waters of this pool were agi
tated, and it was commonly believed that this was the
result of supernatural power, and that whoever first
after the troubling of the pool stepped into the waters,
would be healed of whatever disease he had.
Hun
dreds of sufferers visited the place; but so great was
the crowd when the water was troubled that they
rushed forward, trampling under foot men, women,
and children, weaker than themselves.
Many could
not get near the pool.
Many who had succeeded in
reaching it, died upon its brink.
Shelters had been
erected about the place, that the sick might be pro
tected from the heat by day and the chilliness of the
night.
There were some who spent the night in these
porches, creeping to the edge of the pool day after
day, in the vain hope of relief.
Jesus was again at Jerusalem.
Walking alone, in
apparent meditation and prayer, He came to the pool.
He saw the wretched sufferers watching for that
which they supposed to be their only chance of cure.
This chapter is based on John 5.
(225 )
15
226
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
He longed to exercise His healing power, and make
every sufferer whole.
But it was the Sabbath day.
Multitudes were going to the temple for worship, and
He knew that such an act of healing would so excite
the prejudice of the Jews as to cut short His work.
But the Saviour saw one case of supreme wretch
edness.
It was that of a man who had been a help
less cripple for thirty-eight years.
His disease was
in a great degree the result of his own sin, and was
looked upon as a judgment from God.
Alone and
friendless, feeling that he was shut out from God’s
mercy, the sufferer had passed long years of misery.
At the time when it was expecfed that the waters
would be troubled, those who pitied his helplessness
would bear him to the porches.
But at the favored
moment he had no one to help him in.
He had seen
the rippling of the water, but had never been abie to
get farther than the edge of the pool.
Others
stronger than he would plun'ge in before him.
He
could not contend
successfully with the selfish,
scrambling crowd.
His persistent efforts toward the
one object, and his anxiety and continual disappoint
ment, were fast wearing away the remnant of his
strength.
The sick man was lying on his mat, and occasion
ally lifting his head to gaze at the pool, when a tender,
compassionate face bent over him, and the words,
“ Wilt thou be made whole?” arrested his attention.
Hope came to his heart.
He felt that in some way he
was to have help.
But the glow of encouragement
soon faded.
He remembered how often he had tried
to reach the pool, and now he had little prospect of
living till it should again be troubled.
He turned
away wearily, saying, “ Sir, I have no man, when the
water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while
I am coming, another steppeth down before m e/’
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
227
Jesus does not ask this sufferer to exercise faith in
Him.
He simply says, “ Rise, take up thy bed, and
walk.”
But the man’s faith takes hold upon that
word.
Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life,
and healthful action comes to his crippled limbs.
Without question he sets his will to obey the com
mand of Christ, and all his muscles respond to his
will.
Springing to his feet, he finds himself an active
man.
Jesus had given him no assurance of divine help.
The man might have stopped to doubt, and lost his
one chance of healing.
But he believed Christ’s
word, and in acting upon it he received strength.
/^Through the same faith we may receive spiritual
healing.
By sin we have been severed from the life
of God.
Our souls are palsied.
Of ourselves we are
no more capable of living a holy life than was the
impotent man capable of walking.
There are many
who realize their helplessness, and who long for that
spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with
God; they are vainly striving to obtain it
In despair
they cry, “ O wretched man that I am! who shall de
liver me from this body of death?” 1
Let these de
sponding, struggling ones look up.
The Saviour is
bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with
inexpressible tenderness and pity, “ Wilt thou be made
whole?”
He bids you arise in health and peace.
Do
not wait to feel that you are made whole.
Believe
His word, and it will be fulfilled.
Put your will on
the side of Christ.
Will to serve Him, and in acting
upon His word you will receive strength.
Whatever
may be the evil practice, the master-passion which
through long indulgence binds both soul and body,
Christ is able and longs to deliver.
He will impart
life to the soul that is “ dead in trespasses.”2
He will
'Rom. 7:24, margin.
J Eph. 2:1.
228
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
set free the captive that is held by weakness and mis
fortune and the chains of sin. ,
The restored paralytic stooped to take up his bed,
which was only a rug and a blanket, and as he straight
ened himself again with a sense of delight, he looked
around for his deliverer; but Jesus was lost in the
crowd.
The man feared that he would not know
Him if he should see Him again.
As he hurried on
his way with firm, free step, praising God and rejoic
ing in his new-found strength, he met several of the
Pharisees, and immediately told them of his cure.
He was surprised at the coldness with which they lis
tened to his story.
With lowering brows they interrupted him, asking
why he was carrying his bed on the Sabbath day.
They sternly reminded him that it was not lawful to
bear burdens on the Lord’s day.
In his joy the man
had forgotten that it was the Sabbath; yet he felt no
condemnation for obeying the command of one who
had such power from God.
He answered boldly,
“ He that made me whole, the same said unto me,
Take up thy bed, and walk.”
They asked who it was
that had done this, but he could not tell.
These rul
ers knew well that only One had shown Himself able
to perform this miracle; but they wished for direct
proof that it was Jesus, that they might condemn Him
as a Sabbath-breaker.
In their judgment He had
not only broken the law in healing the sick man on
the Sabbath, but had committed sacrilege in bidding
him bear away his bed.
The Jews had so perverted the law that they made
it a yoke of bondage.
Their meaningless require
ments had become a byword among other nations.
Especially was the Sabbath hedged in by all manner
of senseless restrictions.
It was not to them a de
light, the holy of the Lord, and honorable.
The
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
229
scribes and Pharisees had made its observance an in
tolerable burden.
A Jew was not allowed to kindle a
fire nor even to light a candle on the Sabbath.
As a
consequence the people were dependent upon the
Gentiles for many services which their rules forbade
them to do for themselves.
They did not reflect that
if these acts were sinful, those who employed others
to perform them were as guilty as if they had done
the work themselves.
They thought that salvation
was restricted to the Jews, and that the condition
of all others, being already hopeless, could be made
no worse.
But God has given no commandments
which cannot be obeyed by all.
His laws sanction no
unreasonable or selfish restrictions.
In the temple Jesus met the man who had been
healed.
He had come to bring a sin-ofTering and
also a thank-offering for the great mercy he had re
ceived.
Finding him among the worshipers, Jesus
made Himself known, with the warning words, “ Be
hold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse
thing come unto thee.”
The healed man was overjoyed at meeting his de
liverer.
Ignorant of the enmity toward Jesus, he told
the Pharisees who had questioned him, that this was
He who had performed the cure.
“ Therefore did the
Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, be
cause He had done these things on the Sabbath day.”
Jesus was brought before the Sanhedrim to answer
the charge of Sabbath-breaking.
Had the Jews at
this time been an independent nation, such a charge
would have served their purpose for putting Him to
death.
This their subjection to the Romans pre
vented.
The Jews had not the power to inflict capi
tal punishment, and the accusations brought against
Christ would have no weight in a Roman court.
There were other objects, however, which they hoped
230
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
to secure.
Notwithstanding their efforts to counter
act His work, Christ was gaining, even in Jerusalem,
an influence over the people greater than their own.
Multitudes who were not interested in the harangues
of the rabbis, were attracted by His teaching.
They
could understand His words, and their hearts were
warmed and comforted.
He spoke of God, not as an
avenging judge, but as a tender father, and He re
vealed the image of God as mirrored in Himself. His
words were like balm to the wounded spirit.
Both
by His words and by His works of mercv He was
breaking the oppressive power of the old traditions
and man-made commandments, and presenting the
love of God in its exhaustless fulness.
In one of the earliest prophecies of Christ it is
written, “ The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh
come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people
be.”s
The people were gathering to Christ.
The
sympathetic hearts of the multitude accepted lessons
of love and benevolence in preference to the rigid cere
monies required by the priests.
If the priests and
rabbis had not interposed, His teaching would have
wrought such a reformation as this world has never
witnessed.
But in order to maintain their own power,
these leaders determined to break down the influence
of Jesus.
His arraignment before the Sanhedrim,
and an open condemnation of His teachings, would
aid in effecting this; for the people still had great rev
erence for their religious leaders.
Whoever dared to
condemn the rabbinical requirements, or attempt to
lighten the burdens they had brought upon the people,
was regarded as guilty, not only of blasphemy, but of
treason.
On this ground the rabbis hoped to excite
suspicion of Christ.
They represented Him as trying
sGen. 49:10.
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
23I
to overthrow the established customs, thus causing
division among the people, and preparing the way for
complete subjugation by the Romans.
But the plans which these rabbis were working
so zealously to fulfil originated in another council than
that of the Sanhedrim.
After Satan had failed to
overcome Christ in the wilderness, he combined his
forces to oppose Him in His ministry, and if possible
to thwart His work.
What he could not accom
plish by direct, personal effort, he determined to
effect by strategy.
No sooner had he withdrawn
from the conflict in the wilderness, than in council
with his confederate angels he matured his plans for
still further blinding the minds of the Jewish people,
that they might not recognize their Redeemer.
He
planned to work through his human agencies in the
religious world, by imbuing them with his own en
mity against the champion of truth.
He would lead
them to reject Christ and to make His life as bitter
as possible, hoping to discourage Him in His mis
sion.
And the leaders in Israel became instruments
of Satan in warring against the Saviour.
/ Jesus had come to “ magnify the law, and make it
honor a b l e . H e was not to lessen its dignity, but to
exalt it.
The Scripture says, “ He shall not fail nor
be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the
earth.” 4' He had come to free the Sabbath from those
burdensome requirements that had made it a curse
instead of a blessing.
For this reason He had chosen the Sabbath upon
which to perform the act of healing at Bethesda^ He
could have healed the sick man as well on any other
day of the week; or He might simply have cured him,
without bidding him bear away his bed.
But this
would not have given Him the opportunity He de-
* Isa. 42:21, 4.
232
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
sired.
A wise purpose underlay every act of Christ’s
life on earth.
Everything He did was important in
itself and in its teaching.
Among the afflicted ones
at the pool He selected the worst case upon whom to
exercise His healing power, and bade the man carry
his bed through the city in order to publish the great
work that had been wrought upon him ./ “f his would
raise the question of what it was lawful to do on the
Sabbath, and would open the way for Him to de
nounce the restrictions of the Jews in regard to the
Lord’s day, and to declare their traditions void.
Jesus stated to them that the work of relieving the
afflicted was in harmony with the Sabbath law.
It
was in harmony with the work of God’s angels, who
are ever descending and ascending between heaven
and earth to minister to suffering humanity.
Jesus
declared, “ My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
All days are God’s, in which to carry out His plans
for the human race.
If the Jews’ interpretation of
the law was correct, then Jehovah was at fault, whose
work has quickened and upheld every living thing
since first He laid the foundations of the earth; then
He who pronounced His work good, and instituted
the Sahabth to commemorate its completion, must
put a period to His labor, and stop the never-ending
routine of the universe.
Should God forbid the sun to perform its office
upon the Sabbath, cut off its genial rays from warm
ing the earth and nourishing vegetation?
Must the
system of worlds stand still through that holy day?
Should He command the brooks to stay from watering
the fields and forests, and bid the waves of the sea still
their ceaseless ebbing and flowing?
Must the wheat
and corn stop growing, and the ripening cluster defer
its purple bloom?
Must the trees and flowers put
forth no bud nor blossom on the Sabbath?
In such a case, men would miss the fruits of the
earth, and the blessings that make life desirable.
Na
ture must continue her unvarying course.
God could
not for a moment stay His hand; or man would faint
and die.
And man also has a work to perform on
this day.
The necessities of life must be attended to,
the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy
must be supplied.
He will not be held guiltless who
neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath.
God’s
holy rest-day was made for man, and acts of mercy
are in perfect harmony with its intent.
God does not
desire His creatures to suffer an hour’s pain that may
be relieved upon the Sabbath or any other day.
The demands upon God are even greater upon the
Sabbath than upon other days. His people then leave
their usual employment, and spend the time in medi
tation and worship.
They ask more favors of Him
on the Sabbath than upon other days.
They demand
His special attention.
They crave His choicest bless
ings.
God does not wait for the Sabbath to pass be
fore He grants these requests.
Heaven’s work never
ceases, and men should never rest from doing good.
The Sabbath is not intended to be a period of useless
inactivity.
The law forbids secular labor on the rest-
day of the Lord; the toil that gains a livelihood must
cease; no labor for worldly pleasure or profit is lawful
upon that day; but as God ceased His labor of creat
ing, and rested upon the Sabbath and blessed it, so
man is to leave the occupations of his daily life, and
devote those sacred hours to healthful rest, to wor
ship, and to holy deeds.
The work of Christ in heal
ing the sick was in perfect accord with the law.
It
honored the Sabbath.
Jesus claimed equal rights with God in doing a
work equally sacred, and of the same character with
that which engaged the Father in heaven.
But the
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
233
234
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Pharisees were still more incensed.
He had not only
broken the law, according to their understanding, but
in calling God “ His own Father” 5 He declared Him
self equal with God.
The whole nation of the Jews called God their
Father, therefore they would not have been so en
raged if Christ had represented Himself as standing
in the same relation to God.
But they accused Him
of blasphemy, showing that they understood Him as
making this claim in the highest sense.
These adversaries of Christ had no arguments with
which to meet the truths He brought home to their
consciences.
They could only cite their customs and
traditions, and these seemed weak and vapid when
compared with the arguments Jesus had drawn from
the word of God and the unceasing round of nature.
Had the rabbis felt any desire to receive light, they
would have been convinced that Jesus spoke the truth.
But they evaded the points He made concerning the
Sabbath, and sought to stir up anger against Him
because He claimed to be equal with God.
The fury
of the rulers knew no bounds.
Had they not feared
the people, the priests and rabbis would have slain
Jesus on the spot.
But the popular sentiment in His
favor was strong.
Many recognized in Jesus the
friend who had healed their diseases and comforted
their sorrows, and they justified His healing of the
sufferer at Bethesda.
So for the time the leaders
were obliged to restrain their hatred.
Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy.
My au
thority, He said, for doing the work of which you ac
cuse Me, is that I am the Son of God, one with Him
in nature, in will, and in purpose.
In all His works
of creation and providence, I co-operate with God.
“The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He
5 R. V.
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
235
seeth the Father do.”
The priests and rabbis were
taking the Son of God to task for the very work He
had been sent into the world to do.
By their sins
they had separated themselves from God, and in their
pride were moving independently of Him.
They felt
sufficient in themselves for all things, and realized no
need of a higher wisdom to direct their acts.
But the
Son of God was surrendered to the Father’s will, and
dependent upon His power.
So utterly was Christ
emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself.
He accepted God’s plans for Flim, and day by day
the Father unfolded Flis plans.
So should we de
pend upon God, that our lives may be the simple out
working of His will.
When Moses was about to build the sanctuary as a
dwelling-place for God, he was directed to make all
things according to the pattern shown him in the
mount.
Moses was full of zeal to do God’s work; the
most talented, skilful men were at hand to carry out
his suggestions.
Yet he was not to make a bell, a
pomegranate, a tassel, a fringe, a curtain, or any ves
sel of the sanctuary, except according to the pattern
shown him.
God called him into the mount, and re
vealed to him the heavenly things.
The Lord cov
ered him with His own glory, that he might see the
pattern, and according to it all things were made. So
to Israel, whom He desired to make His dwelling-
place, He had revealed His glorious ideal of charac
ter.
The pattern was shown them in the mount when
the law was given from Sinai, and when the Lord
passed by before Moses and proclaimed, “The Lord,
the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsufifering,
and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin.” 8
6 Ex. 34:6,7.
236
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S.
Israel had chosen their own ways.
They had not
builded according to the pattern; but Christ, the true
temple for God’s indwelling, moulded every detail of
His earthly life in harmony with God’s ideal.
He
said, “ I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy
law is within My heart.” 7
So our characters are to
be builded “for an habitation of God through the
Spirit.”
And we are to “ make all things according
to the pattern,” even Him who “ suffered for us, leav
ing us an example, that ye should follow His steps.”8
The words of Christ teach that we should regard
ourselves as inseparably bound to our Father in
heaven.
Whatever our position, we are dependent
upon God, who holds all destinies in His hands.
He
has appointed us our work, and has endowed us with
faculties and means for that work.
So long as we
surrender the will to God, and trust in His strength
and wisdom, we shall be guided in safe paths, to fulfil
our appointed part in His great plan.
But the one
who depends upon his own wisdom and power, is
separating himself from God.
Instead of working in
unison with Christ, he is fulfilling the purpose of the
enemy of God and man.
The Saviour continued: “What things soever He
[the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
.
.
.
As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quick-
eneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He
will.”
The Sadducees held that there would be no
resurrection of the body; but Jesus tells them that
one of the greatest works of His Father is raising the
dead, and that He Himself has power to do the same
work.
“The hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they
that hear shall live.”
The Pharisees believed in the
resurrection of the dead.
Christ declares that even
7 Ps. 40:8.
8 Eph. 2:22; Heb. 8:5; 1 Peter 2:21.
now the power which gives life to the dead is among
them, and they are to behold its manifestation.
This
same resurrection power is that which gives life to
the soul “ dead in trespasses and sins.”9
That spirit
of life in Christ Jesus, “the power of His resurrec
tion,” sets men “ free from the law of sin and death.” 10
The dominion of evil is broken, and through faith the
soul is kept from sin.
He who opens his heart to the
Spirit of Christ becomes a partaker of that mighty
power which shall bring forth his body from the
grave.
The liumble Nazarene asserts His real
nobility.
He rises above humanity, throws off the guise of sin
and shame, and stands revealed, the Honored of the
angels, the Son of God, One with the Creator of the
universe.
His hearers are spellbound.
No man has
ever spoken words like His, or borne himself with
such a kingly majesty.
His utterances are clear and
plain, fully declaring His mission, and the duty of the
world.
“ For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men
should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.
He that honoreth not the
Son honoreth not the
Father which hath sent Him.
.
.
.
For as the
Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the
Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him au
thority to execute judgment also, because He is the
Son of man.”
The priests and rulers had set themselves up as
judges, to condemn Christ’s work, but He declared
Himself their judge, and the judge of all the earth.
The world has been committed to Christ, and through
Him has come every blessing from God to the fallen
race.
He was the Redeemer before as after His in
carnation.
As soon as there was sin, there was a
9 Eph. 2:1.
10 Phil. 3:10; Rom. 8:2.
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
237
238
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Saviour.
He has given light and life to all, and ac
cording to the measure of light given, each is to be
judged.
And He who has given the light, He who
has followed the soul with tenderest entreaty, seeking
to win it from sin to holiness, is in one its Advocate
and Judge.
From the opening of the great contro
versy in heaven, Satan has maintained his cause
through deception; and Christ has been working to
unveil his schemes and to break his power.
It is He
who has encountered the deceiver, and who through
all the ages has been seeking to wrest the captives
from his grasp, who will pass judgment upon every
soul.
And God “ hath given Him authority to execute
judgment also, because He is the Son of man.”
Be
cause He has tasted the very dregs of human afflic
tion and temptation, and understands the frailties and
sins of men; because in our behalf He has victoriously
withstood the temptations of Satan, and will deal
justly and tenderly with the souls that His own blood
has been poured out to save,—because of this, the
Son of man is appointed to execute the judgment.
But Christ’s mission was not for judgment, but for
salvation.
“ God sent not His Son into the world to
condemn the world; but that the world through Him
might be saved.” 11
And before the Sanhedrim Jesu?
declared, “ He that heareth My word, and believeth
Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and cometh not
into judgment, but hath passed out of death into
life.” 12
Bidding His hearers marvel not, Christ opened be
fore them, in still wider view, the mystery of the fu
ture.
“The hour cometh,” He said, “in which all that
are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrec-
11 John 3:17.
UR. V.
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
239
tion of life; and they that have done ill, unto the
resurrection of judgment.” 13
This assurance of the future life was that for which
Israel had so long waited, and which they had hoped
to receive at the Messiah’s advent.
The only light
that can lighten the gloom of the grave, was shining
upon them.
But self-will is blind.
Jesus had vio
lated the traditions of the rabbis, and disregarded
their authority, and they would not believe.
The time, the place, the occasion, the intensity of
feeling that pervaded the assembly, all combined to
make the words of Jesus before the Sanhedrim the
more impressive.
The highest religious authorities
of the nation were seeking the life of Him who de
clared Himself the restorer of Israel.
The Lord of
the Sabbath was arraigned before an earthly tribunal
to answer the charge of breaking the Sabbath law.
When He so fearlessly declared His mission, His
judges looked upon Him with astonishment and rage;
but His words were unanswerable.
They could not
condemn Him.
He denied the right of the priests
and rabbis to question Him, or to interfere with His
work.
They were invested with no such authority.
Their claims were based upon their own pride and
arrogance.
He refused to plead guilty of their
charges, or to be catechized by them.
Instead of apologizing for the act of which they
complained, or explaining His purpose in doing it,
Jesus turned upon the rulers, and the accused became
the accuser.
He rebuked them for the hardness of
their hearts, and their ignorance of the Scriptures.
He declared that they had rejected the word of God,
inasmuch as they had rejected Him whom God had
sent.
“ Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think
that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they
which bear witness of Me.” 13
18 R. V.
240
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
In every page, whether history, or precept, ot
prophecy, the Old Testament Scriptures are irradiated
with the glory of the Son of God.
So far as it was of
divine institution, the entire system of Judaism was a
compacted prophecy of the gospel.
To Christ “ give
all the prophets witness.” 14
From the promise given
to Adam, down through the patriarchal line and the
legal economy, heaven’s glorious light made plain
the footsteps of the Redeemer.
Seers beheld the
Star of Bethlehem, the Shiloh to come, as future
things swept before them in mysterious procession.
In every sacrifice, Christ’s death was shown.
In
every cloud of incense His righteousness ascended.
By every jubilee trumpet His name was sounded.
In
the awful mystery of the holy of holies His glory
dwelt.
The Jews had the Scriptures in their possession,
and supposed that in their mere outward knowledge
of the word, they had eternal life.
But Jesus said.
“ Ye have not His word abiding in you.”
Having
rejected Christ in His word, they rejected Him in
person.
“ Ye will not come to Me,” He said, “that
ye might have life.”
The Jewish leaders had studied the teachings of
the prophets concerning the kingdom of the Messiah;
but they had done this, not with a sincere desire to
know the truth, but with the purpose of finding evi
dence to sustain their ambitious hopes.
When Christ
came in a manner contrary to their expectations, they
would not receive Him; and in order to justify them
selves, they tried to prove Him a deceiver.
When
once they had set their feet in this path, it was easy
for Satan to strengthen their opposition to Christ.
The very words that should have been received as
evidence of His divinity, were interpreted against
'4 Acts 10:43.
BETHESDA AND THE SANHEDRIM.
24!
Him.
Thus they turned the truth of God into a lie,
and the more directly the Saviour spoke to them in
His works of mercy, the more determined they were
in resisting the light.
Jesus said, “ I receive not honor from men.”
It
was not the influence of the Sanhedrim, it was not
their sanction He desired.
He could receive no
honor from their approbation.
He was invested with
the honor and authority of Heaven.
Had H e desired
it, angels would have come to do Him homage; the
Father would again have testified to His divinity.
But for their own sake, for the sake of the nation
whose leaders they were, Fie desired the Jewish rulers
to discern His character, and receive the blessings He
came to bring them.
“ I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive
Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him
ye will receive.”
Jesus came by the authority of God,
bearing His image, fulfilling His word, and seeking
His glory; yet Fie was not accepted by the leaders in
Israel; but when others should come, assuming the
character of Christ, but actuated by their own will
and seeking their own glory, they would be received.
And why?— Because he who is seeking his own glory,
appeals to the desire for self-exaltation in others.
To such appeals the Jews could respond.
They would
receive the false teacher because he flattered their
pride by sanctioning their cherished opinions and
traditions.
But the teaching of Christ did not coin
cide with their ideas.
It was spiritual, and demanded
the sacrifice of self; therefore they would not receive
it.
They were not acquainted with God, and to them
His voice through Christ was the voice of a stranger.
Is not the same thing repeated in our day? Are
there not many, even religious leaders, who are hard
ening their hearts against the Holy Spirit, making it
16
242
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
impossible for them to recognize the voice of God?
Are they not rejecting the word of God, that they
may keep their own traditions?
“Had ye believed Moses,” said Jesus, “ye would
have believed Me; for he wrote of Me.
But if ye
believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My
words?”
It was Christ who had spoken to Israel
through Moses.
If they had listened to the divine
voice that spoke through their great leader, they
would have recognized it in the teachings of Christ.
Had they believed Moses, they would have believed
Him of whom Moses wrote.
Jesus knew that the priests and rabbis were deter
mined to take His life; yet He clearly explained to
them His unity with the Father, and His relation to
the world.
They saw that their opposition to Him
was without excuse, yet their murderous hatred was
not quenched.
Fear seized them as they witnessed
the convincing power that attended His ministry;
but they resisted His appeals, and locked themselves
in darkness.
They had signally failed to subvert the authority
of Jesus or to alienate the respect and attention of
the people, many of whom were convicted by His
words.
The rulers themselves had felt deep con
demnation as He had pressed their guilt home upon
their consciences; yet this only made them the more
bitter against Him.
They were determined to take
His life.
They sent messengers all over the country
to warn the people against Jesus as an impostor.
Spies were sent to watch Him, and report what He
said and did.
The precious Saviour was now most
surely standing under the shadow of the cross.
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF
JOHN.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.
John the Baptist
had been
first in heralding
Christ’s kingdom, and he was first also in suffering.
From the free air of the wilderness and the vast
throngs that had hung upon his words, he was now
shut in by the walls of a dungeon cell.
He had be
come a prisoner in the fortress of Herod Antipas. In
the territory east of Jordan, which was under the do
minion of Antipas, much of John’s ministry had been
spent.
Herod himself had listened to the preaching
of the Baptist.
The dissolute king had trembled
under the call to repentance.
“ Herod feared John,
knowing that he was a just man and an holy;
.
.
and when he heard him, he did many things, and
heard him gladly.”
John dealt with him faithfully,
denouncing his iniquitous alliance with Herodias, his
brother’s wife.
For a time Herod feebly sought to
break the chain of lust that bound him; but Herodias
fastened him the more firmly in her toils, and found
revenge upon the Baptist by inducing Herod to cast
him into prison.
The life of John had been one of active labor, and
the gloom and inaction of his prison life weighed
heavily upon him.
As week after week passed, bring-
1 his chapter is based on Matt. 11:1-11; 14:1-11; Mark 6:17-28;
Luke 7:19-28.
( 243)
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ing no change, despondency and doubt crept over
him.
His disciples did not forsake him.
They were
allowed access to the prison, and they brought him
tidings of the works of Jesus, and told how the people
were flocking to Him.
But they questioned why, if
this new teacher was the Messiah, He did nothing to
effect John’s release.
How could He permit His
faithful herald to be deprived of liberty and perhaps
of life?
These questions were not without effect.
Doubts
which otherwise would never have arisen were sug
gested to John.
Satan rejoiced to hear the words of
these disciples, and to see how they bruised the soul
of the Lord’s messenger. 0 how often those who
think themselves the friends of a good man, and who
are eager to show their fidelity to him, prove to be
his most dangerous enemies.
How often, instead of
strengthening his faith, their words depress and dis
hearten.
Like the Saviour’s disciples, John the Baptist did
not understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom.
He
expected Jesus to take the throne of David; and as
time passed, and the Saviour made no claim to kingly
authority, John became perplexed and troubled.
He
had declared to the people that in order for the way
to be prepared before the Lord, the prophecy of Isaiah
must be fulfilled; the mountains and hills must be
brought low, the crooked made straight, and the
rough places plain.
He had looked for the high
places of human pride and power to be cast down.
He had pointed to the Messiah as the One whose fan
was in His hand, and who would thoroughly purge
His floor, who would gather the wheat into
His
garner, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Like the prophet Elijah, in whose spirit and power
he had come to Israel, he looked for the Lord to re-'
veal Himself as a God that answereth by fire.
244
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
245
In his mission the Baptist had stood as a fearless
reprover of iniquity, both in high places and in low.
He had dared to face King Herod with the plain re
buke of sin.
He had not counted his life dear unto
himself that he might fulfil his appointed work. And
now from his dungeon he watched for the Lion of the
tribe of Judah to cast down the pride of the oppressor,
and to deliver the poor and him that cried.
But Jesus
seemed to content Himself with gathering disciples
about Him, and healing and teaching the people. He
was eating at the tables of the publicans, while every
day the Roman yoke rested more heavily upon Israel,
while King Herod and his vile paramour worked their
will, and the cries of the poor and suffering went up
to heaven.
To the desert prophet all this seemed a mystery
beyond his fathoming.
There were hours when the
whisperings of demons tortured his spirit, and the
shadow of a terrible fear crept over him.
Could it be
that the long-hoped-for Deliverer had not yet ap
peared?
Then what meant the message that he him
self had been impelled to bear?
John had been bit
terly disappointed in the result of his mission.
He
had expected that the message from God would have
the same effect as when the law was read in the days
of Josiah and of Ezra;1 that there would follow a
deep-seated work of repentance and returning unto
the Lord.
For the success of this mission his whole
life had been sacrificed.
Flad it been in vain?
John was troubled to see that through love for him,
his own disciples were cherishing unbelief in regard
to Jesus.
Had his work for them been fruitless?
Had he been unfaithful in his mission, that he was
now cut off from labor?
If the promised Deliverer
had appeared, and John had been found true to his
1 2 Chron. 34; Neh. 8, 9
246
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
calling, would not Jesus now overthrow the oppress
or’s power, and set free His herald?
But the Baptist did not surrender his faith in Christ.
The memory of the voice from heaven and the de
scending dove, the spotless purity of Jesus, the power
of the Holy Spirit that had rested upon John as he
came into the Saviour’s presence, and the testimony
of the prophetic scriptures,— all witnessed that Jesus
of Nazareth was the Promised One.
John would not discuss his doubts and anxieties
with his companions.
He determined to send a mes
sage of inquiry to Jesus.
This he intrusted to two of
his disciples, hoping that an interview with the Sa
viour would confirm their faith, and bring assurance
to their brethren.
And he longed for some word
from Christ spoken directly for himself.
The disciples came to Jesus with their message,
“ Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for
another?”
How short the time since the Baptist had pointed
to Jesus, and proclaimed, “ Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world.”
“He it is,
who coming after me is preferred before me.” 2
And
now the question, “Art Thou He that should come?”
It was keenly bitter and disappointing to human na
ture.
If John, the faithful forerunner, failed to dis
cern Christ’s mission, what could be expected from
the self-seeking multitude?
The Saviour did not at once answer the disciples’
question.
As they stood wondering at His silence,
the sick and afflicted were coming to Him to be
healed.
The blind were groping their way through
the crowd; diseased ones of all classes, some urging
their own way, some borne by their friends, were
eagerly pressing into the presence of Jesus.
The
2 John 1:29, 27.
voice of the mighty Healer penetrated the deaf ear.
A word, a touch of His hand, opened the blind eyes
to behold the light of day, the scenes of nature, the
faces of friends, and the face of the Deliverer.
Jesus
rebuked disease and
banished
fever
His voice
reached the ears of the dying, and they arose in
health and vigor.
Paralyzed demoniacs obeyed His
word, their madness left them, and they worshiped
Him.
While He healed their diseases, He taught the
people.
The poor peasants and laborers, who were
shunned by the rabbis as unclean, gathered close
about Him, and He spoke to them the words of eter
nal life.
Thus the day wore away, the disciples of John see
ing and hearing all.
At last Jesus called them to
•Him, and bade them go and tell John what they had
witnessed, adding, “ Blessed is he, whosoever shall
find none occasion of stumbling in Me.” 3
The evi
dence of His divinity was seen in its adaptation to the
needs of suffering humanity.
His glory was shown
in His condescension to our low estate.
The disciples bore the message, and it was enough.
John recalled the prophecy concerning the Messiah,
“ The Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings
unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the
broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 4
The
works of Christ not only declared Him to be the
Messiah, but showed in what manner His kingdom
was to be established.
To John was opened the same
truth that had come to Elijah in the desert, when “ a
great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake
in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord
was not in the wind: and after the wind an earth-
3R. V.
4 Isa. 61:1, 2.
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
247
248
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
quake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and
after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in
the fire: J and after the fire, God spoke to the
prophet by a still, small voice.
So Jesus was to do
His work, not with the clash of arms and the over
turning of thrones and
kingdoms,
but
through
speaking to the hearts of men by a life of mercy and
self-sacrifice.
The principle of the Baptist’s own life of self-
abnegation was the principle of the Messiah’s king
dom.
John well knew how foreign all this was to the
principles and hopes of the leaders in Israel.
That
which was to him convincing evidence of Christ’s
divinity, would be no evidence to them.
They were
looking for a Messiah who had not been promised.
John saw that the Saviour's mission could win from
them only hatred and condemnation.
He, the fore
runner, was but drinking of the cup which Christ
Himself must drain to its dregs.
The Saviours words, ‘‘Blessed is he, whosoever
shall find none occasion of stumbling in Me,” were
a gentle reproof to John.
It was not lost upon him.
Understanding
more clearly now
the
nature of
Christ’s mission, he yielded himself to God for life
or for death, as should best serve the interests of the
cause he loved.
After the messengers had departed, Jesus spoke to
the people concerning John.
The Saviour’s heart
went out in sympathy to the faithful witness now
buried in Herod’s dungeon.
He would not leave
the people to conclude that God had forsaken John,
or that his faith had failed in the day of trial.
“ What
went ye out into the wilderness to see?” He said.
“ A reed shaken with the wind?”
The tall reeds that grew beside the Jordan, bend-
61 Kings 19:11, 12.
ing before every breeze, were fitting representatives
of the rabbis who had stood as critics and judges of
the Baptist’s mission.
They were swayed this way
and that, by the winds of popular opinion.
They
would not humble themselves to receive the heart
searching message of the Baptist, yet for fear of the
people they dared not openly oppose his work.
But
God’s messenger was of no such craven spirit. The
multitudes who were gathered about Christ had been
witnesses to the work of John.
They had heard his
fearless rebuke of sin.
To the self-righteous Phar
isees, the priestly Sadducees, King Herod and his
court, princes and soldiers, publicans and peasants,
John had spoken with equal plainness.
He was no
trembling reed, swayed by the winds of human praise
or prejudice.
In the prison he was the same in his
loyalty to God and his zeal for righteousness as when
he preached God’s message in the wilderness.
In
his faithfulness to principle he was as firm as a rock.
Jesus continued, “ But what went ye out for to see?
A man clothed in soft raiment?
Behold, they which
are gorgeously appareled and live delicately, are in
kings’ courts.”
John had been called to reprove the
sins and excesses of his time, and his plain dress and
self-denying life were in harmony with the character
of his mission.
Rich apparel and the luxuries of
this life are not the portion of God’s servants, but
of those who live “in kings’ courts,” the rulers of
this world, to whom pertain its power and its riches.
Jesus wished to direct attention to the contrast be
tween the clothing of John, and that worn by the
priests and rulers.
These officials arrayed them
selves in rich robes and costly ornaments. They
loved display, and hoped to dazzle the people, and
thus command greater consideration.
They were
more anxious to gain the admiration of men than to
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
249
250
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
obtain the purity of heart which would win the ap
proval of God.
Thus they revealed that their al
legiance was not given to God, but to the kingdom
of this world.
“ But what,” said Jesus, “ went ye out for to see?
A prophet?
Yea, I say unto you, and more than a
prophet.
For this is he, of whom it is written,—
“ Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.
“Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born
of women there hath not risen a greater than John
the Baptist.”
In the announcement to Zacharias
before the birth of John, the angel had declared, “ He
shall be great in the sight of the Lord.” 6
In the esti
mation of Heaven, what is it that constitutes great
ness?— Not that which the world accounts greatness;
not wealth, or rank, or noble descent, or intellectual
gifts, in themselves considered.
If intellectual great
ness, apart from any higher consideration, is worthy
of honor, then our homage is due to Satan, whose
intellectual power no man has ever equaled.
But
when perverted to self-serving, the greater the gift,
the greater curse it becomes.
It is moral worth that
God values.
Love and purity are the attributes He
prizes most.
John was great in the sight of the Lord,
when, before the messengers from the Sanhedrim,
before the people, and before his own disciples, he
refrained from seeking honor for himself, but pointed
all to Jesus as the Promised One.
His unselfish joy
in the ministry of Christ, presents the highest type of
nobility ever revealed in man.
The witness borne of him after his death, by those
who had heard his testimony to Jesus, was, “John
did no miracle; but all things that John spake of this
e Luke 1:15.
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
251
man were true.” 7
It was not given to John to call
down fire from heaven, or to raise the dead, as Elijah
did, nor to wield Moses’ rod of power in the name of
God.
He was sent to herald the Saviour’s advent,
and to call upon the people to prepare for His com
ing.
So faithfully did he fulfil his mission, that as
the people recalled what he had taught them of Jesus,
they could say, “ All things that John spake of this
man were true.”
Such witness to Christ every dis
ciple of the Master is called upon to bear.
As the Messiah’s herald, John was “ much more
than a prophet.”
For while prophets had seen from
afar Christ’s advent, to John it was given to behold
Him, to hear the testimony from heaven to His Mes-
siahship, and to present Him to Israel as the Sent of
God.
Yet Jesus said, “ He that is least in the king
dom of heaven is greater than he.”
The prophet John was the connecting link be
tween the two dispensations.
As God’s representa
tive he stood forth to show the relation of the law and
the prophets to the Christian dispensation.
He was
the lesser light, which was to be followed by a greater.
The mind of John was illuminated by the Holy Spirit,
that he might, shed light upon his people: but no
other light ever has shown or ever will shine so
clearly upon fallen man as that which emanated from
the teaching and example of Jesus.
Christ and His
mission had been but dimly understood as typi
fied in the shadowy sacrifices.
Even John had not
fully comprehended the future, immortal life through
the Saviour.
Aside from the joy that John found in his mission,
his life had been one of sorrow.
His voice had been
seldom heard except in the wilderness.
His was a
lonely lot.
And he was not permitted to see the re-
7John 10:41.
252
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
suit of his own labors.
It was not his privilege to be
with Christ, and witness the manifestation of divine
power attending the greater light.
It was not for
him to see the blind restored to sight, the sick healed,
and the dead raised to life.
He did not behold the
light that shone through every word of Christ, shed
ding glory upon the promises of prophecy.
The
least disciple who saw Christ’s mighty works and
heard His words was in this sense more highly
privileged than John the Baptist, and therefore is
said to have been greater than he.
Through the vast throngs that had listened to
John’s preaching, his fame had spread throughout
the land.
A deep interest was felt as to the result of
his imprisonment.
Yet his blameless life, and the
strong public sentiment in his favor, led to the be
lief that no violent measures would be taken against
him.
Herod believed John to be a prophet of God, and
he fully intended to set him at liberty.
But he de
layed his purpose from fear of Herodias.
Herodias knew that by direct measures she could
never win Herod’s consent to the death of John, and
she resolved to accomplish her purpose by stratagem.
On the king’s birthday an entertainment was to be
given to the officers of state, and the nobles of the
court.
There would be feasting and drunkenness.
Herod would thus be thrown off his guard, and might
then be influenced according to her will.
When the great day arrived, and the king with his
lords was feasting and drinking, Herodias sent her
daughter into the banqueting hall to dance for the
entertainment of the guests.
Salome was in the
first flush of womanhood, and her voluptuous beauty
captivated the senses of the lordly revelers.
It was
not customary for the ladies of the court to appear
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
253
at these festivities, and a flattering compliment was
paid to Herod when this daughter of Israel's priests
and princes, danced for the amusement of his guests.
The king was dazed with wine.
Passion held
sway, and reason was dethroned.
He saw only the
hall of pleasure, with its reveling guests, the banquet
table, the sparkling wine and the flashing lights, and
the young girl dancing before him.
In the reckless
ness of the moment, he desired to make some display
that would exalt him before the great men of his
realm.
With an oath he promised to give the
daughter of Herodias whatever she might ask, even
to the half of his kingdom.
Salome hastened to her mother, to know what
she should ask.
The answer was ready,— the head
of John the Baptist.
Salome knew not of the thirst for
revenge in her mother’s heart, and she shrank from
presenting the request; but the determination of
Herodias prevailed.
The girl returned with the ter
rible petition, “ I will that thou forthwith give me in
a charger the head of John the Baptist.”8
Herod was astonished and confounded.
The riot
ous mirth ceased, and an ominous silence settled down
upon the scene of revelry.
The king was horror-
stricken at the thought of taking the life of John.
Yet his word was pledged, and he was unwilling to
appear fickle or rash.
The oath had been made in
honor of his guests, and if one of them had offered a
word against the fulfilment of his promise, he would
gladly have spared the prophet.
He gave them op
portunity to speak in the prisoner’s behalf.
They
had traveled long distances in order to hear the
preaching of John, and they knew him to be a man
without crime, and a servant of God.
But though
shocked at the girl’s demand, they were too besotted
* R. V.
254
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S .
to interpose a remonstrance.
No voice was raised
to save the life of Heaven’s messenger.
These men
occupied high positions of trust in the nation, and
upon them rested grave responsibilities; yet they had
given themselves up to feasting and drunkenness
until the senses were benumbed.
Their heads were
turned with the giddy scene of music and dancing,
and conscience lay dormant.
By their silence they
pronounced the sentence of death upon the prophet
of God to satisfy the revenge of an abandoned
woman.
Herod wafted in vain to be released from his oath;
then he reluctantly commanded the execution of the
prophet.
Soon the head of John was brought in be
fore the king and his guests.
Forever sealed were
those lips that had faithfully warned Herod to turn
from his life of sin.
Never more would that voice
be heard calling men to repentance.
The revels of
one night had cost the life of one of the greatest of
the prophets.
O
how often has the life of the innocent been sacri
ficed through the intemperance of those who should
have been guardians of justice.
He who puts the
intoxicating cup to his lips makes himself responsi
ble for all the injustice he may commit under its be
sotting power.
By benumbing his senses he makes
it impossible for him to judge calmly or to have a
clear perception of right and wrong.
He opens the
way for Satan to work through him in oppressing
and destroying the innocent.
“ Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived
thereby is not wise.”
Thus it is that “ judgment is
turned away backward,
.
.
.
and he that depart-
eth from evil maketh himself a prey.” 9
Those who
have jurisdiction over the lives of their fellow-men,
“Prov. 20:1; Isa. 59:14, 15.
should be held guilty of a crime when they yield to
intemperance.
All who execute the laws should be
law-keepers.
They should be men of self-control.
They need to have full command of their physical,
mental, and moral powers, that they may possess
vigor of intellect, and a high sense of justice.
The head of John the Baptist was carried to
Herodias, who received it with fiendish satisfaction.
She exulted in her revenge, and flattered herself that
Herod’s conscience would no longer be troubled.
But no happiness resulted to her from her sin.
Her
name became notorious and abhorred, while Herod
was more tormented by remorse than he had been
by the warnings of the prophet.
The influence of
John’s teachings was not silenced; it was to extend
to every generation till the close of time.
Herod’s sin was ever before him.
He was con
stantly seeking to find relief from the accusings of a
guilty conscience.
His confidence in John was un
shaken.
As he recalled his life of self-denial, his sol
emn, earnest appeals, his sound judgment in counsel,
and then remembered how he had come to his death,
Herod could find no rest.
Engaged in the affairs of
the state, receiving honors from men, he bore a smil
ing face and dignified mien, while he concealed an
anxious heart, ever oppressed with the fear that a
curse was upon him.
Herod had been deeply impressed by the words of
John, that nothing can be hidden from God.
He
was convinced that God was present in every place,
that He had witnessed the revelry of the banqueting
room, that He had heard the command to behead
John, and had seen the exultation of Herodias, and
the insult she offered to the severed head of her re
prover.
And many things that Herod had heard
from the lips of the prophet now spoke to his con-
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
255
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
science more distinctly than had the preaching in the
wilderness.
When Herod heard of the works of Christ, he was
exceedingly troubled.
He thought that God had
raised John from the dead, and sent him forth with
still greater power to condemn sin.
He was in con
stant fear that John would avenge his death by pass
ing condemnation upon him and his house.
Herod
was reaping that which God had declared to be the
result of a course of sin,— “a trembling heart, and
failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind; and thy life shall
hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day
and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
in the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were
even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were
morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou
shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes, which thou
shalt see.” 10
The sinner’s own thoughts are his ac
cusers; and there can be no torture keener than the
stings of a guilty conscience, which give him no rest
day nor night.
To many minds a deep mystery surrounds the fate
of John the Baptist.
They question why he should
have been left to languish and die in prison.
The
mystery of this dark providence our human vision
cannot penetrate; but it can never shake our con
fidence in God when we remember that John was
but a sharer in the sufferings of Christ.
All who
follow Christ will wear the crown of sacrifice.
Thev
will surely be misunderstood by selfish men, and will
be made a mark for the fierce assaults of Satan.
It
is this principle of self-sacrifice that his kingdom is
established to destroy, and he will war against it
wherever manifested.
The childhood, youth, and manhood of John had
10Dent. 28:65-67.
256
been characterized by firmness and moral power.
When his voice was heard in the wilderness saying,
“ Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make His paths
straight,” 11 Satan feared for the safety of his kingr
dom.
The sinfulness of sin was revealed in such a
manner that men trembled.
Satan’s power over
many who had been under his control was broken.
He had been unwearied in his efforts to draw away
the Baptist from a life of unreserved surrender to
God; but he had failed.
And he had failed to over
come Jesus.
In the temptation in the wilderness,
Satan had been defeated, and his rage was great.
Now he determined to bring sorrow upon Christ by
striking John.
The One whom he could not entice
to sin, he would cause to suffer.
Jesus did not interpose to deliver his servant.
He
knew that John would bear the test.
Gladly would
the Saviour have come to John, to brighten the dun
geon gloom with His own presence.
But He was not
to place Himself in the hands of enemies and imperil
His own mission.
Gladly would He have delivered
His faithful servant.
But for the sake of thousands
who in after years must pass from prison to death,
John was to drink the cup of martyrdom.
As the
followers of Jesus should languish in lonely cells, or
perish by the sword, the rack, or the fagot, appar
ently forsaken by God and man, what a stay to their
hearts would be the thought that John the Baptist,
to whose faithfulness Christ Himself had borne wit
ness, had passed through a similar experience.
Satan was permitted to cut short the earthly life of
God’s messenger; but that life which “is hid with
Christ in God,”12 the destroyer could not reach.
He
exulted that he had brought sorrow upon Christ, but
he had failed of conquering John.
Death itself only
11 Matt. 3:3.
uCol. 3:3.
IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF JOHN.
257
17
258
THE DESIRE OF A G E S .
placed him forever beyond the power of temptation.
In this warfare, Satan was revealing his own char
acter.
Before the witnessing universe he made man
ifest his enmity toward God and man.
Though no miraculous deliverance was granted
John, he was not forsaken.
He had always the com
panionship of heavenly angels, who opened to him
the prophecies concerning Christ, and the precious
promises of Scripture.
These were his stay, as they
were to be the stay of God’s people through the com
ing ages.
To John the Baptist, as to those that
came after him, was given the assurance, “ Lo, I am
with you all the days even unto the end.” 13
God never leads His children otherwise than they
would choose to be led, if they could see the end from
the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose
which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him.
Not Enoch, who was translated to heaven, not Elijah,
who ascended in a chariot of fire, was greater or more
honored than John the Baptist, who perished alone
in the dungeon.
“Unto you it is given in the behalf
of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to
suffer for His sake.” 14
And of all the gifts that
Heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ
in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the
highest honor.
“ Matt. 28:20, margin, R. V.
“ Phil. 1:29.
DAYS OF PROMISE
Early Ministry in Galilee.
“ The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon
them hath the light shined.” Isa. 9:2.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT
HAND.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God*is at hand; repent ye, and
believe the gospel.”1
The Messiah's coming had been first announced in
Judea.
In the temple at Jerusalem the birth of the
forerunner had been foretold to Zacharias as he min
istered before the altar.
On the hills of Bethlehem
the angels had proclaimed the birth of Jesus.
To
Jerusalem the magi had come in search of Him.
In the temple Simeon and Anna had testified to His
divinity.
“Jerusalem and all Judea” had listened to
the preaching of John the Baptist; and the deputation
from the Sanhedrim, with the multitude, had heard
his testimony concerning Jesus.
In Judea, Christ
had received His first disciples.
Here much of His
early ministry had been spent.
The flashing forth
of His divinity in the cleansing of the temple, His
miracles of healing, and the lessons of divine truth
that fell from His lips, all proclaimed that which after
the healing at Bethesda He had declared before the
Sanhedrim,— His Sonship to the Eternal.
If the leaders in Israel had received Christ, He
would have honored them as His messengers to carry
1 Mark 1:14, 15.
(261 )
262
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
the gospel to the world.
To them first was given the
opportunity to become heralds of the kingdom and
grace of God.
But Israel knew not the time of her
visitation.
The jealousy and distrust of the Jewish
leaders had ripened into open hatred, and the hearts
of the people were turned away from Jesus.
The Sanhedrim had rejected Christ’s message and
was bent upon His death; therefore Jesus departed
from Jerusalem, from the priests, the temple, the re
ligious leaders, the people who had been instructed
in the law, and turned to another class to proclaim
His message, and to gather out those who should
carry the gospel to all nations.
As the light and life of men was rejected by the
ecclesiastical authorities in the days of Christ, so it
has been rejected in every succeeding generation.
Again and again the history of Christ’s withdrawal
from Judea has been repeated.
When the Reform
ers preached the word of God, they had no thought
of separating themselves from the established church;
but the religious leaders would not tolerate the light,
and those that bore it were forced to seek another
class, who were longing for the truth.
In our day
few of the professed followers of the Reformers are
actuated by their spirit.
Few are listening for the
voice of Cod, and ready to accept truth in whatever
guise it may be presented.
Often those who follow
in the steps of the Reformers are forced to turn awa\
from the churches they love, in order to declare the
plain teaching of the word of God.
And many times
those who are seeking for light are by the same
teaching obliged to leave the church of their fathers,
that they may render obedience.
The people of Galilee were despised by the rabbis
of Jerusalem as rude and unlearned, yet they pre
sented a more favorable field for the Saviour’s work
They were more earnest and sincere; less under the
control of bigotry; their minds were more open for
the reception of truth.
In going to Galilee, Jesus
was not seeking seclusion or isolation.
The prov
ince was at this time the home of a crowded popula
tion, with a much larger admixture of people of other
nations than was found in Judea.
As Jesus traveled through Galilee, teaching and
healing, multitudes flocked to Him from the cities
and villages.
Many came even from Judea and the
adjoining provinces.
Often He was obliged to hide
Himself from the people.
The enthusiasm ran so
high that it was necessary to take precautions lest the
Roman authorities should be aroused to fear an in
surrection.
Never before had there been such a
period as this for the world.
Heaven was brought
down to men.
Hungering and thirsting souls that
had waited long for the redemption of Israel now
feasted upon the grace of a merciful Saviour.
The burden of Christ’s preaching was, “The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent
ye, and believe the gospel.”
Thus the gospel mes
sage, as given by the Saviour Himself, was based on
the prophecies.
The “time” which He declared to
be fulfilled was the period made known by the angel
Gabriel to Daniel.
“ Seventy weeks,” said the angel,
“ are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy
city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end
of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and
to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up
the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most
holy.”2
A day in prophecy stands for a year.3
The
seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety days,
represent four hundred and ninety years.
A start
ing-point for this period is given: “ Know therefore
s Dan. 9:24,
3 See Num. 14:34; Eze, 4:6.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.
263
«
and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto
the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and
threescore and two weeks,”4 sixty-nine weeks, or
four hundred and eighty-three years.
The com
mandment to restore and build Jerusalem, as com
pleted by the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus,5
went into effect in the autumn of B. C. 457.
From
this time four hundred and eighty-three years extend
to the autumn of A. D. 27.
According to the
prophecy, this period was to reach to the Messiah,
the Anointed One.
In A. D. 27, Jesus at His bap
tism received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and
soon afterward began His ministry.
Then the mes
sage was proclaimed, “The time is fulfilled.”
Then, said the angel, “ H e shall confirm the cove
nant with many for one week [seven years].”
For
seven years after the Saviour entered on His minis
try, the gospel was to be preached especially to the
Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself,
and afterward by the apostles.
“ In the midst of the
week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease.” 6
In the spring of A. D. 31, Christ the true
sacrifice was offered on Calvary.
Then the veil of
the temple was rent in twain, showing that the
sacredness and significance of the sacrificial service
had departed.
The time had come for the earthly
sacrifice and oblation to cease.
The one week—seven years— ended in A. D. 34.
Then by the stoning of Stephen the Jews finally
sealed their rejection of the gospel; the disciples who
were scattered abroad by persecution “went every
where preaching the word;” 7 and shortly after, Saul
4 Dan. 9:25.
5 See Ezra 6:14; 7:1, margin, 9.
'Dan. 9:27.
7 Acts 8:4.
2&4
THE d e s ir e o f a g e s.
the persecutor was converted, and became Paul, the
apostle to the Gentiles.
The time of Christ’s coming, His anointing by the
Holy Spirit, His death,8 and the giving of the gospel
to the Gentiles, were definitely pointed out.
It was
the privilege of the Jewish people to understand
these prophecies, and to recognize their fulfilment in
the mission of Jesus.
Christ urged upon His dis
ciples the importance of prophetic study.
Referring
to the prophecy given to Daniel in regard to their
time, He said, “ Whoso readeth, let him understand."9
After His resurrection He explained to the disciples
in “ all the prophets” “ the things concerning Him
self.”10
The Saviour had spoken through all the
prophets.
“The Spirit of Christ which was in them”
"testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that should follow.” 11
It was Gabriel, the angel next in rank to the Son
of God, who came with the divine message to Dan
iel.
It was Gabriel, “ His angel,” whom Christ sent
to open the future to the beloved John; and a bless
ing is pronounced on those who read and hear the
words of the prophecy, and keep the things written
therein.12
“ The Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth
His secret unto His servants the prophets.”
While
“the secret things belong unto the Lord our God,”
“those things which are revealed belong unto us and
to our children forever.” 13
God has given these
things to us, and His blessing will attend the rev
erent, prayerful study of the prophetic scriptures.
As the message of Christ's first advent announced
the kingdom of His grace, so the message of His
‘ See Appendix, Note 2.
9 Matt. 24:15.
10 Luke 24:27.
111 Peter 1:11.
13 Rev. 1:3.
13 Amos 3:7; Deut. 29:29.
tH E KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.
265
266
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
second advent announces the kingdom of His glory.
And the second message, like the first, is based on
the prophecies.
The words of the angel to Daniel
relating to the last days were to be understood in the
time of the end.
At that time, “ many shall run to
and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
“The
wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked
shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” 14
The Saviour Himself has given signs of His coming,
and He says, “When ye see these things come to
pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at
hand.”
“ And take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day
come upon you unawares.”
“Watch ye therefore,
and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and
to stand before the Son of man.” 15
We have reached the period foretold in these scrip
tures.
The time of the end is come, the visions of the
prophets are unsealed, and their solemn warnings
point us to our Lord’s coming in glory as near at
hand.
The Jews misinterpreted and misapplied the word
of God, and they knew not the time of their visita
tion.
The years of the ministry of Christ and His
apostles,— the precious last years of grace to the
chosen people,— they spent in plotting the destruc
tion of the Lord’s messengers.
Earthly ambitions
absorbed them, and the offer of the spiritual kingdom
came to them in vain.
So to-day the kingdom of this
world absorbs men’s thoughts, and they take no note
of the rapidly fulfilling prophecies, and the tokens of
the swift-coming kingdom of God.
“ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that
14 Dan. 12:4, 10.
15 Luke 21:31, 34, 39.
day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day; we are
not of the night, nor of darkness.”
While we are
not to know the hour of our Lord’s return, we may
know when it is near.
“Therefore let us not sleep,
as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” 18
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND.
267
w 1 Thess. 5:4-6.
IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER’S
SON?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.
Across the bright days of Christ’s ministry in
Galilee, one shadow lay.
The people of Nazareth
rejected Him.
“ Is not this the carpenter’s son?”
they said.
During His childhood and youth, Jesus had wor
shiped among His brethren in the synagogue at
Nazareth.
Since the opening of His ministry He
had been absent from them, but they had not been
ignorant of what had befallen Him. . As He again
appeared among them, their interest and expectation
were excited to the highest pitch.
Here were the
familiar forms and faces of those whom He had
known from infancy.
Here were His mother, His
brothers and sisters, and all eyes were turned upon
Him as He entered the synagogue upon the Sabbath
day, and took His place among the worshipers.
In the regular service for the day, the elder read
from the prophets, and exhorted the people still to
hope for the Coming One, who would bring in a
glorious
reign, and
banish
all
oppression.
He
sought to encourage his hearers by rehearsing the
evidence that the Messiah’s coming was near.
He
described the glory of His advent, keeping prominent
the thought that He would appear at the head of
armies to deliver Israel.
This chapter is based on Luke 4:16-30.
(268)
When a rabbi was present at the synagogue, he
was expected to deliver the sermon, and any Israelite
might give the reading from the prophets.
Upon
this Sabbath Jesus was requested to take part in the
service.
He “ stood up to read, and there was deliv
ered unto Him a roll of the prophet Isaiah.” 1
The
scripture which He read, was one that was under
stood as referring to the Messiah:—
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the
poor;
He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,
To preach deliverance to the captives,
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
“ And He closed the roll, and gave it back to the
attendant;
.
.
.
and the eyes of all in the syna
gogue were fastened on Him.
.
.
.
And all bare
Him witness, and wondered at the words of grace
which proceeded out of His mouth.”1
Jesus stood before the people as a living expositor
of the prophecies concerning Himself.
Explaining
the words He had read, He spoke of the Messiah as
a reliever of the oppressed, a liberator of captives, a
healer of the afflicted, restoring sight to the blind,
and revealing to the world the light of truth.
His
impressive manner and the wonderful import of His
words thrilled the hearers with a power they had
never felt before.
The tide of divine influence broke
every barrier down; like Moses, they beheld the In
visible.
As their hearts were moved upon by the
Holy Spirit, the}'' responded with fervent amens and
praises to the Lord.
1 R. V., margin.
IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER’ S SON?
269
270
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
But when Jesus announced, “ This day is this
scripture fulfilled in your ears,” they were suddenly
recalled to think of themselves, and of the claims of.
Him who had been addressing them.
They, Israel
ites, children of Abraham, had been represented as
in bondage.
They had been addressed as prisoners
to be delivered from the power of evil; as in darkness,
and needing the light of truth.
Their pride was
offended, and their fears were roused.
The words
of Jesus indicated that His work for them was to be
altogether different from what they desired.
Their
deeds might be investigated too closely.
Notwith
standing their exactness in outward ceremonies, they
shrank from inspection by those clear, searching
eyes. '
Who is this Jesus? they questioned.
He who had
claimed for Himself the glory of the Messiah, was
the son of a carpenter, and had worked at His trade
with His father Joseph.
They had seen Him toiling
up and down the hills, they were acquainted with
His brothers and sisters, and knew His life and
labors.
They had seen Him develop from childhood
to youth, and from youth to manhood.
Although
His life had been spotless, they would not believe
that He was the Promised One.
What a contrast between His teaching in regard
to the new kingdom and that which they had heard
from their elder!
Jesus had said nothing of deliver
ing them from the Romans.
They had heard of His
miracles, and had hoped that His power would be
exercised for their advantage; but they had seen no
indication of such purpose.
As they opened the door to doubt, their hearts be
came so much the harder for having been momen
tarily softened.
Satan was determined that blind
eyes should not that day be opened, nor souls bound
in slavery be set at liberty.
With intense energy he
worked to fasten them in unbelief.
They made no
account of the sign already given, when they had
been stirred by the conviction that it was their Re
deemer who addressed them.
But Jesus now gave them an evidence of His
divinity by revealing their secret thoughts.
“ He
said to them, Doubtless ye will say unto Me this
parable,*Physician, heal thyself; whatsoever we have
heard done at Capernaum, do also here in Thine own
country.
And He said, Verily I say unto you, No
prophet is acceptable in his own country.
But of a
truth I say unto you, There were many widows in
Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was
shut up three years and six months, when there came
a great famine over all the land; and unto none of
them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the
land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of
Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed,
but only Naaman, the Syrian.” 2
By this relation of events in the lives of the
prophets, Jesus met the questionings of His hearers.
The servants whom God had chosen for a special
work, were not allowed to labor for a hard-hearted
and unbelieving people.
But those who had hearts
to feel and faith to believe were especially favored
with evidences of His power through the prophets.
In the days of Elijah, Israel had departed from God.
They clung to their sins, and rejected the warnings
of the Spirit through the Lord’s messengers.
Thus
they cut themselves off from the channel by which
God’s blessing could come to them.
The Lord
passed by the homes of Israel, and found a refuge
for His servant in a heathen land, with a woman who
‘ R. V.
IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER’ S SON?
2 7 1
272
T H E
D E S I R E O F A G E S .
did not belong to the chosen
people.
But this
woman was favored because she had followed the
light she had received, and her heart was open to.
the greater light that God sent her through His
prophet.
It was for the same reason that in Elisha’s time the
lepers of Israel were passed by.
But Naaman, a
heathen nobleman, had been faithful to his convic
tions of right, and had felt his great need of help.
He was in a condition to receive the gifts of God’s
grace.
He was not only cleansed from his leprosy,
but blessed with a knowledge of the true God.
Our standing before God depends, not upon the
amount of light we have received, but upon the use
we make of what we have.
Thus even the heathen
who choose the right as far as they can distinguish
it, are in a more favorable condition than are those
who have had great light, and profess to serve God,
but who disregard the light, and by their daily life
contradict their profession. /
The words of Jesus to His hearers in the syna
gogue struck at the root of their self-righteousness,
pressing home upon them the bitter truth that they
had departed from God, and forfeited their claim to
be His people.
Every word cut like a knife as their
real condition was set before
them.
They now
scorned the faith with which Jesus had at first in
spired them.
They would not admit that He who
had sprung from poverty and lowliness was other
than a common man.
Their unbelief
bred
malice.
Satan controlled
them, and in wrath they cried out against the Sa
viour.
They had turned from Him whose mission
it was to heal and restore; now they manifested the
attributes of the destroyer.
When Jesus referred to the blessings given to the
IS N O T T H IS T H E C A R P E N T E R ’ S S O N ?
2 7 3
Gentiles, the fierce national pride of His hearers was
aroused, and His words were drowned in a tumult
of voices.
These people had prided themselves on
keeping the law; but now that their prejudices were
offended, they were ready to commit murder.
The
assembly broke up, and laying hands upon Jesus,
they thrust Him from the synagogue, and out of the
city.
All seemed eager for His destruction.
They
hurried Him to the brow of a precipice, intending to
cast Him down headlong.
Shouts and maledictions
filled the air.
Some were casting stones at Him,
when suddenly He disappeared from among them.
The heavenly messengers who had been by His side
in the synagogue were with Him in the midst of
that maddened throng.
They shut Him in from His
enemies, and conducted Him to a place of safety.
So angels protected Lot, and led him out safely
from the midst of Sodom.
So they protected Elisha
in the little mountain city.
When the encircling
hills were filled with the horses and chariots of the
king of Syria, and the great host of his armed men,
Elisha beheld the nearer hill-slopes covered with the
armies of God,— horses and chariots of fire round
about the servant of the Lord.
So, in all ages angels have been near to Christ’s
faithful followers.
The vast confederacy of evil is
arrayed against all who would overcome; but Christ
would have us look to the things which are not seen,
to the armies of heaven encamped about all who love
God, to deliver them.
From what dangers, seen and
unseen, we have been preserved through the inter
position of the angels, we shall never know, until
in the light of eternity we see the providences of
God.
Then we shall know that the whole family of
heaven was interested in the family here below, and
that messengers from the throne of God attended our
steps from day to day.
2 7 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
When Jesus in the synagogue read from the
prophecy, He stopped short of the final specification
concerning the Messiah’s work.
Having read the
words, “ To proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord,” He omitted the phrase, “ and the day of ven
geance of our God.” s
This was just as much truth
as was the first of the prophecy, and by His silence
Jesus did not deny the truth.
But this last expres
sion was that upon which His hearers delighted to
dwell, and which they were desirous of fulfilling.
They denounced judgments against the heathen, not
discerning that their own guilt was even greater than
that of others.
They themselves were in deepest
need of the mercy they were so ready to deny to the
heathen.
That day in the synagogue, when Jesus
stood among them, was their opportunity to accept
the call of Heaven.
He who “ delighteth in mercy” 4
would fain have saved them from the ruin which their
sins were inviting.
Not without one more call to repentance could He
give them up.
Toward the close of His ministry in
Galilee, He again visited the home of His childhood.
Since His rejection there, the fame of His preaching
and His miracles had filled the land.
None now
could deny that He possessed more than human
power.
The people of Nazareth knew that He went
about doing good, and healing all that were op
pressed by Satan.
About them were whole villages
where there was not a moan of sickness in any house;
for He had passed through them, and healed all their
sick.
The mercy revealed in every act of His life,
testified to His divine anointing.
Again as they listened to His words the Nazarenes
were moved by the divine Spirit.
But even now they
would not admit that this man, who had been brought
3 Isa. 61:2.
4Micah7:i8.
IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER’ S SON!’
275
up among them, was other or greater than them
selves.
Still there rankled the bitter memory that
while He had claimed for Himself to be the Prom
ised One, tie had really denied them a place with
Israel; for He had shown them to be less worthy of
God’s favor than a heathen man and woman.
Hence
though they questioned, “Whence hath this man this
wisdom, and these mighty works?” they would not
receive Him as the Christ of God.
Because of their
unbelief, the Saviour could not work many miracles
among them.
Only a few hearts were open to His
blessing, and reluctantly He departed, never to return.
Unbelief, having once been cherished, continued
to control the men of Nazareth.
So it controlled the
Sanhedrim and the nation.
With priests and people,
the first rejection of the demonstration of the Holy
Spirit’s power was the beginning of the end.
In
order to prove that their first resistance was right,
they continued ever after to cavil at the words of
Christ.
Their rejection of the Spirit culminated in
the cross of Calvary, in the destruction of their city,
in the scattering of the nation to the winds of heaven.
O, how Christ longed to open to Israel the precious
treasures of the truth!
But such was their spiritual
blindness that it was impossible to reveal to them the
truths relating to His kingdom.
They clung to their
creed and their useless ceremonies, when the truth
of Heaven awaited their acceptance.
They spent
their money for chaff and husks, when the bread of
life was within their reach.
Why did they not go
to the word of God, and search diligently to know
whether they were in error? The Old Testament
Scriptures stated plainly every detail of Christ’s min
istry, and again and again He quoted from the
prophets, and declared, “ To-day is this scripture ful
filled in your ears.”
If they had honestly searched
276
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
the Scriptures, bringing their theories to the test of
God’s word, Jesus need not have wept over their
impenitence.
He need not have declared, “ Behold,
your house is left unto you desolate.” 5
They might
have been acquainted with the evidence of His Mes-
siahship, and the calamity that laid their proud city
in ruins might have been averted.
But the minds of
the Jews had become narrowed by their unreasoning
bigotry.
The lessons of Christ revealed their de-
ficiences of character, and demanded repentance.
If
they accepted His teachings, their practises must be
changed, and their cherished
hopes
relinquished.
In order to be honored by Heaven, they must sacri
fice the honor of men.
If they obeyed the words of
this new rabbi, they must go contrary to the opinions
of the great thinkers and teachers of the time.
Truth was unpopular in Christ’s day.
It is unpopu
lar in our day.
It has been unpopular ever since Satan
first gave man a disrelish for it by presenting fables
that lead to self-exaltation.
Do we not to-day meet
theories and doctrines that have no foundation in the
word of God?
Men cling as tenaciously to them as
did the Jews to their traditions.
The Jewish leaders were filled with spiritual pride.
Their desire for the glorification of self manifested
itself even in the service of the sanctuary.
They
loved the highest seats in the synagogue.
They
loved greetings in the market-places, and were grati
fied with the sound of their titles on the lips of men.
As real piety declined, they became more jealous for
their traditions and ceremonies.
Because their understanding was darkened by
selfish prejudice, they could not harmonize the power
of Christ’s convicting words with the humility of His
life.
They did not appreciate the fact that real great
ness can dispense with outward show.
This man’s
5 Luke 13:35.
IS NOT THIS THE CARPENTER'S SON!'
277
poverty seemed wholly inconsistent with His claim
to be the Messiah.
They questioned, If He was what
He claimed to be, why was He so unpretending?
If
He was satisfied to be without the force of arms,
what would become of their nation?
How could the
power and glory so long anticipated, bring the na
tions as subjects to the city of the Jews?
Had not
the priests taught that Israel was to bear rule over all
the earth? and could it be possible that the great re
ligious teachers were in error?
But it was not simply the absence of outward glory
in His life that led the Jews to reject Jesus.
He was
the embodiment of purity, and they were impure.
He dwelt among men an example of spotless integ
rity.
His blameless life flashed light upon their
hearts.
His sincerity revealed their insincerity.
It
made manifest the hollowness of their pretentious
piety, and discovered iniquity to them in its odious
character.
Such a light was unwelcome.
If Christ had called attention to the Pharisees, and
had extolled their learning and piety, they would
have hailed Him with joy.
But when He spoke of
the kingdom of heaven as a dispensation of mercy
for all mankind, He was presenting a phase of re
ligion they would not tolerate.
Their own example
and teaching had never been such as to make the
service of God seem desirable.
When
they saw
Jesus giving attention to the very ones they hated
and repulsed, it stirred up the worst passions of their
proud hearts.
Notwithstanding their boast that un
der the “ Lion of the tribe of Judah,” '1 Israel should
be exalted to pre-eminence over all nations, they
could have borne the disappointment of their am
bitious hopes better than they could bear Christ’s
reproof of their sins, and the reproach they felt even
from the presence of His purity.
6 Rev. 5:5.
THE CALL BY THE SEA.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.
Day was breaking over the Sea of Galilee.
The
disciples, weary with a night of fruitless toil, were
still in their fishing boats on the lake.
Jesus had
come to spend a quiet hour by the water side.
In
the early morning He hoped for a little season of rest
from the multitude that followed Him day after day.
But soon the people began to gather about Him.
Their numbers rapidly increased, so that He was
pressed upon all sides.
Meanwhile the disciples had
come to land.
In order to escape the pressure of the
multitude, Jesus stepped into Peter’s boat, and bade
him pull out a little from the shore.
Here Jesus
could be bettter seen and heard by all, and from the
boat He taught the multitude on the beach.
What a scene was this for angels to contemplate;—
their glorious Commander, sitting in a fisherman’s
boat, swayed to and fro by the restless waves, and
proclaiming the good news of salvation to the listen
ing throng that were pressing down to the water’s
edge!
He who was the Honored of heaven was de
claring the great things of His kingdom in the open
air, to the common people.
Yet He could have had
no more fitting scene for His labors.
The lake, the
mountains, the spreading fields, the sunlight flood
ing the earth, all furnished objects to illustrate His
This chapter is based on Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20;
Luke 5:1-11.
( 2 7 8 )
THE CALL BY THE SEA.
279
lessons and impress them upon the mind.
And no
lesson of Christ's fell fruitless.
Every message from
His lips came to some soul as the word of eternal
life.
Every moment added to the multitude upon the
shore.
Aged men leaning upon their staffs, hardy
peasants from the hills, fishermen from their toil on
the lake, merchants and rabbis, the rich and learned,
old and young, bringing their sick and suffering
ones, pressed to hear the words of the divine Teacher.
T o such scenes as this the prophets had looked for
ward, and they wrote,—
“ The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
Toward the sea, beyond Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
The people which sat in darkness
Saw a great light,
And to them which sat in the region and shadow of death,
To them did light spring up.”1
Besides the throng on the shores of Gennesaret,
Jesus in His sermon by the sea had other audiences
before His mind.
Looking down the ages, He saw
His faithful ones in prison and judgment hall, in
temptation
and
loneliness
and affliction.
Every
scene of joy and conflict and perplexity was open be
fore Him.
In the words spoken to those gathered
about Him, He was speaking also to these other
souls, the very words that would come to them as a
message of hope in trial, of comfort in sorrow, and
heavenly light in darkness.
Through
the
Holy
Spirit, that voice which was speaking from the fisher
man’s boat on the Sea of Galilee, would be heard
speaking peace to human hearts to the close of time.
The discourse ended, Jesus turned to Peter, and
JR. V.
28 o
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
bade him launch out into the sea, and let down his
net for a draught
But Peter was disheartened.
All
night he had taken nothing.
During the lonely
hours he had thought of the fate of John the Baptist,
who was languishing alone in his dungeon.
He had
thought of the prospect before Jesus and His follow
ers, of the ill success of the mission to Judea, and the
malice of the priests and rabbis.
Even his own oc
cupation had failed him; and as he watched by the
empty nets, the future had seemed dark with dis
couragement.
“Master,” he said, “ we have toiled
all the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless
at Thy word I will let down the net.”
Night was the only favorable time for fishing with
nets in the clear waters of the lake.
After toiling all
night without success, it seemed hopeless to cast the
net by day; but Jesus had given the command, and
love for their Master moved the disciples to obey.
Simon and his brother together let down the net.
As
they attempted to draw it in, so great was the quan
tity of fish inclosed that it began to break.
They
were obliged to summon James and John to their
aid.
When the catch was secured, both the boats
were so heavily laden that they were in danger of
sinking.
But Peter was unmindful now of boats or lading.
This miracle, above any other he had ever witnessed,
was to him a manifestation of divine power.
In
Jesus he saw One who held all nature under His con
trol.
The presence of divinity revealed his own un
holiness.
Love for his Master, shame for his own
unbelief, gratitude for the condescension of Christ,
above all, the sense of his uncleanness in the pres
ence of infinite purity, overwhelmed him.
While
his companions were securing the contents of the
net, Peter fell at the Saviour’s feet, exclaiming, “ De
part from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
It was the same presence of divine holiness that
had caused the prophet Daniel to fall as one dead be
fore the angel of God.
He said, “ My comeliness
was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no
strength.”
So when Isaiah beheld the glory of the
Lord, he exclaimed, “ W oe is me! for I am undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in
the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes
have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.”2
Human
ity, with its weakness and sin, was brought in con
trast with the perfection of divinity, and he felt
altogether deficient and unholy.
Thus it has been
with all who have been granted a view of God’s great
ness and majesty.
Peter exclaimed, “ Depart from me; for I am a
sinful man;” yet he clung to the feet of Jesus, feeling
that he could not be parted from Him.
The Sa
viour answered, “ Fear not; from henceforth thou
shalt catch men.”
It was after Isaiah had beheld the
holiness of God and his own unworthiness, that he
was intrusted with the divine message.
It was after
Peter had been led to self-renunciation and depend
ence upon divine power, that he received the call to
his work for Christ.
Until this time none of the disciples had fully
united as co-laborers with Jesus.
They had wit
nessed many of His miracles, and had listened to
His teaching; but they had not entirely forsaken their
former employment.
The imprisonment of John the
Baptist had been to them all a bitter disappointment.
If such were to be the outcome of John’s mission, they
could have little hope for their Master, with all the
religious leaders combined against
Him.
Under
the circumstances it was a relief to them to return
for a short time to their fishing.
But now Jesus
2 Dan. io:8; Isa. 6:5.
THE CALL BY THE SEA.
281
282
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
called them to forsake their former life, and unite
their interests with His.
Peter had accepted the
call.
Upon reaching the shore, Jesus bade the three
other disciples, “ Follow Me, and I will make you
fishers of men.”
Immediately they left all, and fol
lowed Him.
Before asking them to leave their nets and fishing
boats, Jesus had given them the assurance that God
would supply their needs.
The use of Peter’s boat
for the work of the gospel had been richly repaid.
He who is “rich unto all that call upon Him,” has
said, “ Give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and run
ning over.” 3
In this measure He had rewarded the
disciple’s service.
And every sacrifice that is made
in His ministry will be recompensed according to
“the exceeding riches of His grace.” 4
During that sad night on the lake, when they were
separated from Christ, the disciples were pressed
hard by unbelief, and weary with fruitless toil.
But
Plis presence kindled their faith, and brought them
joy and success.
So it is with us; apart from Christ,
our work is fruitless, and it is easy to distrust and
murmur.
But when He is near, and we labor under
His direction, we rejoice in the evidence of His
power.
It is Satan’s work to discourage the soul;
it is Christ’s work to inspire with faith and hope.
The deeper lesson which the miracle conveyed for
the disciples, is a lesson for us also,—that He whose
word could gather the fishes from the sea, could also
impress human hearts, and draw them by the cords
of His love, so that His servants might become
“ fishers of men.”
They were humble and unlearned
men, those
fishers of Galilee; but Christ, the light of the world,
3 Rom. 10:12; Luke 6:38.
1 Eph. 3:20; 27.
THE CALL BY THE SEA.
283
was abundantly able to qualify them for the position
for which He had chosen them.
The Saviour did
not despise education; for when controlled by the
love of God, and devoted to His service, intellectual
culture is a blessing.
But He passed by the wise
men of His time, because they were so self-confident
that they could not sympathize with suffering hu
manity, and become co-laborers with the Man of
Nazareth.
In their bigotry they scorned to be
taught by Christ.
The Lord Jesus seeks the co
operation of those who will become unobstructed
channels for the communication of His grace.
The
first thing to be learned by all who would become
workers together with God, is the lesson of self
distrust; then they are prepared to have imparted to
them the character of Christ.
This is not to be
gained through education in the most scientific
schools.
It is the fruit of wisdom that is obtained
from the divine Teacher alone.
Jesus chose unlearned fishermen because they had
not been schooled in the traditions and erroneous
customs of their time.
They were men of native
ability, and they were humble and teachable,— men
whom He could educate for His work.
In the com
mon walks of life there is many a man patiently
treading the round of daily toil, unconscious that he
possesses powers which, if called into action, would
raise him to an equality with the world’s most hon
ored men.
The touch of a skilful hand is needed to
arouse those dormant faculties.
It was such men
that Jesus called to be His co-laborers; and He gave
them the advantage of association with Himself.
Never had the world’s great men such a teacher.
When the disciples came forth from the Saviour’s
training, they were no longer ignorant and uncul
tured.
They had become like Him in mind and
2 84
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
character, and men took knowledge of them that they
had been with Jesus.
It is not the highest work of education to com
municate knowledge merely, but to impart that vital
izing energy which is received through the contact
of mind with mind, and soul with soul.
It is only
life that can beget life.
What privilege, then, was
theirs who for three years were in daily contact with
that divine life from which has flowed every life-
giving impulse that has blessed the world.
Above
all
his companions, John the
beloved
disciple
yielded himself to the power of that wondrous life.
He says, “The life was manifested, and we have seen
it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal
life, which was with the Father, and was manifested
unto us.”
“ Of His fulness have all we received, and
grace for grace.” 5
In the apostles of our Lord there was nothing to
bring glory to themselves.
It was evident that the
success of their labors was due only to God.
The
lives of these men, the characters they developed,
and the mighty work that God wrought through
them, are a testimony to what He will do for all
who are teachable and obedient.
He who loves Christ the most, will do the greatest
amount of good.
There is no limit to the usefulness
of one who, by putting self aside, makes room for the
working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart, and lives
a life wholly consecrated to God.
If men will en
dure the necessary discipline, without complaining,
or fainting by the way, God will teach them hour by
hour, and day by day.
He longs to reveal His
grace.
If His people will remove the obstructions,
He will pour
forth the waters of salvation in
abundant streams through the human channels.
If
51 John 1:2; John 1:16.
THE CALL BY THE SEA.
285
men in humble life were encouraged to do all the
good they could do, if restraining hands were not
laid upon them to repress their zeal, there would be
a hundred workers for Christ where now there is one.
God takes men as they are, and educates them for
His service, if they will yield themselves to Him.
The Spirit of God, received into the soul, will
quicken all its faculties.
Under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, the mind that is devoted unreservedly
to God, develops harmoniously, and is strengthened
to comprehend and fulfil the requirements of God.
The weak, vacillating character becomes changed to
one of strength and steadfastness.
Continual devo
tion establishes so close a relation between Jesus and
His disciple that the Christian becomes like Him in
mind and character.
Through a connection with
Christ he will have clearer and broader views.
His
discernment will be more penetrative, his judgment
better balanced.
He who longs to be of service to
Christ is so quickened by the life-giving power of
the Sun of Righteousness, that he is enabled to bear
much fruit to the glory of God.
Men of the highest education in the arts and sci
ences have learned precious lessons from Christians
in humble life who were designated by the world as
unlearned.
But these obscure disciples had obtained
an education in the highest of all schools.
They had
sat at the feet of Him who spoke as “never man
spake.”
AT CAPERNAUM.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.
At Capernaum Jesus dwelt in the intervals of His
journeys to and fro, and it came to be known as “ His
own city.”
It was on the shores of the Sea of Gal
ilee, and near the borders of the beautiful plain of
Gennesaret, if not actually upon it.
The deep depression of the lake gives to the plain
that skirts its shores the genial climate of the south.
Here in the days of Christ flourished the palm-tree
and the olive, here were orchards and vineyards,
green fields, and brightly blooming flowers in rich
luxuriance, all watered by living streams bursting
from the cliffs.
The shores of the lake, and the hills
that at a little distance encircle it, were dotted with
towns and villages.
The lake was covered with fish
ing boats.
Everywhere was the stir of busy, active
life.
Capernaum itself was well adapted to be the cen
ter of the Saviour’s work.
Being on the highway
from Damascus to Jerusalem and Egypt, and to the
Mediterranean Sea, it was a great thoroughfare of
travel.
People from many lands passed through the
city, or tarried for rest in their journeyings to and
fro.
Here Jesus could meet all nations and all ranks,
the rich and great as well as the poor and lowly, and
His lessons would be carried to other countries and
into many households.
Investigation of the proph
ecies would thus be excited, attention would be di-
(286)
AT CAPERNAUM.
rected to the Saviour, and His mission would be
brought before the world.
Notwithstanding
the action of
the Sanhedrim
against Jesus, the people eagerly awaited the develop
ment of His mission.
All heaven was astir with
interest.
Angels were preparing the way for His
ministry, moving upon men’s hearts, and drawing
them to the Saviour.
In Capernaum the nobleman’s son whom Christ
had healed, was a witness to His power.
And the
court official and his household joyfully testified to
their faith.
When it was known that the Teacher
Himself
was among
them, the whole city was
aroused.
Multitudes flocked to His presence.
On
the Sabbath the people crowded the synagogue until
great numbers had to turn away, unable to find
entrance.
All who heard the Saviour “were astonished at
His doctrine; for His word was with power.”
“ He
taught them as one having authority, and not as the
scribes.”1
The teaching of the scribes and elders
was cold and formal, like a lesson learned by rote.
T o them the word of God possessed no vital power.
Their own ideas and traditions were substituted for
its teaching.
In the accustomed round of service
they professed to explain the law, but no inspiration
from God stirred their own hearts or the hearts of
their hearers.
Jesus had nothing to do with the various subjects
of dissension among the Jews.
It was His work to
present the truth.
His words shed a flood of light
upon the teachings of patriarchs and prophets, and
the Scriptures came to men as a new revelation.
Never before had His hearers perceived such a depth
of meaning in the word of God.
1 Luke 4:32; Matt. 7:29.
287
288
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Jesus met the people on their own ground, as one
who was acquainted with their perplexities.
He
made truth beautiful by presenting it in the most di
rect and simple way.
His language was pure, re
fined, and clear as a running stream.
His voice was
as music to those who had listened to the monotonous
tones of the rabbis.
But while His teaching was
simple, He spoke as one having authority.
This
characteristic set His teaching in contrast with that
of all others.
The rabbis spoke with doubt and hesi
tancy, as if the Scriptures might be interpreted to
mean one thing or exactly the opposite.
The hear
ers were daily involved in greater uncertainty.
But
Jesus taught the Scriptures as of unquestionable
authority.
Whatever His subject, it was presented
with power, as if His words could not be controverted.
Yet He was earnest, rather than vehement.
He
spoke as one who had a definite purpose to fulfil.
He was bringing to view the realities of the eternal
world.
In every theme, God was revealed.
Jesus
sought to break the spell of infatuation which keeps
men absorbed in earthly things.
He placed the
things of this life in their true relation, as subordinate
to those of eternal interest; but He did not ignore
their importance.
He taught that heaven and earth
are linked together, and that a knowledge of divine
truth prepares men better to perform the duties of
every-day life.
He spoke as one familiar
with
heaven, conscious of His relationship to God, yet
recognizing His unity with every member of the
human family.
His messages of mercy were varied to suit His
audience.
He knew “ how to speak a word in season
to him that is weary;’’2 for grace was poured upon
His lips, that He might convey to men in the most
*Isa. 50:4.
A T C A P E R N A U M .
289
attractive way the treasures of truth.
He had tact
to meet the prejudiced minds, and surprise them with
illustrations that won their attention.
Through the
imagination He reached the heart.
His illustrations
were taken from the things of daily life, and although
they were simple, they had in them a wonderful
depth of meaning.
The birds of the air, the lilies of
the field, the seed, the shepherd and the sheep,—with
these objects Christ illustrated immortal truth; and
ever afterward when His hearers chanced to see these
things of nature, they recalled His words.
Christ’s
illustrations constantly repeated His lessons.
Christ never flattered men.
He never spoke that
which would exalt their fancies and imaginations, nor
did He praise them for their clever inventions; but
deep, unprejudiced thinkers received His teaching,
and found that it tested their wisdom.
They mar
veled at the spiritual truth expressed in the simplest
language.
The most highly educated were charmed
with His words, and the uneducated were always
profited.
He had a message for the illiterate; and
He made even the heathen to understand that He had
a message for them.
His tender compassion fell with a touch of healing
upon weary and troubled hearts.
Even amid the
turbulence of angry enemies He was surrounded with
an atmosphere of peace.
The beauty of His counte
nance, the loveliness of His character, above all, the
love expressed in look and tone, drew to Him ail
who were not hardened in unbelief.
Had it not
been for the sweet, sympathetic spirit that shone out
in every look and word, He would not have attracted
the large congregations that He did.
The afflicted
ones who came to Him, felt that He linked His in
terest with theirs as a faithful and tender friend, and
they desired to know more of the truths He taught.
19
290
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Heaven was brought near.
They longed to abide in
His presence, that the comfort of His love might be
with them continually.
Jesus watched with deep earnestness the chang
ing countenances of His hearers.
The faces that
expressed interest and pleasure, gave Him great
satisfaction.
As the arrows of truth pierced to the
soul, breaking through the barriers of selfishness,
and working contrition, and finally gratitude, the Sa
viour was made glad.
When His eye swept over
the throng of listeners, and He recognized among
them the faces He had before seen, His countenance
lighted up with joy.
He saw in them hopeful sub
jects for His kingdom.
When the truth, plainly
spoken, touched some cherished idol, He marked the
change of countenance, the cold, forbidding look,
which told that the light was unwelcome.
When He
saw men refuse the message of peace, His heart was
pierced to the very depths.
Jesus in the synagogue spoke of the kingdom He
had come to establish, and of His mission to set free
the captives of Satan.
He was interrupted by a
shriek of terror.
A madman rushed forward from
among the people, crying out, “ Let us alone; what
have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth?
art Thou come to destroy us?
I know Thee who
Thou art, the Holy One of God.”
All was now confusion and alarm.
The attention
of the people was diverted from Christ, and His
words were unheeded.
This was Satan’s purpose in
leading his victim to the synagogue.
But Jesus re
buked the demon, saying, “ Hold thy peace, and come
out of him.
And when the devil had thrown him in
the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.”
The mind of this wretched sufferer had been
darkened by Satan, but in the Saviour’s presence a
AT CAPERNAUM.
291
ray of light had pierced the gloom.
He was roused
to long for freedom from Satan’s control; but the
demon resisted the power of Christ.
When the man
tried to appeal to Jesus for help, the evil spirit put
words into his mouth, and he cried out in an agony
of fear.
The demoniac partially comprehended that
he was in the presence of One who could set him
free; but when he tried to come within reach of that
mighty hand, another’s will held him; another’s '
words found utterance through him.
The conflict
between the power of Satan and his own desire for
freedom was terrible.
He who had conquered Satan in the wilderness of
temptation was again brought face to face with His
enemy.
The demon exerted all his power to retain
control of his victim.
To lose ground here, would
be to give Jesus a victory.
It seemed that the tor
tured man must lose his life in the struggle with the
foe that had been the ruin of his manhood.
But the
Saviour spoke with authority, and set the captive
free.
The man who had been possessed stood be
fore the wondering people happy in the freedom of
self-possession.
Even the demon had testified to
the divine power of the Saviour.
The man praised God for his deliverance.
The
eye that had so lately glared with the fire of insanity,
now beamed with intelligence, and overflowed with
grateful tears.
The people were dumb with amaze
ment.
As soon as they recovered speech they ex
claimed, one to another, “ What is this?
A new
teaching! with authority He commandeth even the
unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”3
The secret cause of the affliction that had made
this man a fearful spectacle to his friends and a bur
den to himself, was in his own life.
He had been
a R. V.
292
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
fascinated by the pleasures of sin, and had thought
to make life a grand carnival.
He did not dream of
becoming a terror to the world and the reproach of
his family.
He thought his time could be spent in
innocent folly.
But once in the downward path, his
feet rapidly descended.
Intemperance and frivolity
perverted the noble attributes of his nature, and Satan
took absolute control of him.
Remorse came too late.
When he would have
sacrificed wealth and pleasure to regain his lost man
hood, he had become helpless in the grasp of the evil
one.
He had placed himself on the enemy’s ground,
and Satan had taken possession of all his faculties.
The tempter had allured him with many charming
presentations; but when once the Wretched man was
in his power, the fiend became relentless in his
cruelty, and terrible in his angry visitations.
So it
will be with all who yield to evil; the fascinating
pleasure of their early career ends in the darkness of
despair or the madness of a ruined soul.
The same evil spirit that tempted Christ in the wil
derness, and that possessed the maniac of Capernaum,
controlled the unbelieving Jews.
But with them he
assumed an air of piety, seeking to deceive them as
to their motives in rejecting the Saviour.
Their con
dition was more hopeless than that of the demoniac;
for they felt no need of Christ, and were therefore
held fast under the power of Satan.
The period of Christ’s personal ministry among
men was the time of greatest activity for the forces of
the kingdom of darkness.
For ages Satan with his
evil angels had been seeking to control the bodies
and the souls of men, to bring upon them sin and
suffering; then he had charged all this misery upon
God.
Jesus was revealing to men the character of
God.
He was breaking Satan’s power, and setting
AT CAPERNAUM.
293
his captives free.
New life and love and power from
heaven were moving upon the hearts of men, and the
prince of evil was aroused to contend for the su
premacy of his kingdom.
Satan summoned all his
forces, and at every step contested the work of Christ.
So it will be in the great final conflict of the con
troversy between righteousness and sin.
While new
life and light and power are descending from on high
upon the disciples of Christ, a new life is springing
up from beneath, and energizing the agencies of
Satan.
Intensity is taking
possession of
every
earthly element.
With a subtlety gained through
centuries of conflict, the prince of evil works under
a disguise.
He appears clothed as an angel of light,
and multitudes are “giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils.” 4
In the days of Christ the leaders and teachers of
Israel were powerless to resist the work of Satan.
They were neglecting the only means by which they
could have withstood evil spirits.
It was by the
word of God that Christ overcame the wicked one.
The leaders of Israel professed to be the expositors
of God’s word, but they had studied it only to sus
tain their traditions, and enforce their man-made
observances.
By their interpretation they made it
express sentiments that God had never given.
Their
mystical construction
made indistinct that which
He had made plain.
They disputed over insignifi
cant technicalities, and practically denied the most
essential truths.
Thus infidelity was sown broadcast.
God’s word was robbed of its power, and evil spirits
worked their will.
History is repeating.
With the open Bible before
them, and professing to reverence its teachings, many
of the religious leaders of our time are destroying
‘ i Tim. 4:1.
2 9 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
faith in it as the word of God.
They busy them
selves with dissecting the word, and set their own
opinions above its plainest statements.
In their
hands God’s word loses its regenerating power
This is why infidelity runs riot, and iniquity is rife.
When Satan has undermined faith in the Bible, he
directs men to other sources for light and power.
Thus he insinuates himself.
Those who turn from
the plain teaching of Scripture and the convicting
power of God’s Holy Spirit, are inviting the control
of demons.
Criticism and speculation concerning
the Scriptures have opened the way for Spiritualism
and Theosophy—those modernized forms of ancient
heathenism—to gain a foothold even in the professed
churches of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Side by side with the preaching of the gospel,
agencies are at work w’hich are but the medium of
lying spirits.
Many a man tampers with these
merely from curiosity, but seeing evidence of the
working of a more than human power, he is lured
on and on, until he is controlled by a will stronger
than his own.
He cannot escape from its myste
rious power.
The defenses of the soul are broken down.
He
has no barrier against sin.
When once the restraints
of God’s word and His Spirit are rejected, no man
knows to what depths of degradation he may sink.
Secret sin or master passion may hold him a captive
as helpless as was the demoniac of Capernaum.
Yet
his condition is not hopeless.
The means by which we can overcome the wicked
one is that by which Christ overcame,— the power of
the wo/d.
God does not control our minds without
our consent; but if we desire to know and to do His
will, His promises are ours: “ Ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free.”
“ If any man
AT CAPERNAUM.
2 9 5
willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teach
ing.” 5
Through faith in these promises, every man
may be delivered from the snares of error and the
control of sin.
Every man is free to choose what power he will
have to rule over him.
None have fallen so low,
none are so vile, but that they can find deliverance in
Christ.
The demoniac, in place of prayer, could
utter only the words of Satan; yet the heart’s un
spoken appeal was heard.
No cry from a soul in
need, though it fail of utterance in words, will be un
heeded.
Those who will consent to enter into cove
nant relation with the God of heaven are not left to
the power of Satan or to the infirmity of their own
nature.
They are invited by the Saviour, “ Let him
take
hold of
My strength, that
he
may make
peace with Me; and he shall make peace with
Me.” 0
The
spirits
of
darkness
will
battle
for
the soul once under their dominion, but angels of
God will contend for that soul with prevailing power.
The Lord says, “ Shall the prey be taken from the
mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
.
.
.
Thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty
shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall
be delivered; for I will contend with him that con-
tendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” 7
While the congregation in the synagogue were still
spellbound with awe, Jesus withdrew to the home of
Peter for a little rest.
But here also a shadow had
fallen.
The mother of Peter’s wife lay sick, stricken
with a “ great fever.”
Jesus rebuked the disease, and
the sufferer arose, and ministered to t*he wants of the
Master and His disciples.
Tidings of the work of Christ spread
rapidly
throughout Capernaum.
For fear of the rabbis, the
5 John 8:32; 7:17, R. V.
6 Isa. 27:3.
7 Isa. 49:24, 25.
2g6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
people dared not come for healing upon the Sabbath;
but no sooner had the sun disappeared below the
horizon than there was a great commotion.
From
the homes, the shops, the market-places, the inhab
itants of the city pressed toward the humble dwelling
that sheltered Jesus.
The sick were brought upon
couches, they came leaning upon staffs, or, supported
by friends, they tottered feebly into the Saviour’s
presence.
Hour after hour they came and went; for none
could know whether to-morrow would
find the
Healer still among them.
Never before had Caper
naum witnessed a day like this.
The air was filled
with the voice of triumph and shouts of deliverance.
The Saviour was joyful in the joy He had awakened.
As He witnessed the sufferings of those who had
come to Him, His heart was stirred with sympathy,
and He rejoiced in His power to restore them to
health and happiness.
Not until the last sufferer had been relieved, did
Jesus cease His work.
It was far into the night
when the multitude departed, and silence settled
down upon the home of Simon.
The long, exciting
day was past, and Jesus sought rest.
But while the
city was still wrapped in slumber, the Saviour, “ris
ing up a great while before day, went out, and de
parted into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Thus were spent the days in the earthly life of
Jesus.
He often dismissed His disciples to visit
their homes and rest; but Fie gently resisted their
efforts to draw Him away from His labors.
All
day He toiled, teaching the ignorant, healing the
sick, giving sight to the blind, feeding the multitude;
and at the eventide or in the early morning, He went
away to the sanctuary of the mountains for commun
ion with His Father.
Often He passed the entire
AT CAPERNAUM.
297
night in prayer and meditation, returning at day
break to His work among the people.
Early in the morning, Peter and his companions
came to Jesus, saying that already the people of
Capernaum were seeking Him.
The disciples had
been bitterly disappointed at the reception which
Christ had met hitherto.
The authorities at Jerusa
lem were seeking to murder Him; even His own
townsmen had tried to take His life; but at Caper
naum He was welcomed with joyful enthusiasm, and
the hopes of the disciples kindled anew.
It might be
that among the liberty-loving Galileans were to be
found the supporters of the new kingdom.
But
with surprise they heard Christ’s words, “ I must
preach the kingdom of God to other cities also; for
therefore am I sent.”
In the excitement which then pervaded Caper
naum, there was danger that the object of His mis
sion would be lost sight of.
Jesus was not satisfied
to attract attention to Himself merely as a wonder
worker or a healer of physical diseases.
He was
seeking to draw men to Him as their Saviour.
While
the people were eager to believe that He had come
as a king, to establish an earthly reign, He desired
to turn their minds away from the earthly to the
spiritual.
Mere worldly success would
interfere
with His work.
And the wonder of the careless crowd jarred upon
His spirit
In His life no self-assertion mingled.
The homage which the world gives to position, or
wealth, or talent, was foreign to the Son of man.
None of the means that men employ to win allegiance
or command homage did Jesus use.
Centuries be
fore His birth, it had been prophesied of Him, “ He
shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be
heard in the street.
A bruised reed shall He not
298
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
break, and the dimly burning8 flax shall He not
quench; He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have
set judgment in the earth.”6
The Pharisees sought distinction by their scrupu
lous ceremonialism, and the ostentation of their wor
ship and charities.
They proved their zeal for re
ligion by making it the theme of discussion.
Dis
putes between opposing sects were loud and long,
and it was not unusual to hear on the streets the
voice of angry controversy from learned doctors of
the law.
In marked contrast to all this was the life of Jesus.
In that life no noisy disputation, no ostentatious wor
ship, no act to gain applause, was ever witnessed.
Christ was hid in God, and God was revealed in the
character of His Son.
To this revelation Jesus de
sired the minds of the people to be directed, and
their homage to be given.
The Sun of Righteousness did not burst upon the
world in splendor, to dazzle the senses with His
glory.
It is written of Christ, “ His going forth is
prepared as the morning.” 10
Quietly and gently
the daylight breaks upon the earth, dispelling the
shadow of darkness, and waking the world to life.
So did the Sun of Righteousness arise, “with healing
in His wings.” 11
•Margin.
»Isa. 42:2-4.
l0Hosea 6:3.
uMai. 4:2.
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.
Of all diseases known in the East the leprosy was
most dreaded.
Its incurable and contagious char
acter, and its horrible effect upon its victims, filled
the bravest with fear.
Among the Jews it was re
garded as a judgment on account of sin, and hence
was called, “The stroke,” “ the finger of God.”
Deep-
rooted, ineradicable, deadly, it was looked upon as a
symbol of sin.
By the ritual law, the leper was pro
nounced unclean.
Like one already dead, he was
shut out from the habitations of men.
Whatever he
touched was unclean.
The air was polluted by his
breath.
One who was suspected of having the
disease must present himself to the priests, who were
to examine and decide his case.
If pronounced a
leper, im was isolated from his family, cut off from the
congregation of Israel, and was doomed to associate
with those only who were similarly afflicted.
The
law was inflexible in its requirement.
Even kings
and rulers were not exempt.
A monarch who was
attacked by this terrible disease must yield up the
scepter, and flee from society.
Away from his friends and his kindred, the leper
must bear the curse of his malady.
He was obliged
to publish his own calamity, to rend his garments,
and sound the alarm, warning all to flee from his
This chapter is based on Matt. 8:2-4; 9:1-8, 32-34;
Mark 1:40-45; 2:1-12; Luke 5:12-28.
( 2og)
\
THE DESIRE OF AGES,
contaminating presence.
The cry, “ Unclean! un
clean!” coming in mournful tones from the lonely
exile, was a signal heard with fear and abhorrence.
In the region of Christ’s ministry, there were many
of these sufferers, and the news of His work reached
them, kindling a gleam of hope.
But since the days
of Elisha the prophet, such a thing had never been
known as the cleansing of one upon whom this
disease had fastened.
They dared not expect Jesus
to do for them what He had never done for any man.
There was one, however, in whose heart faith began
to spring up.
Yet the man knew not how to reach
Jesus.
Debarred as he was from contact with his
fellow-men, how could he present himself to the
Healer?
And he questioned if Christ would heal
him.
Would He stoop to notice one believed to be
suffering under the judgment of God?
Would He
not, like the Pharisees, and even the physicians, pro
nounce a curse upon him, and warn him to flee from
the haunts of men?
He thought of all that had been
told him of Jesus.
Not one who had sought His
help had been turned away.
The wretched man de
termined to find the Saviour.
Though shut out
from the cities, it might be that he could cross His
path in some byway along the mountain roads, or
find Him as He was teaching outside the towns.
The difficulties were great, but this was his only hope.
The leper is guided to the Saviour.
Jesus is
teaching beside the lake, and the people are gathered
about Him.
Standing afar off, the leper catches a
few words from the Saviour’s lips.
He sees Him
laying His hands upon the sick.
He sees the lame,
the blind, the paralytic, -and those dying of various
maladies, rise up in health, praising God for their
deliverance.
Faith strengthens in his heart.
He
draws nearer and yet nearer to the gathered throng.
300
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
301
The restrictions laid upon him, the safety of the peo
ple, and the fear with which all men regard him, are
forgotten.
He thinks only of the blessed hope of
healing.
He is a loathsome spectacle.
The disease has
made frightful inroads, and his decaying body is
horrible to look upon.
At sight of him the people
fall back in terror.
They crowd upon one another
in their eagerness to escape from contact with him.
Some try to prevent him from approaching Jesus, but
in vain.
He neither sees nor hears them.
Their
expressions of loathing are lost upon him.
He sees
only the Son of God.
He hears only the voice that
speaks life to the dying.
Pressing to Jesus, he casts
himself at His feet with the cry, “ Lord, if Thou wilt,
Thou canst make me clean.”
Jesus replied, “ I will; be thou made clean,” 1 and
laid His hand upon him.
Immediately a change passed over the leper.
His
flesh became healthy, the nerves sensitive, the mus
cles firm.
The rough, scaly surface peculiar to
leprosy disappeared, and a soft glow, like that upon
the skin of a healthy child, took its place.
Jesus charged the man not to make known the
work that had been wrought, but straightway to pre
sent himself with an offering at the temple.
Such an
offering could not be accepted until the priests had
made examination and pronounced the man wholly
free from the disease.
However unwilling they might
be to perform this service, they could not evade an
examination and decision of the case.
The words of Scripture show with what urgency
Christ enjoined upon the man the necessity of silence
and prompt action.
“ He straitly charged him, and
forthwith sent him away; and saith unto him, See
‘ R. V.
302
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
thou say nothing to any man; but go thy way, show
thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those
things which Moses commanded, for a testimony
unto them.”
Had the priests known the facts con
cerning the healing of the leper, their hatred of
Christ might have led them to render a dishonest
sentence.
Jesus desired the man to present himself
at the temple before any rumors concerning the mir
acle had reached them.
Thus an impartial decision
could be secured, and the restored leper would be
permitted to unite once more with his family and
friends.
There were other objects which Christ had in view
in enjoining silence on the man.
The Saviour knew
that His enemies were ever seeking to limit His
work, and to turn the people from Him.
He knew
that if the healing of the leper were noised abroad,
other sufferers from this terrible disease would
crowd about Him, and the cry would be raised that
the people would be contaminated by contact with
them.
Many of the lepers would not so use the gift
of health as to make it a blessing to themselves or
to others.
And by drawing the lepers about Him,
He would give occasion for the charge that He was
breaking down the restrictions of the ritual law.
Thus His work in preaching the gospel would be
hindered.
The event justified Christ's warning.
A multitude
of people had witnessed the healing of the leper, and
they were eager to learn of the priests’ decision.
When the man returned to his friends, there was
great excitement.
Notwithstanding the caution of
Jesus, the man made no further effort to conceal the
fact of his cure.
It would indeed have been impos
sible to conceal it, but the leper published the matter
abroad.
Conceiving that it was only the modesty of
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
303
Jesus which laid this restriction upon him, he went
about proclaiming the power of this great Healer.
He did not understand that every such manifestation
made the priests and elders more determined to des
troy Jesus.
The restored man felt that the boon of
health was very precious.
He rejoiced in the vigor
of manhood, and in his restoration to his family and
society, and felt it impossible to refrain from giving
glory to the Physician who had made him whole.
But his act in blazing abroad the matter resulted in
hindering the Saviour’s work.
It caused the people
to flock to Him in such multitudes that He was forced
for a time to cease His labors.
Every act of Christ’s ministry was far-reaching in
its purpose.
It comprehended more than appeared
in the act itself.
So in the case of the leper.
While
Jesus ministered to all who came unto Him, He
yearned to bless those who came not.
While He
drew the publicans, the heathen, and the Samaritans,
He longed to reach the priests and teachers who were
shut in by prejudice and tradition.
He left untried
no means by which they might be reached.
In
sending the healed leper to the priests, He gave them
a testimony calculated to disarm their prejudices.
The Pharisees had asserted that Christ’s teaching
was opposed to the law which God had given through
Moses; but His direction to the cleansed leper to pre
sent an offering according to the law, disproved this
charge.
It was sufficient testimony for all who were
willing to be convinced.
The leaders at Jerusalem had sent out spies to find
some pretext for putting Christ to death.
He re
sponded by giving them an evidence of His love for
humanity, His respect for the law, and His power to
deliver from sin and death.
Thus He bore witness
of them: “ They have rewarded Me evil for good, and
304
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
hatred for My love.”2
He who on the mount gave
the precept, “ Love your enemies,” Himself exem
plified the principle, not rendering “ evil for evil, or
railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing.” 3
The same priests who condemned the leper to ban
ishment, certified his cure.
This sentence, publicly
pronounced and registered, was a standing testimony
for Christ.
And as the healed man was re-instated
in the congregation of Israel, upon the priests’ own
assurance that there was not a taint of the disease
upon him, he himself was a living witness for his
Benefactor.
Joyfully he presented his offering, and
magnified the name of Jesus.
The priests were con
vinced of the divine power of the Saviour.
Oppor
tunity was granted them to know the truth and to
be profited by the light.
Rejected, it would pass
away, never to return.
By many the light was re
jected; yet it was not given in vain.
Many hearts
were moved that for a time made no sign.
During
the Saviour’s life, His mission seemed to call forth
little response of love from the priests and teachers;
but after His ascension “ a great company of the
priests were obedient to the faith.” 4
The work of Christ in cleansing the leper from his
terrible disease is an illustration of His work in
cleansing the soul from sin.
The man who came to
Jesus was “full of leprosy.”
Its deadly poison per
meated his whole body.
The disciples sought to
prevent their Master from touching him; for he who
touched a leper became himself unclean.
But in lay
ing His hand upon the leper, Jesus received no de
filement.
His touch imparted life-giving
power.
The leprosy was cleansed.
Thus it is with the lep
rosy of sin,—deep-rooted, deadly, and impossible to
be cleansed by human power.
“ The whole head is
* Ps. 109:5.
3 Matt. 5:44; I Peter 3:9.
4 Acts 6:7.
sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the soul of the
foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it,
but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores.” 5
But Jesus, coming to dwell in humanity, receives no
pollution.
His presence has healing virtue for the
sinner.
Whoever will fall at His feet, saying in faith,
“ Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean,” shall
hear the answer, “ I will, be thou made clean.” 6
In some instances of healing, Jesus did not at once
grant the blessing sought.
But in the case of leprosy,
no sooner was the appeal made than it was granted.
When we pray for earthly blessings, the answer to
our prayer may be delayed, or God may give us
something other than we ask, but not so when we ask
for deliverance from sin.
It is His will to cleanse us
from sin, to make us His children, and to enable us
to live a holy life.
Christ “ gave Himself for our sins,
that He might deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father.”
And
“this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if
we ask anything according to His will, He heareth
us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we
ask, we know that we have the petitions that we de
sire of Him.”7
“ If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.” 3
In the healing of the paralytic at Capernaum, Christ
again taught the same truth.
It was to manifest His
power to forgive sins, that the miracle was performed.
And the healing of the paralytic also illustrates other
precious truths.
It is full of hope and encouragement,
and from its connection with the caviling Pharisees,
it has a lesson of warning as well.
Like the leper, this paralytic had lost all hope of
5 Isa. 1:5, 6.
«r . v.
7 Gal. 1:4, 1 John 5:14, 15.
81 John 1:9.
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
305
30
3 °6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
recovery.
His disease was the result of a life of sin,
and his sufferings were embittered by remorse.
He
had long before appealed to the Pharisees and doc
tors, hoping for relief from mental suffering and phys
ical pain.
But they coldly pronounced him incur
able, and abandoned him to the wrath of God.
The
Pharisees regarded affliction as an evidence of divine
displeasure, and they held themselves aloof from the
sick and the needy.
Yet often these very ones who
exalted themselves as holy, were more guilty than the
sufferers they condemned.
The palsied man was entirely helpless, and seeing
no prospect of aid from any quarter, he had sunk into
despair.
Then he heard of the wonderful works of
Jesus.
He was told that others as sinful and help
less as he had been healed; even lepers had been
cleansed.
And the friends who reported these things
encouraged him to believe that he too might be cured
if he could be carried to Jesus.
But his hope fell
when he remembered how the disease had been
brought upon him.
He feared that the pure physi
cian would not tolerate him in His presence.
Yet it was not physical restoration he desired so
much as relief from the burden of sin.
If he could
see Jesus, and receive the assurance of forgiveness,
and peace with Heaven, he would be content to live
or die, according to God’s will.
The cry of the dying
man was, O that I might come into His presence!
There was no time to lose; already his wasted flesh
was showing signs of decay.
He besought his friends
to carry him on his bed to Jesus, and this they gladly
undertook to do.
But so dense was the crowd that
had assembled in and about the house where the Sa
viour was, that it was impossible for the sick man and
his friends to reach Him, or even to come within
hearing- of His voice.
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
307
Jesus was teaching in the house of Peter.
Accord
ing to their custom, His disciples sat close about Him,
and “there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sit
ting by, which were come out of every town of Gali
lee, and Judea, and Jerusalem.”
These had come as
spies, seeking an accusation against Jesus.
Outside
of these officials thronged the promiscuous multitude,
the eager, the reverent, the curious, and the unbeliev
ing.
Different nationalities and all grades of society
were represented.
“ And the power of the Lord was
present to heal.”
The Spirit of life brooded over the
assembly, but Pharisees and doctors did not discern
its presence.
They felt no sense of need, and the heal
ing was not for them.
“ He hath filled the hungry
with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty
away.”8
Again and again the bearers of the paralytic tried
to push their way through the crowd, but in vain.
The sick man looked about him in unutterable an
guish.
When the longed-for help was so near, how
could he relinquish hope?
At his suggestion his
friends bore him to the top of the house, and, break
ing up the roof, let him down at the feet of Jesus.
The discourse was interrupted.
The Saviour looked
upon the mournful countenance, and saw the plead
ing eyes fixed upon Him.
He understood the case;
He had drawn to Himself that perplexed and doubt
ing spirit.
While the paralytic was yet at home, the
Saviour had brought conviction to his conscience.
When he repented of his sins, and believed in the
power of Jesus to make him whole, the life-giving
mercies of the Saviour had first blessed his longing
heart.
Jesus had watched the first glimmer of faith
grow into a belief that He was the sinner’s only
helper, and had seen it grow stronger with every ef
fort to come into His presence.
9 Luke 1 -.53.
\
3°8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Now, in words that fell like music on the sufferer’s
ear, the Saviour said, “ Son, be of good cheer; thy sins
be forgiven thee.”
The burden of despair rolls from the sick man’s
soul; the peace of forgiveness rests upon his spirit,
and shines out upon his countenance.
His physical
pain is gone, and his whole being is transformed.
The helpless paralytic is healed! the guilty sinner is
pardoned!
In simple faith he accepted the words of Jesus as the
boon of new life.
He urged no further request, but
lay in blissful silence, too happy for words.
The light
of heaven irradiated his countenance, and the people
looked with awe upon the scene.
The rabbis had waited anxiously to see what dis
position Christ would make of this case.
They recol
lected how the man had appealed to them for help,
and they had refused him hope or sympathy.
Not
satisfied with this, they had declared that he was suf
fering the curse of God for his sins.
These things
came fresh to their minds when they saw the sick
man before them.
They marked the interest with
which all were watching the scene, and they felt a
terrible fear of losing their own influence over the
people.
These dignitaries did not exchange words together,
but looking into one another’s faces they read the
same thought in each, that something must be done
to arrest the tide of feeling.
Jesus had declared that
the sins of the paralytic were forgiven.
The Phari
sees caught at these words as blasphemy, and con
ceived that hey could present this as a sin worthy of
death.
They said in their hearts, “ He blasphemeth;
who can forgive sins but one, even God?”10
Fixing His glance upon them, beneath which they
10 R. V.
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
309
cowered, and drew back, Jesus said, “Wherefore think
ye evil in your hearts?
For whether is it easier to
say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and
walk?
But that ye may know that the Son of man
hath power on earth to forgive sins,” he said, turning
to the paralytic, “ Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto
thine house.”
Then he who had been borne on a litter to Jesus,
rises to his feet with the elasticity and strength of
youth.
The life-giving blood bounds through his
veins.
Every organ of his body springs into sudden
activity.
The glow of health succeeds the pallor of
approaching death.
“And immediately he arose, took
up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch
that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying,
We never saw it on this fashion.”
O, wondrous love of Christ, stooping to heal the
guilty and the afflicted! divinity sorrowing over and
soothing the ills of suffering humanity!
O, marvel
ous power thus displayed to the children of men!
Who can doubt the message of salvation?
W ho can
slight the mercies of a compassionate Redeemer?
It required nothing less than creative power to re
store health to that decaying body.
1 he same voice
that spoke life to man created from the dust of the
earth, had spoken life to the dying paralytic.
And
the same power that gaVe life to the body, had re
newed the heart.
He who at the creation “spake, and
it was,” who “ commanded, and it stood fast,’ 11 had
spoken life to the soul dead in trespasses and sins.
The healing of the body was an evidence of the power
that had renewed the heart.
Christ bade the para
lytic arise and walk, “ that ye may know,” He said,
“that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive
sins.”
u Ps- 33-9-
3 i o
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The paralytic found in Christ healing for both the
soul and the body.
The spiritual healing was fol
lowed by physical restoration.
This lesson should
not be overlooked.
There are to-day thousands suf
fering from physical disease, who, like the paralytic,
are longing for the message, “ Thy sins are forgiven.’’
The burden of sin, with its unrest and unsatisfied de
sires, is the foundation of their maladies.
They can
find no relief until they come to the Healer of the soul.
The peace which He alone can give, would impart
vigor to the mind, and health to the body.
Jesus came to “ destroy the works of the devil.”
“ In Him was life,” and He says, “ I am come that they
might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.”
He is “ a quickening spirit.” 12
And
He still has the same life-giving power as when on
earth He healed the sick, and spoke forgiveness to the
sinner.
He “ forgiveth all thine iniquities,” He “heal-
eth all thy diseases.” 13
The effect produced upon the people by the heal
ing of the paralytic was as if heaven had opened, and
revealed the glories of the better world.
As the man
who had been cured, passed through the multitude,
blessing God at every step, and bearing his burden as
if it were a feather’s weight, the people fell back to
give him room, and with awe-stricken faces gazed
upon him, whispering softly'among themselves, “ We
have seen strange things to-day.”
The Pharisees were dumb with amazement and
overwhelmed with defeat.
They saw that here was
no opportunity for their jealousy to inflame the multi
tude.
The wonderful work wrought upon the man
whom they had given over to the wrath of God, had
so. impressed the people that the rabbis were for the
time forgotten.
They saw that Christ possessed a
121 John 3:8; John 1:4; 10:10; 1 Cor. 15:45.
13 Ps. 103:3.
THOU CANST MAKE ME CLEAN.
3 11
power which they had ascribed to God alone; yet the
gentle dignity of His manner was in marked contrast
to their own haughty bearing.
They were discon
certed and abashed, recognizing, but not confessing,
the presence of a superior being.
The stronger the
evidence that Jesus had power on earth to forgive
sins, the more firmly they entrenched themselves in
unbelief.
From the home of Peter, where they had
seen the paralytic restored by His word, they went
away to invent new schemes for silencing the Son of
God.
Physical disease, however malignant and deep-
seated, was healed by the power of Christ; but the
disease of the soul took a firmer hold upon those who
closed their eyes against the light.
Leprosy and
palsy were not so terrible as bigotry and unbelief.
In the home of the healed paralytic there was great
rejoicing when he returned to his family, carrying
with ease the couch upon which he had been slowly
borne from their presence but a short time before.
They gathered round with tears of joy, scarcely dar
ing to believe their eyes.
He stood before them in
the full vigor of manhood.
Those arms that they had
seen lifeless were quick to obey his will.
The flesh
that had been shrunken and leaden-hued was now
fresh and ruddy.
He walked with a firm, free step.
Joy and hope were written in every lineament of his
countenance; and an expression of purity and peace
had taken the place of the marks of sin and suffer
ing.
Glad thanksgiving went up from that home,
and God was glorified through His Son, who had
restored hope to the hopeless, and strength to the
stricken one.
This man and his family were ready
to lay down their lives for Jesus.
No doubt dimmed
their faith, no unbelief marred their fealty to Him
who had brought light into their darkened home.
\
LEVI-MATTHEW.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
Of the Roman officials in Palestine, none were
more hated than the publicans.
The fact that the
taxes were imposed by a foreign power was a con
tinual irritation to the Jews, being a reminder that
their independence had departed.
And the tax-
gatherers were not merely the instruments of Roman
oppression; they were extortioners on their own ac
count, enriching themselves at the expense of the
people.
A Jew who accepted this office at the hands
of the Romans was looked upon as betraying the
honor of his nation.
He was despised as an apostate,
and was classed with the vilest of society.
To this class belonged Levi-Matthew, who, after
the four disciples at Gennesaret, was the next to be
called to Christ’s service.
The Pharisees had judged
Matthew according to his employment, but Jesus saw
in this man a heart open for the reception of truth.
Matthew had listened to the Saviour’s teaching.
As
the convicting Spirit of God revealed his sinfulness,
he longed to seek help from Christ; but he was ac
customed to the exclusiveness of the rabbis, and had
no thought that this great teacher would notice him.
Sitting at his toll-booth one day, the publican saw
Jesus approaching.
Great was his astonishment to
hear the words addressed to himself, “ Follow Me.’’
This chapter is based on Matt. 9-9—17; Mark 2:14-22;
Luke 5:27-39.
(3«)
LEVI-MATTHEW.
313
Matthew “left all, rose up, and followed Him.’’
Ihere was no hesitation, no questioning, no thought
of the lucrative business to be exchanged for poverty
and hardship.
It was enough for him that he was
to be with Jesus, that he might listen to His words,
and unite with Him in His work.
So it was with the disciples previously called.
When Jesus bade Peter and his companions follow
Him, immediately they left their boats and nets.
Some of these disciples had friends dependent on
them for support; but when they received the Sa
viour's invitation, they did not hesitate, and inquire,
“How shall I live, and sustain my family?”
They
were obedient to the call; and when afterward Jesus
asked them, “ When I sent you without purse, and
scrip, and shoes, lacked ye anything?” they could an
swer, “ Nothing.” 1
To Matthew in his wealth, and to Andrew and
Peter in their poverty, the same test was brought; the
same consecration was made by each.
At the mo
ment of success, when the nets were filled with fish,
and the impulses of the old life were strongest, Jesus
asked the disciples at the sea to leave all for the work
of the gospel.
So every soul is tested as to whether
the desire for temporal good or for fellowship with
Christ is strongest
Principle is always exacting.
No man can succeed
in the service of God unless his whole heart is in the
work, and he counts all things but loss for the excel
lency of the knowledge of Christ.
No man who
makes any reserve can be the disciple of Christ, much
less can he be His co-laborer.
When men appreciate
the great salvation, the self-sacrifice seen in Christ’s
life will be seen in theirs.
Wherever He leads the
way, they will rejoice to follow.
1 Luke 22:35.
\
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The calling of Matthew to be one of Christ’s dis
ciples, excited great indignation.
For a religious
teacher to choose a publican as one of his immediate
attendants was an offense against the religious, social,
and national customs.
By appealing to the preju
dices of the people the Pharisees hoped to turn the
current of popular feeling against Jesus.
Among the publicans a wide-spread interest was
created.
Their hearts were drawn toward the divine
Teacher.
In the joy of his new discipleship, Matthew
longed to bring his former associates to Jesus.
A c
cordingly he made a feast at his own house, and called
together his relatives and friends.
Not only were
publicans included, but many others who were of
doubtful reputation, and were proscribed by their
more scrupulous neighbors.
The entertainment was given in honor of Jesus, and
He did not hesitate to accept the courtesy.
He well
knew that this would give offense to the Pharisaic
party, and would also compromise Him in the eyes
of the people.
But no question of policy could influ
ence His movements.
With Him external distinc
tions weighed nothing.
That which appealed to His
heart was a soul thirsting for the water of life.
Jesus sat as an honored guest at the table of the
publicans, by His sympathy and social kindliness
showing that He recognized the dignity of humanity;
and men longed to become worthy of His confidence.
Upon their thirsty hearts His words fell with blessed,
life-giving power.
New impulses were awakened,
and the possibility of a new life opened to these out
casts of society.
At such gatherings as this, not a few were im
pressed by the Saviour’s teaching, who did not ac
knowledge Plim until after His ascension.
When the
Holy Spirit was poured out, and three thousand were
3 H
LEVI-MATTHEW.
3U
converted in a day, there were among them many
who first heard the truth at the table of the publicans,
and some of these became messengers of the gospel.
To Matthew himself the example of Jesus at the feast
was a constant lesson.
The despised publican be
came one of the most devoted evangelists, in his own
ministry following closely in his Master’s steps.
When the rabbis learned of the presence of Jesus
at Matthew’s feast, they seized the opportunity of
accusing Him.
But they chose to work through the
disciples.
By arousing their prejudices they hoped
to alienate them from their Master.
It was their
policy to accuse Christ to the disciples, and the dis
ciples to Christ, aiming their arrows where they
v/ould be most likely to wound.
This is the way in
which Satan has worked ever since the disaffection
in heaven; and all who try to cause discord and
alienation are actuated by his spirit.
“ Why eateth your Master with publicans and sin-
ers?” questioned the envious rabbis.
Jesus did not wait for His disciples to answer the
charge, but Himself replied: “They that be whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick.
But go
ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy,
and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the right
eous, but sinners to repentance.”
The Pharisees
claimed to be spiritually whole, and therefore in no
need of a physician, while they regarded the publi
cans and Gentiles as perishing from diseases of the
soul.
Then was it not His work, as a physician, to
go to the very class that needed His help?
But although the Pharisees thought so highly of
themselves, they were really in a worse condition
than the ones they despised.
The publicans were
less bigoted and self-sufficient, and thus were more
open to the influence of truth.
Jesus said to the
\
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
rabbis, ‘'Go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice.”
Thus He showed
that while they claimed to expound the word of God,
they were wholly ignorant of its spirit.
The Pharisees were silenced for the time, but only
became more determined in their enmity.
They next
sought out the disciples of John the Baptist, and
tried to set them against the Saviour.
These Phar
isees had not accepted the mission of the Baptist.
They had pointed in scorn to his abstemious life, his
simple habits, his coarse garments, and had declared
him a fanatic.
Because he denounced their hypoc
risy, they had resisted his words, and had tried to stir
up the people against him.
The Spirit of God had
moved upon the hearts of these scorners, convicting
them of sin; but they had rejected the counsel of
God, and had declared that John was possessed of
a devil.
Now when Jesus came mingling with the people,
eating and drinking at their tables, they accused Him
of being a glutton and a winebibber.
The very ones
who made this charge were themselves guilty.
As
God is misrepresented, and clothed by Satan with his
own attributes, so the Lord’s messengers were falsi
fied by these wicked men.
The Pharisees would not consider that Jesus was
eating with publicans and sinners in order to bring
the light of heaven to those who sat in darkness.
They would not see that every word dropped by the
divine Teacher was a living seed that would germi
nate and bear fruit to the glory of God.
They had
determined not to accept the light; and although they
had opposed the mission of the Baptist, they were
now ready to court the friendship of his disciples,
hoping to secure their co-operation against Jesus.
They represented that Jesus was setting at naught the
316
LEVI-MATTHEW.
317
ancient traditions; and they contrasted the austere
piety of the Baptist with the course of Jesus in feast
ing with publicans and sinners.
The disciples of john were at this time in great
sorrow.
It was before their visit to Jesus with John’ s
message.
Their beloved teacher was in prison, and
they passed their days in mourning.
And Jesus was
making no effort to release John, and even appeared
to cast discredit on his teaching.
If John had been
sent by God, why did Jesus and His disciples pursue
a course so widely different?
The disciples of John had not a clear understand
ing of Christ’s work; they thought there might be
some foundation for the charges of the Pharisees.
They observed many of the rules prescribed by the
rabbis, and even hoped to be justified by the works
of the law.
Fasting was practised by the Jews as
an act of merit, and the most rigid among them fasted
two days in every week.
The Pharisees and John’s
disciples were fasting when the latter came to Jesus
with the inquiry, “ Why do we and the Pharisees fast
oft, but Thy disciples fast not?”
Very tenderly Jesus answered them.
He did not
try to correct their erroneous conception of fasting,
but only to set them right in regard to His own mis
sion.
And He did this by employing the same figure
that the Baptist himself had used in his testimony to
Jesus.
John had said, “ He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which
standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because
of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is
fulfilled.” 2
The disciples of John could not fail to
recall these words of their teacher, as, taking up the
illustration, Jesus said, “ Can ye make the children of
the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with
them?”
2 John 3:29.
The Prince of heaven was among His people.
The greatest gift of God had been given to the world.
Joy to the poor; for Christ had come to make them
heirs of His kingdom.
Joy to the rich; for He would
teach them how to secure eternal riches.
Joy to the
ignorant; He would make them wise unto salvation.
Joy to the learned; He would open to them deeper
mysteries than they had ever fathomed; truths that
had been hidden from the foundation of the world
would be opened to men by the Saviour’s mission.
John the Baptist had rejoiced to behold the Sa
viour.
W hat occasion for rejoicing had the disciples
who were privileged to walk and talk with the Maj-
esty of heaven.
This was not a time for them to
mourn and fast.
They must open their hearts to re
ceive the light of His glory, that they might shed
light upon those who sat in darkness and in the
shadow of death.
It was. a bright picture which the words of Christ
had called up, but across it lay a heavy shadow, which
His eye alone discerned.
“The days will come,” He
said, “when the bridegroom shall be taken away from
them, and then shall they fast in those days.”
When
they should see their Lord betrayed and crucified, the
disciples would mourn and fast.
In His last words
to them in the upper chamber, He said, “A little
while, and ye shall not see Me; and again, a little
while, and ye shall see Me.
Verily, verily, I say
unto you,^ That ye shall weep and lament, but the
world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but
vour sorrow shall be turned into joy.” 3
When He should come forth from the tomb, their
sorrow would be turned to joy.
After His ascension
He was to be absent in person; but through the Com
forter He would still be with them, and they were
3 John 16:19, 20.
3 l8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
LEVI-MATTHEW.
3 W
not to spend their time in mourning.
This was what
Satan wanted.
He desired them to give the world
the impression that they had been deceived and dis
appointed; but by faith they were to look to the
sanctuary above, where Jesus was ministering for
them; they were to open their hearts to the Holy
Spirit, His representative, and to rejoice in the light
of His presence.
Yet days of temptation and trial
would come, when they would be brought into con
flict with the rulers of this world, and the leaders of
the kingdom of darkness; when Christ was not per
sonally with them, and they failed to discern the
Comforter, then it would be more fitting for them to
fast.
The Pharisees sought to exalt themselves by their
rigorous observance of forms, while their hearts were
filled with envy and strife.
“ Behold,” says the Scrip
ture, “ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with
the fist of wickedness; ye shall not fast as ye do this
day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
Is it
such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to
afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bul
rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the
Lord?” 4
The true fast is no mere formal service.
The
Scripture describes the fast that God has chosen,—
“to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy
burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye
break every yoke;” to “ draw out thy soul to the hun
gry, and satisfy the afflicted soul.”5
Here is set forth
the very spirit and character of the work of Christ.
His whole life was a sacrifice of Himself for the sav
ing of the world.
Whether fasting in the wilderness
of temptation or eating with the publicans at Mat-
4 Isa. 58:4. C.
5 Isa. 58:6, 10.
320
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
thew’s feast, He was giving His life for the redemp
tion of the lost.
Not in idle mourning, in mere
bodily humiliation and multitudinous sacrifices, is
the true spirit of devotion manifested, but it is shown
in the surrender of self in willing service to God and
man.
Continuing His answer to the disciple of John,
Jesus spoke a parable, saying, “ No man putteth a
piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise,
then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that
was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.”
The message of John the Baptist was not to be inter
woven with tradition and superstition.
An attempt
to blend the pretense of the Pharisees with the devo
tion of John would only make more evident the
breach between them.
Nor could the principles of Christ’s teaching be
united with the forms of Pharisaism.
Christ was not
to close up the breach that had been made by the
teachings of John.
He would make more distinct
the separation between the old and the new.
Jesus
further illustrated this fact, saying, “ No man putteth
new wine into old bottles, else the new wine will
burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall
perish.”
The skin bottles which were used as ves
sels to contain the new wine, after a time became dry
and brittle, and were then worthless to serve the
same purpose again.
In this familiar illustration
Jesus presented the condition of the Jewish leaders.
Priests and scribes and rulers were fixed in a rut of
ceremonies and traditions.
Their hearts had be
come contracted, like the dried-up wine skins to
which He had compared them.
While they remained
satisfied with a legal religion, it was impossible for
them to become the depositaries of the living truth
of heaven.
They thought their own righteousness
LEVI-MATTHEW.
321
all-sufficient, and did not desire that a new element
should be brought into their religion.
The good
will of God to men they did not accept as something
apart from themselves.
They connected it with their
own merit because of their good works.
The faith
that works by love and purifies the soul, could find
no place for union with the religion of the Pharisees,
made up of ceremonies and the injunctions of men.
The effort to unite the teachings of Jesus with the
established religion would be vain.
The vital truth
of God, like fermenting wine, would burst the old,
decaying bottles of the Pharisaical tradition.
The Pharisees thought themselves too wise to need
instruction, too righteous to need salvation, too
highly honored to need the honor that comes from
Christ.
The Saviour turned away from them to find
others who would receive the message of heaven.
In the untutored fishermen, in the publican at the
market-place, in the woman of Samaria, in the com
mon people who heard Him gladly, He found His
new bottles for the new wine.
The instrumentali
ties to be used in the gospel work are those souls who
gladly receive the light which God sends them.
These are His agencies for imparting the
knowl
edge of truth to the world.
If through the grace of
Christ His people will become new bottles, He will
fill them with new wine.
The teaching of Christ, though it was represented
by the new wine, was not a new doctrine, but the
revelation of that which had been taught from the
beginning.
But to the Pharisees the truth of God
had lost its original significance and beauty.
To
them Christ’s teaching was new in almost every re
spect, and it was unrecognized and unacknowledged.
Jesus pointed out the power of false teaching to
destroy the appreciation and desire for truth.
“No
21
322
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
man,” He said, “ having drunk old wine, straightway
desireth new; for he saith, The old is better.”
All
the truth that has been given to the world through
patriarchs and prophets shone out in new beauty in
the words of Christ.
But the scribes and Pharisees
had no desire for the precious new wine.
Until
emptied of the old traditions, customs, and practises,
they had no place in mind or heart for the teachings
of Christ.
They clung to the dead forms, and turned
away from the living truth and the power of God.
It was this that proved the ruin of the Jews, and
it will prove the ruin of many souls in our own day.
Thousands are making the same mistake as did the
Pharisees whom Christ reproved at Matthew’s feast.
Rather than give up some cherished idea, or discard
some idol of opinion, many refuse the truth which
comes down from the Father of light.
They trust in
self, and depend upon their own wisdom, and do not
realize their spiritual poverty.
They insist on being
saved in some way by which they may perform some
important work.
When they see that there is no
way of weaving self into the work, they reject the sal
vation provided.
A legal religion can never lead souls to Christ; for
it is a loveless, Christless religion.
Fasting or prayer
that is actuated by a self-justifying spirit, is an abomi
nation in the sight of God.
The solemn assembly for
worship, the round of religious ceremonies, the ex
ternal humiliation, the imposing sacrifice, proclaim
that the doer of these things regards himself as right
eous, and as entitled to heaven, but it is all a decep
tion.
Our own works can never purchase salvation.
As it was in the days of Christ, so it is now; the
Pharisees do not know their spiritual destitution. To
them comes the message, “ Because thou sayest, I am
rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
LEVI-MATTHEW.
323
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel
thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest
be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do
not appear.” 6
Faith and love are the gold tried in
the fire.
But with many the gold has become dim,
and the rich treasure has been lost
The righteous
ness of Christ is to them as a robe unworn, a fountain
untouched.
To them it is said, “ I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come
unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick
out of his place, except thou repent.” 7
“ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken
and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” 6
Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the
fullest sense, a believer in Jesus.
When self is re
nounced, then the Lord can make man a new crea
ture.
New bottles can contain the new wine.
The
love of Christ will animate the believer with new life.
In him who looks unto the author and finisher of our
faith, the character of Christ will be manifest.
6 Rev. 3:17, 18.
7Rev. 2:4, 5.
8Ps. 51:17.
THE SABBATH.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.
The Sabbath was hallowed at the creation.
As or
dained for man, it had its origin when “the morning
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted
for joy.”
Peace brooded over the world; for earth
was in harmony with heaven.
“ God saw everything
that He had made, and behold, it was very good;” 1
and He rested in the joy of His completed work.
Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, “ God
blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it,”— set it apart
to a holy use.
He gave it to Adam as a day of rest.
It was a memorial of the work of creation, and thus a
sign of God's power and His love.
The Scripture
says, “ He hath made His wonderful works to be re
membered.”
“ The things that are made,” declare
“ the invisible things of Him since the creation of the
world,” “ even His everlasting power and divinity.” 2
All things were created by the Son of God.
“ In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God.
.
.
.
All things were made by Him; and
without Him was not anything made that was made.” 3
And since the Sabbath is a memorial of the work of
creation, it is a token of the love and power of Christ.
/T he Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and
brings us into communion with the Creator.
In the
song of the bird, the sighing of the trees, and the
‘Job 38:7; Gen. 1:31.
2 Gen. 2:3; Ps. 111:4; Rom. 1:20, R. V.
3 John 1:1-3.
( 3 2 4 )
THE SABBATH.
325
music of the sea, we still may hear His voice who
talked with Adam in Eden in the cool of the day.
And as we behold His power in nature we find com
fort, for thewvord that created all things is that which
speaks life to the soul.
He “ who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 4
It was this thought that awoke the song,—
“ Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work;
I will triumph in the works of Thy hands.
O Lord, how great are Thy works!
And Thy thoughts are very deep.” 6
And the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah
declares; “ To whom then will ye liken God? or what
likeness will ye compare unto Him?
.
.
.
Have
ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been
told you from the beginning? have ye not understood
from the foundations of the earth?
It is He that sit-
teth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the
heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a
tent to dwell in.
.
.
.
To whom then will ye liken
Me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Lift
up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created
these things, that bringeth out their host by number;
He calletli them all by names, by the greatness of His
might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth.
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel,
My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is
passed over from my God?
Hast thou not known?
bast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the
Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary?
.
.
.
He giveth power to the
* 2 Cor. 4:6.
6 Ps. 92:4, 5.
326
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
taint; and to them that have no might He increaseth
strength.”
“ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be
not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of My righteousness.”
“ Look unto
Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I
am God, and there is none else.”
This is the mes
sage written in nature, which the Sabbath is ap
pointed to keep in memory.
When the Lord bade
Israel hallow His Sabbaths, He said, “ They shall be
a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that J
I am Jehovah your God.” 0
^
The Sabbath was embodied in the law given from
Sinai; but it was not then first made known as a day
of rest.
The people of Israel had a knowledge of it
before they came to Sinai.
On the way thither the
Sabbath was kept.
When some profaned it, the Lord
reproved them, saying, “ How long refuse ye to keep
My commandments and My laws?” 7
The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the
world.
It had been made known to man in Eden,
and, like the other precepts of the decalogue, it is of
imperishable obligation.
Of that law of which the
fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares,
“ Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law.”
So long as the heav
ens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will continue
as a sign of the Creator s power.
And when Eden
shall bloom on earth again, God’s holy rest-day will
be honored by all beneath the sun.
“ From one Sab
bath to another” the inhabitants of the glorified new
earth shall go up “to worship before Me, saith the
Lord.” 8
No other institution which was committed to the
6 Isa. 40:18-29; 41:10; 45:22; Eze. 20:20.
7Ex l6:28-
8 Matt. 5:18; Isa. 66:23.
THE SABBATH.
327
Jews tended so fully to distinguish them from sur
rounding nations as did the Sabbath.
God designe
that its observance should designate them as His v. or-
shipers.
It was to be a token of their separation from
idolatry, and their connection with the true God.
But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, men must
themselves be holy.
Through faith they must be
come partakers of the righteousness of Christ.
W hen
the command was given to Israel, “ Remember the
Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” the Lord said also to
them, “ Ye shall be holy men unto Me.”9
Only thus
could the Sabbath distinguish Israel as the worshipers
of God.
.
As the Jews departed from God, and failed to make
the righteousness of Christ their own by faith, the
Sabbath lost its significance to them.
Satan was
seeking to exalt himself and to draw men away from
Christ, and he worked to pervert the Sabbath, be
cause it is the sign of the power of Christ.
The Jew
ish leaders accomplished the will of Satan by sur
rounding God’s rest-day with burdensome require
ments.
In the davs of Christ the Sabbath had be
come so perverted that its observance reflected the
character of selfish and arbitrary men, rather than the
character of the loving Heavenly Father.
The rabbis
virtually represented God as giving laws which it was
impossible for men to obey.
They led the people to
look upon God as a tyrant, and to think that the ob
servance of the Sabbath, as He required it, made men
hard-hearted and cruel.
It was the work of Christ to
clear away these misconceptions.
Although the rab
bis followed Him with merciless hostility, He did not
even appear to conform to their requirements, but
went straight forward, keeping the Sabbath accord
ing to the law of God.
»Ex. 20:8; 22:31.
V
328
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Upon one Sabbath day, as the Saviour and His
disciples returned from the place of worship, they
passed through a field of ripening grain.
Jesus had
continued His work to a late hour, and while passing
through the fields, the disciples began to gather the
heads of grain, and to eat the kernels after rubbing
them in their hands.
On any other day this act
would have excited no comment, for one passing
through a field of grain, an orchard, or a vineyard,
was at liberty to gather what he desired to eat.10
But
to do this on the Sabbath was held to be an act of
desecration.
Not only was the gathering of the grain
a kind of reaping, but the rubbing of it in the hands
was a kind of threshing.
Thus, in the opinion of the
rabbis, there was a double offense.
The spies at once complained to Jesus, saying,
“ Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to
do upon the Sabbath day.”
When accused of Sabbath-breaking at Bethesda,
Jesus defended Himself by affirming His Sonship to
God, and declaring that He worked in harmony with
the Father.
Now that the disciples are attacked, He
cites His accusers to examples from the Old Testa
ment, acts performed on the Sabbath by those who
were in the service of God.
The Jewish teachers prided themselves on their
knowledge of the Scriptures, and in the Saviour’s an
swer there was an implied rebuke for their ignorance
of the sacred writings.
“ Have ye not read so much
as this,” He said, “what David did, when himself was
an hungered, and they which were with him; how he
went into the house of God, and did take and eat
the showbread,
.
.
.
which it is not lawful to eat
but for the priests alone?”
“And He said unto them,
The Sabbath was made for man. and not man for the
10 See Dent. 23:24, 25.
THE SABBATH.
329
Sabbath.”
“ Have ye not read in the law, how that
on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple profane
the Sabbath, and are blameless?
But 1 say unto you,
That in this place is One greater than the temple. ’
“ The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” 11
If it was right for David to satisfy his hunger by
eating of the bread that had been set apart to a holy
use, then it was right for the disciples to supply their
need by plucking the grain upon the sacred hours of
the Sabbath.
Again, the priests in the temple per
formed greater labor on the Sabbath than upon other
days.
The same labor in secular business would be
sinful; but the work of the priests was in the service
of God.
They were performing those rites that
pointed to the redeeming power of Christ, and their
labor was in harmony with the object of the Sabbath.
But now Christ Himself had come.
The disciples,
in doing the work of Christ, were engaged in God’s
service, and that which was necessary for the accom
plishment of His work, it was right to do on the Sab
bath day.
Christ would teach His disciples and His enemies,
that the service of God is first of all.
The object of
God’s work in this world is the redemption of man;
therefore that which is necessary to be done on the
Sabbath in the accomplishment of this work, is in
accord with the Sabbath law.
Jesus then crowned
His argument by declaring Himself the “ Lord of the
Sabbath,”—-One above all question and above all law.
This infinite Judge acquits the disciples of blame, ap
pealing to the very statutes they are accused of vio
lating.
Jesus did not let the matter pass with administer
ing. a rebuke to His enemies.
He declared that in
their blindness they had mistaken the object of the
11 Luke 6:3, 4; Mark 2:27, 28; Matt. 12:5, 6.
330
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Sabbath.
He said, “ If ye had known what this mean-
eth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not
have condemned the guiltless.” 12
Their many heart
less rites could not supply the lack of that truthful
integrity and tender love which will ever characterize
the true worshiper of God.
Again Christ reiterated the truth that the sacrifices
were in themselves of no value.
They were a means,
and not an end.
Their object was to direct men to
the Saviour, and thus to bring them into harmony
with God.
It is the service of love that God values.
When this is lacking, the mere round of ceremony is
an offense to Him.
So with the Sabbath.
It was
designed to bring men into communion with God;
but when the mind was absorbed with wearisome rites,
the object of the Sabbath was thwarted.
Its mere
outward observance was a mockery.
Upon another Sabbath, as Jesus entered a syna
gogue, He saw there a man who had a withered hand.
The Pharisees watched Him, eager to see what He
would do.
The Saviour well knew that in healing
on the Sabbath He would be regarded as a trans
gressor, but He did not hesitate to break down the
wall of traditional requirements that barricaded the
Sabbath.
Jesus bade the afflicted man stand forth,
and then asked, “ Is it lawful to do good on the Sab
bath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill?”
It
was a maxim among the Jews that a failure to do
good, when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to
neglect to save life, was to kill.
Thus Jesus met the
rabbis on their own ground.
“ But they held their
peace.
And when He had looked round about on
them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of
their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth
12 Matt. 12:7.
THE SABBATH.
3 3 1
thine hand.
And he stretched it out; and his hand
was restored whole as the other.” 13
When questioned, “ Is it lawful to heal on the Sab
bath days?” Jesus answered, “ What man shall there
be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it
fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold
on it, and lift it out?
How much then is a man better
than a sheep?
Wherefore it is lawful to do well on
the Sabbath days.” 14
The spies dared not answer Christ in the presence
of the multitude, for fear of involving themselves in
difficulty.
They knew that He had spoken the truth.
Rather than violate their traditions, they would leave
a man to suffer, while they would relieve a brute be
cause of the loss to the owner if it were neglected.
Thus greater care was shown for a dumb animal than
for man, who is made in the image of God.
This
illustrates the working of all false religions.
They
originate in man’s desire to exalt himself above God,
but they result in degrading man below the brute.
Every religion that wars against the sovereignty of
God defrauds man of the glory which was his at the
creation, and which is to be restored to him in Christ.
Every false religion teaches its adherents to be care
less of human needs, sufferings, and rights.
The
gospel places a high value upon humanity as the pur
chase of the blood of Christ, and it teaches a tender
regard for the wants and woes of man.
The Lord
says, “ I will make a man more precious than fine
gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.” 15
When Jesus turned upon the Pharisees with the
question whether it was lawful on the Sabbath day
to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill, He con
fronted them with their own wicked purposes.
They
were hunting His life with bitter hatred, while He
13 Mark 3:4, 5.
14 Matt. 12:10-12.
16 Isa. 13:12.
332
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
was saving life, and bringing happiness to multitudes.
Was it better to slay upon the Sabbath, as they were
planning to do, than to heal the afflicted, as He had
done?
Was it more righteous to have murder in the
heart upon God’s holy day, than love to all men,
which finds expression in deeds of mercy?
In the healing of the withered hand, Jesus con
demned the custom of the Jews, and left the fourth
commandment standing as God had given it.
“ It is
lawful to do well on the Sabbath days,” He declared.
By sweeping away the senseless restrictions of the
Jews, Christ honored the Sabbath, while those who
complained of Him were dishonoring God’s holy day.
Those who hold that Christ abolished the law, teach
that He broke the Sabbath, and justified His disciples
in doing the same.
Thus they are really taking the
same ground as did the caviling Jews.
In this they
contradict the testimony of Christ Himself, who de
clared, “ I have kept My Father’s commandments,
and abide in His love.”16
Neither the Saviour nor
His followers broke the law of the Sabbath.
Christ
was a living representative of the law.
No violation
of its holy precepts was found in His life.
Looking
upon a nation of witnesses wrho were seeking occasion
to condemn Him, He could say unchallenged, “ Which
of you convicteth Me of sin?”17
The Saviour had not come to set aside what patri
archs and prophets had spoken; for He Himself had
spoken through these representative men.
All the
truths of God’s word came from Him.
But these
priceless gems had been placed in false settings.
Their precious light had been made to minister to
error.
God desired them to be removed from their
settings of error and replaced in the framework of
truth.
This work only a divine hand could accom-
18John 15:10.
17 John 8:46, R. V.
t h e s a b b a t h .
333
plish.
By its connection with error, the truth had
been serving the cause of the enemy of God and man.
Christ had come to place it where it would glorify
God, and work the salvation of humanity.
“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for
the Sabbath,” Jesus said.
The institutions that God
has established are for the benefit of mankind.
“ All
things are for your sakes.”
“Whether Paul, or
Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death,
or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” 18
The law
of ten commandments, of which the Sabbath forms
a part, God gave to His people as a blessing.
“ The
Lord commanded us,” said Moses, “to do all these
statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good al
ways, that He might preserve us alive.” 19
And
through the psalmist the message was given to Israel,
“ Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His
presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord He
is God; it is He that hath made us, and not we our
selves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pas
ture.
Enter into Iiis gates with thanksgiving, and
into His courts with praise.” 20
And of all who “ keep
the Sabbath from polluting it,” the Lord declares,
“ Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and
make them joyful in My house of prayer.”21
“Wherefore the Son of man is Lord also of the
Sabbath.”
These words are full of instruction and
comfort.
Because the Sabbath was made for man, it
is the Lord’s day.
It belongs to Christ.
For “all
things were made by Him; and without Him was not
anything made that was made.” 22
Since He made all
things, He made the Sabbath.
By Him it was set
apart as a memorial of the work of creation.
It points
18 2 Cor. 4:15; 1 Cor. 3:22, 23.
,9Deut. 6:24.
30 Ps. 100:2-4.
a Isa. 56:6, 7.
aJohn 1:3.
\
334
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier.
It
declares that He who created all things in heaven and
in earth, and by whom all things hold together, is the
head of the church, and that by His power we are
reconciled to God.
For, speaking of Israel, He said,
“ I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me
and them, that they might know that I am the Lord
that sanctify them,”23— make them holy.
Then^'the
Sabbath is a sign of Christ's power to make us holy.
And it is given to all whom Christ makes holy.
As
a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given
to all who through Christ become a part of the Israel
of G od y
And the Lord says, "If thou turn away thy foot
from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My
holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of
the Lord, honorable;
.
.
then shalt thou delight
thyself in the Lord.”24 /T o all who receive the Sab
bath as a sign' of Christ’s creative and redeeming
power, it will be a delight.
Seeing Christ in it, they
delight themselves in Him.
The Sabbath points
them to the works of creation as an evidence of His
mighty power in redemption.
While it calls to mind
the lost peace of Eden, it tells of peace restored
through the Saviour.
And every object in nature re
peats His invitation, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 25,
23 Eze. 20:12.
24Isa. 58:13, 14.
25Matt. 11:28.
HE ORDAINED TWELVE.
CHAPTER THIRTY.
“And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth
unto Him whom He would; and they came unto Him.
And He ordained twelve, that they should be with
Him, and that He might send them forth to preach.”
It was beneath the sheltering trees of the mountain
side, but a little distance from the Sea of Galilee, that
the twelve were called to the apostolate, and the ser
mon on the mount was given.
The fields and hills
were the favorite resorts of Jesus, and much of His
teaching was given under the open sky, rather than
in the temple or the synagogues.
No synagogue
could have received the throngs that followed Him;
but not for this reason only did He choose to teach
in the fields and groves.
Jesus loved the scenes of
nature.
To Him each quiet retreat was a sacred
temple.
It was under the trees of Eden that the first dwell
ers on earth had chosen their sanctuary.
There
Christ had communed with the father of mankind.
When banished from Paradise, our first parents still
worshiped in the fields and groves, and there Christ
met them with the gospel of His grace.
It was Christ
who spoke with Abraham under the oaks at Mamre;
with Isaac as he went out to pray in the fields at the
eventide; with Jacob on the hillside at Bethel; with
Moses among the mountains of Midian; and with the
This chapter is based on Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16.
( 335)
\
336
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
boy David as he watched his flocks.
It was at
Christ’s direction that for fifteen centuries the Hebrew
people had left their homes for one week every year,
and had dwelt in booths formed from the green
branches “ of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees,
and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the
brook.” 1
In training His disciples, Jesus chose to withdraw
from the confusion of the city to the quiet of the fields
and hills, as more in harmony with the lessons of self-
abnegation He desired to teach them.
And during
His ministry He loved to gather the people about
Him under the blue heavens, on some grassy hillside,
or on the beach beside the lake.
Here, surrounded
by the works of His own creation, He could turn the
thoughts of His hearers from the artificial to the nat
ural.
In the growth and development of nature were
revealed the principles of His kingdom.
As men
should lift up their eyes to the hills of God, and be
hold the wonderful works of His hands, they could
learn precious lessons of divine truth.
Christ’s teach
ing would be repeated to them in the things of nature.
So it is with all who go into the fields with Christ in
their hearts.
They will feel themselves surrounded
with a holy influence.
The things of nature take up
the parables of our Lord, and repeat His counsels.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is up
lifted, and the heart finds rest.
The first step was now to be taken in the organiza
tion of the church that after Christ’s departure was
to be His representative on earth.
No costly sanctu
ary was at their command, but the Saviour led His
disciples to the retreat He loved, and in their minds
the sacred experiences of that day were forever linked
with the beauty of mountain and vale and sea.
1 Lev. 23:40
HE ORDAINED TWELVE.
337
Jesus had called His disciples that He might send
them forth as His witnesses, to declare to the world
what they had seen and heard of Him.
Their office
was the most important to which human beings had
ever been called, and was second only to that of Christ
Himself.
They were to be workers together with
God for the saving of the world.
As in the Old Tes
tament the twelve patriarchs stand as representatives
of Israel, so the twelve apostles were to stand as rep
resentatives of the gospel church.
The Saviour knew the character of the men whom
He had chosen; all their weaknesses and errors were
open before Him; He knew the perils through which
they must pass, the responsibility that would rest
upon them; and His heart yearned over these chosen
ones.
Alone upon a mountain near the Sea of Gali
lee He spent the entire night in prayer for them, while
they were sleeping at the foot of the mountain.
With
the first light of dawn He summoned them to meet
Him; for He had something of importance to com
municate to them.
These disciples had been for some time associated
with Jesus in active labor.
John and James, Andrew
and Peter, with Philip, Nathanael, and Matthew, had
been more closely connected with Him than the
others, and had witnessed more of His miracles.
Peter, James, and John stood in still nearer relation
ship to Him.
They were almost constantly with
Him, witnessing His miracles, and hearing His words.
John pressed into still closer intimacy with Jesus, so
that he is distinguished as the one whom Jesus loved.
The Saviour loved them all, but John’s was the most
receptive spirit.
He was younger than the others,
and with more of the child’s confiding trust he opened
his heart to Jesus.
Thus he came more into sympa
thy with Christ, and through him the Saviour’s deep
22
338
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
est spiritual teaching was communicated to His
people.
At the head of one of the groups into which the
apostles are divided, stands the name of Philip.
He
was the first disciple to whom Jesus addressed the dis
tinct command, “ Follow Me.”
Philip was of Beth-
saida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
He had listened
to the teaching of John the Baptist, and had heard
his announcement of Christ as the Lamb of God.
Philip was a sincere seeker for truth, but he was slow
of heart to believe.
Although he had joined himself
to Christ, yet his announcement of Him to Nathaniel
shows that he was not fully convinced of the divinity
of Jesus.
Though Christ had been proclaimed by the
voice from heaven as the Son of God, to Philip He
was “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”2
Again,
when the five thousand were fed, Philip’s lack of faith
was shown.
It was to test him that Jesus questioned,
"Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
Philip’s answer was on the side of unbelief : “ Two
hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for
them, that every one of them may take a little.”3
Je
sus was grieved.
Although Philip had seen His
works and felt His power, yet he had not faith.
When
the Greeks inquired of Philip concerning Jesus, he
did not seize upon the opportunity of introducing
them to the Saviour as an honor and joy, but he went
to tell Andrew.
Again, in those last precious hours
before the crucifixion, the words of Philip were such
as to discourage faith: “ Lord, we know not whither
Thou goest; and how can we know the way?”
Jesus
answered, “ I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
•
.
.
If ye had known Me, ye should have known
My Father also.”
Again the response of unbelief:
“ Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.”4
So
2John 1:45.
3John 6:5, 7.
4John 14:5-8.
HE ORDAINED TWELVE.
339
slow of heart, so weak in faith, was that disciple who
for three years had been with Jesus.
In happy contrast to Philip’s unbelief was the child
like trust of Nathanael.
He was a man of intensely
earnest nature, one whose faith took hold upon un
seen realities.
Yet Philip was a student in the school
of Christ, and the divine Teacher bore patiently with
his unbelief and dullness.
When the Holy Spirit was
poured out upon the disciples, Philip became a teacher
after the divine order.
He knew whereof he spoke,
and he taught with an assurance that carried convic
tion to the hearers.
While Jesus was preparing the disciples for their
ordination, one who had not been summoned, urged
his presence among them.
It was Judas Iscariot, a
man who professed to be a follower of Christ.
He
now came forward, soliciting a place in this inner
circle of disciples.
With great earnestness and ap
parent sincerity he declared, “ Master, I will follow
Thee whithersoever Thou goest.”
Jesus neither re
pulsed nor welcomed him, but uttered only the mourn
ful words: “ The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to
lay His head.” 5
Judas believed Jesus to be the Mes
siah; and by joining the apostles, he hoped to secure
a high position in the new kingdom.
This hope Jesus
designed to cut oft' by the statement of His poverty.
The disciples were anxious that Judas should be
come one of their number.
He was of commanding
appearance, a man of keen discernment and executive
ability, and they commended him to Jesus as one who
would greatly assist Him in His work.
They were
surprised that Jesus received him so coolly.
The disciples had been much disappointed that
Jesus had not tried to secure the co-operation of the
5 Matt. 8:19, 20.
3 40
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
leaders in Israel.
They felt that it was a mistake not
to strengthen His cause by securing the support of
these influential men.
If He had repulsed Judas,
they would, in their own minds, have questioned the
wisdom of their Master.
The after-history of Judas
would show them the danger of allowing any worldly
consideration to have weight in deciding the fitness
of men for the work of God.
The co-operation of
such men as the disciples were anxious to secure,
would have betrayed the work into the hands of its
worst enemies.
Yet when Judas joined the disciples, he was not
insensible to the beauty of the character of Christ.
He felt the influence of that divine power which was
drawing souls to the Saviour.
He who came not to
break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax,
would not repulse this soul while even one desire was
reaching toward the light.
The Saviour read the
heart of Judas; He knew the depths of iniquity to
which, unless delivered by the grace of God, Judas
would sink.
In connecting this man with Himself.
He placed him where he might, day by day, be
brought in contact with the outflowing of His own
unselfish love.
If he would open his heart to Christ,
divine grace would banish the demon of selfishness!
and even Judas might become a subject of the king
dom of God.
God takes men as they are, with the human ele
ments in their character, and trains them for His serv
ice, if they will be disciplined and learn of Him.
They
are not chosen because they are perfect, but notwith
standing their imperfections, that through the knowl
edge and practise, of the truth, through the grace of
Christ, they may become transformed into His image.
Judas had the same opportunities as had the other
disciples.
He listened to the same precious lessons.
HE ORDAINED TWELVE.
341
But the practise of the truth, which Christ required,
was at variance with the desires and purposes of
Judas, and he would not yield his ideas in order to
receive wisdom from Heaven.
How tenderly the Saviour dealt with him who was
to be His betrayer.
In His teaching, Jesus dwelt
upon principles of benevolence that struck at the very
root of covetousness.
He presented before Judas the
heinous character of greed, and many a time the dis
ciple realized that his character had been portrayed,
and his sin pointed out; but he would not confess and
forsake his unrighteousness.
He was self-sufficient,
and instead of resisting temptation, he continued to
follow his fraudulent practises.
Christ was before
him, a living example of what he must become if he
reaped the benefit of the divine mediation and minis
try; but lesson after lesson fell unheeded on the ears
of Judas.
Jesus dealt him no sharp rebuke for his covetous
ness, but with divine patience bore with this erring
man, even while giving him evidence that He read
his heart as an open book.
He presented before him
the highest incentives for right-doing; and in reject
ing the light of Heaven, Judas would be without
excuse.
Instead of walking in the light, Judas chose to re
tain his defects.
Evil desires, revengeful passions,
dark and sullen thoughts, were cherished, until Satan
had full control of the man.
Judas became a repre
sentative of the enemy of Christ.
When he came into association with Jesus, he had
some precious traits of character, that might have
been made a blessing to the church.
If he had been
willing to wear the yoke of Christ, he might have
been among the chief of the apostles; but he hardened
his heart when his defects were pointed out, and in
342
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
piide and rebellion chose his own selfish ambitions,
and thus unfitted himself for the work that God would
have given him to do.
All the disciples had serious faults when Jesus
called them to His service.
Even John, who came
into closest association with the meek and lowly One,
was not himself naturally meek and yielding.
He
and his brother were called “the sons of thunder.”
While they were with Jesus, any slight shown to Him
aroused their indignation and combativeness.
Evil
temper, revenge, the spirit of criticism, were all in the
beloved disciple.
He was proud, and ambitious to
be first in the kingdom of God.
But day by day, in
contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the
tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His
lessons of humility and patience.
He opened his
heart to the divine influence, and became not only a
hearer but a doer of the Saviour’s words.
Self was
hid in Christ.
He learned to wear the yoke of Christ
and to bear His burden.
Jesus reproved His disciples, He warned and cau
tioned them; but John and his brethren did not leave
Him; they chose Jesus, notwithstanding the reproofs.
The Saviour did not withdraw from them because of
their weakness and errors.
They continued to the
end to share His trials and to learn the lessons of His
life.
By beholding Christ, they became transformed
in character.
The apostles differed widely in habits and disposi
tion.
There were the publican, Levi-Matthew, and
the fiery zealot Simon, the uncompromising hater of
the authority of Rom e; the generous, impulsive Peter,
and the mean-spirited Judas; Thomas, true-hearted,
yet timid and fearful, Philip, slow of heart, and in
clined to doubt, and the ambitious, outspoken sons of
Zebedee, with their brethren.
These were brought
HE ORDAINED TWELVE.
343
together, with their different faults, all with inherited
and cultivated tendencies to evil; but in and through
Christ they were to dwell in the family of God, learn
ing to become one in faith, in doctrine, in spirit.
They would have their tests, their grievances, their
differences of opinion; but while Christ was abiding
in the heart, there could be no dissension.
His love
would lead to love for one another; the lessons of the
Master would lead to the harmonizing of all differ
ences, bringing the disciples into unity, till they
would be of one mind and one judgment.
Christ is
the great center, and they would approach one an
other just in proportion as they approached the
center.
When Jesus had ended His instruction to the dis
ciples, He gathered the little band close about Him,
and kneeling in the midst of them, and laying His
hands upon their heads, He offered a prayer dedicat
ing them to His sacred work.
Thus the Lord’s dis
ciples were ordained to the gospel ministry.
As His representatives among men, Christ does
not choose angels who have never fallen, but human
beings, men of like passions with those they seek to
save.
Christ took upon Himself humanity, that He
might reach humanity.
Divinity needed humanity;
for it required both the divine and the human to bring
salvation to the world.
Divinity needed humanity,
that humanity might afford a channel of communica
tion between God and man.
So with the servants
and messengers of Christ.
Man needs a power out
side of and beyond himself, to restore him to the like
ness of God, and enable him to do the work of God;
but this does not make the human agency unessential.
Humanity lays hold upon divine power, Christ dwells
in the heart by faith; and through co-operation with
the divine, the power of man becomes efficient for
good.
344
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
He who called the fishermen of Galilee is still call
ing men to His service.
And He is just as willing to
manifest His power through us as through the first
disciples.
However imperfect and sinful we may be,
the Lord holds out to us the offer of partnership with
Himself, of apprenticeship to Christ.
He invites us
to come under the divine instruction, that, uniting
with Christ, we may work the works of God.
“ We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and
not from ourselves.”6
This is why the preaching of
the gospel was committed to erring men rather than
to the angels.
It is manifest that the power which
works through the weakness of humanity, is the
power of God; and thus we are encouraged to believe
that the power which can help others as weak as our
selves, can help us.
And those who are themselves
“ compassed with infirmity.” should be able to “ have
compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are
out of the way.”7
Having been in peril themselves,
they are acquainted with the dangers and difficulties
of the way, and for this reason are called to reach out
for others in like peril.
There are souls perplexed
with doubt, burdened with infirmities, weak in faith
and unable to grasp the Unseen; but a friend whom
they can see, coming to them in Christ’s stead, can be
a connecting link to fasten their trembling faith upon
Christ
We are to be laborers together with the heavenly
angels in presenting Jesus to the world.
With al
most impatient eagerness the angels wait for our co
operation; for man must be the channel to communi
cate with man.
And when we give ourselves to
Christ in whole-hearted devotion, angels rejoice that
they may speak through our voices to reveal God’s
love.
62 Cor. 4:7, R. V.
THeb. 5:2.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.
Christ seldom gathered His disciples alone to re
ceive His words.
He did not choose for His audi
ence those only who knew the way of life.
It was
His work to reach the multitudes who were in igno
rance and error.
He gave His lessons of truth where
they could reach the darkened understanding.
He
Himself was the Truth, standing with girded loins
and hands ever outstretched to bless, and in words of
warning, entreaty, and encouragement, seeking to up
lift all who would come unto Him.
The sermon on the mount, though given especially
to the disciples, was spoken in the hearing of the mul
titude.
After the ordination of the apostles, Jesus
went with them to the seaside.
Here in the early
morning the people had begun to assemble.
Besides
the usual crowds from the Galilean towns, there were
people from Judea, and even from Jerusalem itself;
from Perea, from Decapolis, from Idumea, away to
the south of Judea; and from Tyre and Sidon, the
Phenician cities on the shore of the Mediterranean.
“When they had heard what great things H e did,”
they “ came to hear Him and to be healed of their
diseases:
.
.
.
there went virtue out of Him, and
healed them all.” 1
The narrow beach did not afford even standing
This chapter is based on Matt. 5; 6; 7.
‘ Mark 3:8; Luke 6:17-19.
( 3 4 5 )
room within reach of His voice for all who desired to
hear Him, and Jesus led the way back to the moun
tain-side.
Reaching a level space that offered a
pleasant gathering-place for the vast assembly, He
seated Himself on the grass, and the disciples and the
multitude followed His example.
The disciples’ place was always next to Jesus. The
people constantly pressed upon Him, yet the disciples
understood that they were not to be crowded away
from His presence.
They sat close beside Him, that
they might not lose a word of His instruction.
They
were attentive listeners, eager to understand the truths
they were to make known to all lands and all ages.
With a feeling that something more than usual
might be expected, they now pressed about their
Master.
They believed that the kingdom was soon
to be established, and from the events of the morning
they gathered assurance that some announcement
concerning it was about to be made.
A feeling of
expectancy pervaded the multitude also, and eager
faces gave evidence of the deep interest.
As the
people sat upon the green hillside, awaiting the words
of the divine Teacher, their hearts were filled with
thoughts of future glory.
There were scribes and
Pharisees who looked forward to the day when they
should have dominion over the hated Romans, and
possess the riches and splendor of the world’s great
empire.
The poor peasants and fishermen hoped to
hear the assurance that their wretched hovels, the
scanty food, the life of toil, and fear of want, were to
be exchanged for mansions of plenty and days of
ease.
In place of the one coarse garment which was
their covering by day, and their blanket at night, they
hoped that Christ would give them the rich and costly
robes of their conquerors.
All hearts thrilled with
the proud hope that Israel was soon to be honored
3 4 6
t h e d e s i r e o f a g e s .
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
347
before the nations as the chosen of the Lord, and
Jerusalem exalted as the head of a universal kingdom.
Christ disappointed the hope of worldly greatness.
In the sermon on the mount, He sought to undo the
work that had been wrought by false education, and
to give His hearers a right conception of His king
dom and of His own character.
Yet He did not
make a direct attack on the errors of the people.
He
saw the misery of the world on account of sin, yet He
did not present before them a vivid delineation of
their wretchedness.
He taught them of something
infinitely better than they had known.
Without com
bating their ideas of the kingdom of God, He told
them the conditions of entrance therein, leaving them
to draw their own conclusions as to its nature.
The
truths He taught are no less important to us than to
the multitude that followed Him.
We no less than
they need to learn the foundation principles of the
kingdom of God.
Christ’s first words to the people on the mount
were words of blessing.
Happy are they, He said,
who recognize their spiritual poverty, and feel their
need of redemption.
The gospel is to be prea:hed
to the poor.
Not to the spiritually proud, those who
claim to be rich and in need of nothing, is it revealed,
but to those who are humble and contrite.
One
fountain only has been opened for sin, a fountain for
the poor in spirit.
The proud heart strives to earn salvation; but both
our title to heaven and our fitness for it are found in
the righteousness of Christ.
The Lord can do noth
ing toward the recovery of man until, convinced of
his own weakness, and stripped of all self-sufficiency,
he yields himself to the control of God.
Then he can
receive the gift that God is waiting to bestow.
From
the soul that feels his need, nothing is withheld.
He
\
348
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
has unrestricted access to Him in whom all fulness
dwells.
“ For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in
the high and holy place; with him also that is of a
contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones.” 2
“ Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be
comforted.”
By these words, Christ does not teach
that mourning in itself has power to remove the guilt
of sin.
He gives no sanction to pretense or to volun
tary humility.
The mourning of which He speaks,
does not consist in melancholy and lamentation.
While we sorrow on account of sin, we are to rejoice
in the precious privilege of being children of God.
W e often sorrow because our evil deeds bring un
pleasant consequences to ourselves; but this is not
repentance.
Real sorrow for sin is the result of the
working of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit reveals the
ingratitude of the heart that has slighted and grieved
the Saviour, and brings us in contrition to the foot
of the cross.
By every sin, Jesus is wounded afresh;
and as we look upon Him whom we have pierced,
we mourn for the sins that have brought anguish
upon Him.
Such mourning will lead to the renun
ciation of sin.
The worldling may pronounce this sorrow a weak
ness; but it is the strength which binds the penitent
to the Infinite One with links that cannot be broken.
It shows that the angels of God are bringing back
to the soul the graces that were lost through hard
ness of heart and transgression.
The tears of the
penitent are only the rain-drops that precede the sun
shine of holiness.
This sorrow heralds a joy which
will be a living fountain in the soul.
“ Only acknowl-
2 Isa. 57:15.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
349
edge thine iniquity, that
thou hast transgressed
against the Lord thy God;” “ and I will not cause
Mine anger to fall upon you; for I am merciful, saith
the Lord.” 8
“Unto them that mourn in Zion,” He
has appointed to give “ beauty for ashes, the oil of
joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness.” 4
And for those also who mourn in trial and sorrow,
there is comfort.
The bitterness of grief and humili
ation is better than the indulgences of sin.
Through
affliction God reveals to us the plague-spots in our
characters, that by His grace we may overcome our
faults.
Unknown chapters in regard to ourselves
are opened to us, and the test comes, whether we will
accept the reproof and the counsel of God.
When
brought into trial, we are not to fret and complain.
We should not rebel, or worry ourselves out of the
hand of Christ.
W e are to humble the soul before
God.
The ways of the Lord are obscure to, him who
desires to see things in a light pleasing to himself.
They appear dark and joyless to our human nature.
But God’s ways are ways of mercy, and the end is
salvation.
Elijah knew not what he was doing when
in the desert he said that he had had enough of life, and
prayed that he might die.
The Lord in His mercy
did not take him at his word.
There was yet a great
work for Elijah to do; and when his work was done,
he was not to perish in discouragement and solitude
in the wfilderness.
Not for him the descent into the
dust of death, but the ascent in glory, with the con
voy of celestial chariots, to the throne on high.
God’s word for the sorrowing is, “ I have- seen his
ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and re
store comforts unto him and to his mourners.”
“ I
will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort
them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.”5
*Jer. 3:13, 12.
«Isa. 61:3.
5Isa. 57:18; Jer. 31:13.
350
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ Blessed are the meek.”
The difficulties we have
to encounter may be very much lessened by that
meekness which hides itself in Christ.
If we possess
the humility of our Master, we shall rise above the
slights, the rebuffs, the annoyances to which we are
daily exposed, and they will cease to cast a gloom
over the spirit.
The highest evidence of nobility in
a Christian is self-control.
He who under abuse or
cruelty fails to maintain a calm and trustful spirit,
robs God of His right to reveal in him His own per
fection of character.
Lowliness of heart is the
strength that gives victory to the followers of Christ;
it is the token of their connection with the courts
above.
“ Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect
unto the lowly.” K
Those who reveal the meek and
lowly spirit of Christ are tenderly regarded by God.
They may be looked upon with scorn by the world,
but they are of great value in His sight.
Not only
the wise, the great, the beneficent, will gain a pass
port to the heavenly courts; not only the busy worker,
full of zeal and restless activity.
No; the poor in
spirit, who crave the presence of an abiding Christ
the humble in heart, whose highest ambition is to
do God’s will,—these will gain an abundant entrance.
They will be among that number who have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the
Lamb.
“ Therefore are they before the throne of
God, and serve Him day and night in His temple;
and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them.” 7
“ Blesssd are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness.”
The sense of unworthiness
will
lead the heart to hunger and thirst for righteousness,
and this desire will not be disappointed.
Those who
cPs. 138:6.
1 Rev. 7:15.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
3 51
make room in their hearts for Jesus will realize His
love.
All who long to bear the likeness of the char
acter of God shall be satisfied.
The Holy Spirit
never leaves unassisted the soul who is looking unto
Jesus.
He takes of the things of Christ and shows
them unto him.
If the eye is kept fixed on Christ,
the work of the Spirit ceases not until the soul is
conformed to His image.
The pure element of love
will expand the soul, giving it a capacity for higher
attainments, for increased knowledge of heavenly
things, so that it will not rest short of the fulness.
“ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness; for they shall be filled.”
The merciful shall find mercy, and the pure in
heart shall see God.
Every impure thought defiles
the soul, impairs the moral sense, and tends to oblit
erate the impressions of the Holy Spirit.
It dims the
spiritual vision, so that men cannot behold God.
The Lord may and does forgive the repenting sinner;
but though forgiven, the soul is marred.
All im
purity, of speech or of thought must be shunned by
him who would have clear discernment of spiritual
truth.
But the words of Christ cover more than freedom
from sensual impurity, more than freedom from that
ceremonial defilement which the Jews so rigorously
shunned.
Selfishness prevents us from beholding
God.
The self-seeking spirit judges of God as al
together such a one as itself.
Until we have re
nounced this, we cannot understand Him who is
love.
Only the unselfish heart, the humble and trust
ful spirit, shall see God as “ merciful and gracious,
longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth.’ *
“ Blessed are the peacemakers.”
The peace of
Christ is born of truth.
It is harmony with God.
8 Ex. 34:6.
352
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The world is at enmity with the law of God; sinners
are at enmity with their Maker; and as a result they
are at enmity with one another.
But the psalmist
declares, “ Great peace have they which love Thy
law; and nothing shall offend them.” 9
Men cannot
manufacture peace.
Human plans for the purifica
tion and uplifting of individuals or of society will fail
of producing peace, because they do not reach the
heart.
The only power that can create or perpetuate
true peace is the grace of Christ.
When this is im
planted in the heart, it will cast out the evil passions
that cause strife and dissension.
“ Instead of the
thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the
brier shall come up the myrtle tree;” and life’s desert
“ shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.”10
The multitudes were amazed at this teaching, which
was so at variance with the precepts and example of
the Pharisees.
The people had come to think that
happiness consisted in the possession of the things
of this world, and that fame and the honor of men
were much to be coveted.
It was very pleasing to
be called “ Rabbi,” and to be extolled as wise and re
ligious, having their virtues paraded before the pub
lic.
This was regarded as the crown of happiness.
But in the presence of that vast throng, Jesus de
clared that earthly gain and honor were all the re
ward such persons would ever receive.
He spoke
with certainty, and a convincing power attended His
words.
The people were silenced, and a feeling of
fear crept over them.
They looked at one another
doubtfully.
W ho of them would be saved if this
man’s teachings were true?
Many were convicted
that this remarkable teacher was actuated by the
Spirit of God, and that the sentiments He uttered
were divine.
»Ps. 119:165.
10 Isa. 55:13; 35:1.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
353
After explaining what constitutes true happiness,
and how it may be obtained, Jesus more definitely
pointed out the duty of His disciples, as teachers
chosen of God to lead others into the path of right
eousness and eternal life.
He knew that they would
often suffer from disappointment and discourage
ment, that they would meet with decided opposition,
that they would be insulted, and their testimony re
jected.
Well He knew that in the fulfilment o f their
mission, the humble men who listened so attentively to
His words were to bear calumny, torture, imprison
ment, and death, and He continued:—
“ Blessed are they which are persecuted for right
eousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and perse
cute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for My sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding
glad; for great is your reward in heaven; for so per
secuted they the prophets which were before you.”
The world loves sin, and hates righteousness, and
this was the cause of its hostility to Jesus.
All who
refuse His infinite love, will find Christianity a dis
turbing element.
The light of Christ sweeps away
the darkness that covers their sins, and the need of
reform is made manifest.
While those who yield to
the influence of the Holy Spirit begin war with them
selves, those who cling to sin war against the truth
and its representatives.
Thus strife is created, and Christ’s followers are
accused as troublers of the people.
But it is fellow
ship with God that brings them the world’s enmity.
They are bearing the reproach of Christ.
They are
treading the path that has been trodden by tKe no
blest of the earth.
Not with sorrow, but with rejoic
ing, should they meet persecution.
Each fiery trial
is God’s agent for their refining.
Each is fitting
23
\
354
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
them for their work as co-laborers with Him.
Each
conflict has its place in the great battle for righteous
ness, and each will add to the joy of their final
triumph.
Having this in view, the test of their faith
and patience will be cheerfully accepted rather than
dreaded and avoided.
Anxious to fulfil their obli
gation to the world, fixing their desire upon the ap
proval of God, His servants are to fulfil every duty,
irrespective of the fear or the favor of men.
“ Ye are the salt of the earth,” Jesus said.
Do not
withdraw yourselves from the world in order to escape
persecution.
You are to abide among men, that the
savor of the divine love may be as salt to preserve the
world from corruption.
Hearts that respond to the influence of the Holy
Spirit are the channels through which God’s blessing
flows.
Were those who serve God removed from the
earth and His Spirit withdrawn from among men, this
world would be left to desolation and destruction, the
fruit of Satan’s dominion.
Though the wicked know
it not, they owe even the blessings of this life to the
presence, in the world, of God’s people whom they
despise and oppress.
But if Christians are such in
name only, they are like the salt that has lost its savor.
They have no influence for good in the world.
Through their misrepresentation of God they are
worse than unbelievers.
“ Ye are the light of the world.”
The Jews thought
to confine the benefits of salvation to their own nation;
but Christ showed them that salvation is like the sun
shine.
It belongs to the whole world.
The religion
of the Bible is not to be confined between the covers
of a book, nor within the walls of a church.
It is not
to be brought out occasionally for our own benefit,
and then to be carefully laid aside again.
It is to
sanctify the daily life, to manifest itself in every busi
ness transaction and in all our social relations.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
355
True character is not shaped from without, and put
on; it radiates from within.
If we wish to direct
others in the path of righteousness, the principles of
righteousness must be enshrined in our own hearts.
Our profession of faith may proclaim the theory of
religion, but it is our practical
piety that
holds
forth the word of truth.
The consistent life, the holy
conversation, the unswerving integrity, the active,
benevolent spirit, the godly example;,—these are the
mediums through which light is conveyed to the
world.
Jesus had not dwelt on the specifications of the law,
but He did not leave His hearers to conclude that He
had come to set aside its requirements.
He knew
that spies stood ready to seize upon every word that
might be wrested to serve their purpose.
He knew
the prejudice that existed in the minds of many of
His hearers, and He said nothing to unsettle their
faith in the religion and institutions that had been
committed to them through Moses.
Christ Himself
had given both the moral and the ceremonial law.
He did not come to destroy confidence in His own
instruction.
It was because of His great reverence
for the law and the prophets, that He sought to
break through the wall of traditional requirements
which hemmed in the Jews.
While He set aside theii
false interpretations of the law, He carefully guarded
His disciples against yielding up the vital truths com
mitted to the Hebrews.
The Pharisees prided themselves on their obedi
ence to the law; yet they knew so little of its prin
ciples through every-day practise that to them the
Saviour’s words sounded like heresy.
As He swept
away the rubbish under which the truth had been
buried, they thought He was sweeping away the
truth itself.
They whispered to one another that He
356
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
was making light of the law.
He read their thoughts,
and answered them, saying,—
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil.”
Here
Jesus
refutes
the
charge
of
the
Pharisees.
His mission to the world is to vindicate
the sacred claims of that law which they charge Him
with breaking.
If the law of God could have been
changed or abrogated, then Christ need not have
suffered the consequences
of our transgression.
He came to explain the relation of the law to man,
and to illustrate its precepts by His own life of
obedience.
God has given us His holy precepts, because He
loves mankind.
To shield us from the results of
transgression, He reveals the principles of righteous
ness.
The law is an expression of the thought of
God; when received in Christ it becomes our thought.
It lifts us above the power of natural desires and
tendencies, above temptations that lead to sin.
God
desires us to be happy, and He gave us the precepts
of the law that in obeying them we might have joy.
When at Jesus’ birth the angels sang,—
“ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, good will toward men,”u
they were declaring the principles of the law which
Pie had come to magnify and make honorable.
When the law was proclaimed from Sinai, God
made known to men the holiness of His character,
that by contrast they might see the sinfulness of their
own.
The law was given to convict them of sin, and
reveal their need of a Saviour.
It would do this as
its principles were applied to the heart by the Holy
Spirit.
This work it is still to do.
In the life of
11 Luke 2:14.
Christ the principles of the law are made plain; and
as the Holy Spirit of God touches the heart; as the
light of Christ reveals to men their need of His
cleansing blood and His justifying righteousness,
the law is still an agent in bringing us to Christ, that
we may be justified by faith.
“The law of the Lord
is perfect, converting the soul.” 12
“ Till heaven and earth pass,” said Jesus„ “ one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all
be fulfilled.”
The sun shining in the heavens, the
solid earth upon which you dwell, are God’s witnesses
that His law is changeless and eternal.
Though they
may pass away, the divine precepts shall endure.
“ It
is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle
of the law to fail.” 13
The system of types that
pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God was to be abol
ished at His death; but the precepts of the decalogue
are as immutable as the throne of God.
Since “ the law of the Lord is perfect,” every va
riation from it must be evil.
Those who disobey the
commandments of God, and teach others to do so,
are condemned by Christ.
The Saviour’s
life of
obedience maintained the claims of the law; it
proved that the law could be kept in humanity, and
showed the excellence of character that obedience
would develop.
All who obey as He did, are likewise
declaring that the law is “ holy, and just, and good.” 14
On the other hand, all who break God’s command
ments are sustaining Satan’s claim that the law is
unjust, and cannot be obeyed.
Thus they second
the deceptions of the great adversary, and cast dis
honor upon God.
They are the children
of the
wicked one, who was the first rebel against God’s law.
To admit them into heaven would again bring in the
elements of discord and rebellion, and imperil the
u Ps. 19:7.
13 Luke 16:17.
14 Rom. 7:12.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
357
35$
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
well-being of the universe.
No man who wilfully
disregards one principle of the law shall enter the
kingdom of heaven.
The rabbis counted their righteousness a passport
to heaven; but Jesus declared it to be insufficient and
unworthy.
External ceremonies and a theoretical
knowledge of truth constituted
Pharisaical right
eousness.
The rabbis claimed to be holy through
their own efforts in keeping the law; but their works
had divorced righteousness from religion.
While
they were punctilious in ritual observances, their
lives were immoral and debased.
Their so-called
righteousness
could
never enter the kingdom of
heaven.
The greatest deception of the human mind in
Christ’s day was, that a mere assent to the truth
constitutes righteousness.
In all human experience
a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved
to be insufficient for the saving of the soul.
It does
not bring forth the fruits of righteousness.
A
jealous regard for what is termed theological truth,
often accompanies a hatred of genuine truth as made
manifest in life.
The darkest chapters of history are
burdened with the record of crimes committed by
bigoted religionists.
The Pharisees claimed to be
children of Abraham, and boasted of their possession
of the oracles of God; yet these advantages did not
preserve them from selfishness, malignity, greed for
gain, and the basest hypocrisy.
They thought them
selves the greatest religionists of the world, but their
so-called orthodoxy led them to crucify the Lord of
glory.
The same danger still exists.
Many take it for
granted that they are Christians, simply because
they subscribe to certain theological tenets.
But
they have not brought the truth into practical life.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
359
They have not believed and loved it, therefore they
have not received the power and grace that come
through sanctification of the truth.
Men may profess
faith in the truth; but if it does not make them
sincere, kind, patient, forbearing, heavenly minded,
it is a curse to its possessors, and through their influ
ence it is a curse to the world.
The righteousness which Christ taught is conform
ity of heart and life to the revealed will of God.
Sin
ful men can become righteous only as they have faith
in God, and maintain a vital connection with Him.
Then true godliness will elevate the thoughts and
ennoble the life.
Then the external forms of religion
accord with the Christian’s internal purity.
Then
the ceremonies required in the service of God are
not meaningless rites, like those of the hypocritical
Pharisees.
Jesus takes up the commandments separately, and
explains the depth and breadth of their requirement.
Instead of removing one jot of their force, He shows
how far-reaching their principles are, and exposes the
fatal mistake of the Jews in their outward show of
obedience.
He declares that by the evil thought or
the lustful look the law of God is transgressed.
One
who becomes a party to the least injustice is breaking
the law, and degrading his
own moral nature.
Murder first exists in the mind.
He who gives
hatred a place in his heart is setting his feet in the
path of the murderer, and his offerings are abhorrent
to God.
The Jews cultivated a spirit of retaliation.
In
their hatred of the Romans they gave utterance to
hard denunciations, and pleased the wicked one by
manifesting his attributes.
Thus they were training
themselves to do the terrible deeds to which he led
them on.
In the religious life of the Pharisees there
3 60
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
was nothing to recommend piety to the Gentiles.
Jesus bade them not to deceive themselves with the
thought that they could in heart rise up against their
oppressors, and cherish the longing to avenge their
wrongs.
It is true there is an indignation that is justifiable,
even in the followers of Christ.
When they see that
God is dishonored, and His service brought into dis
repute; when they see the innocent oppressed, a
righteous indignation stirs the soul.
Such anger,
born of sensitive morals, is not a sin.
But those who
at any supposed provocation feel at liberty to indulge
anger or resentment, are opening the heart to Satan.
Bitterness and animosity must be banished from the
soul if we would be in harmony with heaven.
The Saviour goes farther than this.
He says, “ If
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remem-
berest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first
be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer
thy gift.”
Many are zealous in religious services,
while between them and their brethren are unhappy
differences which they might reconcile.
God re
quires them to do all in their power to restore
harmony.
Until they do this, He cannot accept their
services.
The Christian’s duty in this matter is
clearly pointed out.
God pours His blessings upon all.
“ He maketh
His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
He is
“ kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” 15
He
bids us to be like Him.
“ Bless them that curse you,”
said Jesus; “ do good to them that hate you,
.
.
.
that ye may be the children of your Father which is
in heaven.”
These are the principles of the law, and
they are the well-springs of life.
13 Luke 6:35.
God’s ideal for His children is higher than the
highest human thought can reach.
“ Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect”
This command is a promise.
The plan
of redemption contemplates our complete recovery
from the power of Satan.
Christ always separates
the contrite soul from sin.
He came to destroy the
works of the devil, and He has made provision that
the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant
soul, to keep him from sinning.
The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an
excuse for one wrong act.
Satan is jubilant when he
hears the professed followers of Christ making ex
cuses for their deformity of character.
It is these
excuses that lead to sin.
There is no excuse for sin
ning.
A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible
to every repenting, believing child of God.
The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness.
As the Son of man was perfect in His life, so His
followers are to be perfect in their life.
Jesus was
in all things made like unto His brethren.
He be
came flesh, even as we are.
He was hungry and
thirsty and weary.
He was sustained by food and
refreshed by sleep.
He shared the lot of man; yet
He was the blameless Son of God.
He was God in
the flesh.
His character is to be ours.
The Lord
says of those who believe in Him, “ I will dwell in
them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and
they shall be My people.” 16
Christ is the ladder that Jacob saw, the base
resting on the earth, and the topmost round reaching
to the gate of heaven, to the very threshold of glory.
If that ladder had failed by a single step of reaching
the earth, we should have been lost.
But Christ
reaches us where we are.
He took our nature and
16 2 Cor. 6:16.
\
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
3 6 1
362
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
overcame, that we through taking His nature might
overcome.
Made “ in the likeness of sinful flesh,” 17
He lived a sinless life.
Now by His divinity He lays
hold upon the throne of heaven, while by His hu
manity He reaches us.
He bids us by faith in Him
attain to the glory of the character of God.
There
fore are we to be perfect, even as our “ Father which
is in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus had shown in what righteousness consists,
and had pointed to God as its source.
Now He
turned to practical duties.
In almsgiving, in prayer,
in fasting, He said, let nothing be done to attract
attention or win praise to self.
Give in sincerity, for
the benefit of the suffering poor.
In prayer, let the
soul commune with God.
In fasting, go not with
the head bowed down, and heart filled with thoughts
of self.
The heart of the Pharisee is a barren and
profitless soil, in which no seeds of divine life can
flourish.
It is he who yields himself most unre
servedly to God that will render Him the most ac
ceptable service.
For through fellowship with God
men become workers together with Him in present
ing His character in humanity.
The service rendered in sincerity of heart has
great recompense.
“Thy Father, which seeth in
secret, Himself shall reward thee openly.”
By the
life we live through the grace of Christ, the charac
ter is formed.
The original loveliness begins to be
restored to the soul.
The attributes of the character
of Christ are imparted, and the image of the Divine
begins to shine forth.
The faces of men and women
who walk and work with God, express the peace of
heaven.
They are surrounded with the atmosphere
of heaven.
For these souls the kingdom of God has
begun.
They have Christ’s joy, the joy of being
17 Rom. 8:3.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
363
a blessing to humanity.
They have the honor of be
ing accepted for the Master’s use; they are trusted
to do His work in His name.
“ No man can serve two masters.”
We cannot serve
God with a divided heart.
Bible religion is not one
influence among many others; its influence is to be
supreme, pervading and controlling every other.
It
is not to be like a dash of color brushed here and there
upon the canvas, but it is to pervade the whole life,
as if the canvas were dipped into the color, until every
thread of the fabric were dyed a deep, unfading hue.
“ If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness.”
Purity and
steadfastness of purpose are the conditions of receiv
ing light from God.
He who desires to know the
truth, must be willing to accept all that it reveals.
He can make no compromise with error.
To be
wavering and half-hearted in allegiance to truth, is to
choose the darkness of error and Satanic delusion.
Worldly policy and the undeviating principles of
righteousness, do not blend into each other imper
ceptibly, like the colors of the rainbow.
Between
the two a broad, clear line is drawn by the eternal
God.
The likeness of Christ stands out as distinct
from that of Satan as midday in contrast with mid
night.
And only those who live the life of Christ,
are His co-workers.
If one sin is cherished in the
soul, or one wrong practise retained in the life, the
whole being is contaminated.
The man becomes an
instrument of unrighteousness.
All who have chosen God’s service are to rest in
His care.
Christ pointed to the birds flying in the
heavens, to the flowers of the field, and bade His
hearers consider these objects of God’s creation.
“Are ye not of much more value than they?” 18 He
18 R. V.
364
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
said.
The measure of divine attention bestowed on
any object is proportionate to its rank in the scale
of being.
The little brown sparrow is watched over
by Providence.
The flowers of the field, the grass
that carpets the earth, share the notice and care of
our Heavenly Father.
The great Master-Artist has
taken thought for the lilies, making them so beauti
ful that they outshine the glory of Solomon.
How
much more does Fie care for man, who is the image
and glory of God.
He longs to see His children
reveal a character after His similitude.
As the sun
beam imparts to the flowers their varied and delicate
tints, so does God impart to the soul the beauty of
His own character.
All who choose Christ’s kingdom of love and right
eousness and peace, making its interests paramount
to all other, are linked to the world above, and every
blessing needed for this life is theirs.
In the book of
God’s providence, the volume of life, we are each
given a page.
That page contains every particular
of our history; even the hairs of the head are num
bered.
God’s children are never absent from His
mind.
“ Be not therefore anxious for the morrow.” 19
We
are to follow Christ day by day.
God does not be
stow help for to-morrow.
He does not give His
children all the directions for their life journey at
once, lest they should become confused.
He tells
them just as much as they can remember and perform.
The strength and wisdom imparted are for the pres
ent emergency.
“ If any of you lack wisdom,”—
for to-day,— “ let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.” 90
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
D o not
UR. V.
"James 1:5.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
365
think yourself better than other men, and set your
self up as their judge.
Since you cannot discern
motive, you are incapable of judging another.
In
criticizing him, you are passing sentence upon your
self; for you show that you are a participant with
Satan, the accuser of the brethren.
The Lord says,
“ Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith;
prove your own selves.”
This is our work.
“ If we
would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”21
The good tree will produce good fruit.
If the fruit
is unpalatable and worthless, the tree is evil.
So the
fruit borne in the life testifies as to the condition of the
heart and the excellence of the character.
Good
works can never purchase salvation, but they are an
evidence of the faith that acts by love and purifies the
soul.
And though the eternal reward is not bestowed
because of our merit, yet it will be in proportion to
the work that has been done through the grace of
Christ.
Thus Christ set forth the principles of His king
dom, and showed them to be the great rule of life.
To impress the lesson He adds an illustration.
It is
not enough, He says, for you to hear My words.
By
obedience you must make them the foundation of
your character.
Self is but shifting sand.
If you
build upon human theories and inventions, your house
will fall.
By the winds of temptation, the tempests
of trial, it will be swept away.
But these principles
that I have given will endure.
Receive Me; build
on My words.
“Every one therefore which heareth these words of
Mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise
man, which built his house upon the rock: and the
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it
was founded upon the rock.” 22
21 2 Cor. 13:5; I Cor. 11:31.
» R. V.
THE CENTURION.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
Christ had said to the nobleman whose son He
healed, “ Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not
believe.” 1
He was grieved that His own nation
should require these outward signs of His Messiah-
ship.
Again and again He had marveled at their un
belief.
But He marveled at the faith of the centurion
who came to Him.
The centurion did not question
the Saviour’s power.
He did not even ask Him to
come in person to perform the miracle.
“ Speak
the word only,” he said, “and my servant shall be
healed.”
The centurion’s servant had been stricken with
palsy, and lay at the point of death.
Among the
Romans the servants were slaves, bought and sold in
the market-places, and treated with abuse and cruelty;
but the centurion was tenderly attached to his serv
ant, and greatly desired his recovery.
He believed
that Jesus could heal him.
He had not seen the
Saviour, but the reports he heard had inspired him
with faith.
Notwithstanding the formalism of the
Jews, this Roman was convinced that their religion
was superior to his own.
Already he had broken
through the barriers of national prejudice and hatred
that separated the conquerors from the conquered
people.
He had manifested respect for the service
of God, and had shown kindness to the Jews as His
This chapter is based on Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-17.
'John 4:48.
(366)
THE CENTURION.
367
worshipers.
In the teaching of Christ, as it had been
reported to him, he found that which met the need of
the soul.
All that was spiritual within him responded
to the Saviour’s words.
But he felt unworthy to
come into the presence of Jesus, and he appealed to
the Jewish elders to make request for the healing of
his servant.
They were acquainted with the great
leacher, and would, he thought, know how to ap
proach Him so as to win His favor.
As Jesus entered Capernaum, He was met by a
delegation of the elders, who told him of the cen
turion s desire.
They urged “that he was worthy
for whom He should do this; for he loveth our nation,
and he hath built us a synagogue.”
Jesus immediately set out for the officer’s home;
but, pressed by the multitude, He advanced slowly.
The news of His coming preceded Him, and the cen
turion, in his self-distrust, sent Him the message,
“Lord, trouble not Thyself; for I am not worthy that
lhou shouldst enter under my roof.”
But the Sa
viour kept on His way, and the centurion, venturing
at last to approach Him, completed the message,
saying, “ Neither thought I myself worthy to come
unto Thee;” “but speak the word only, and my
servant shall be healed.
For I am a man under
authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to
this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come,
and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he
doeth it.”
As I represent the power of Rome, and
my soldiers recognize my authority as supreme, so
dost Thou represent the power of the infinite God,
and all created things obey Thy word.
Thou canst
command the disease to depart, and it shall obey
Ihee.
Thou canst summon Thy heavenly messen
gers, and they shall impart healing virtue.
Speak
but the word, and my servant shall be healed.
368
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at
him, and turned Him about, and said unto the peo
ple that followed Him, I say unto you, I have not
found so great faith, no, not in Israel.”
And to the
centurion He said, “As thou hast believed, so be it
done unto thee.
And his servant was healed in the
selfsame hour.”
The Jewish elders who recommended the centurion
to Christ, had shown how far they were from pos
sessing the spirit of the gospel.
They did not rec
ognize that our great need is our only claim on
God’s mercy.
In their self-righteousness they com
mended the centurion because of the favor he had
shown to “ our nation.”
But the centurion said of
himself, “ I am not worthy.”
His heart had been
touched by the grace of Christ.
He saw his own un
worthiness ; yet he feared not to ask help.
He trusted
not to his own goodness; his argument was his great
need.
His faith took hold upon Christ in His true
character.
He did not believe in Him merely as a
worker of miracles, but as the friend and Saviour of
mankind.
It is thus that every sinner may come to Christ.
“ Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us.” 2
When
Satan tells you that you are a sinner, and cannot
hope to receive blessing from God, tell him that
Christ came into the world to save sinners.
We
have nothing to recommend us to God; but the plea
that we may urge now and ever is our utterly help
less condition, that makes His redeeming power a
necessity.
Renouncing all self-dependence, we may
look to the cross of Calvary and say,—
“ In my hand no price I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling.”
’ Titus 3:5.
THE CENTURION.
369
The Jews had been instructed from childhood con
cerning the work of the Messiah.
The inspired ut
terances of patriarchs and prophets, and the symbolic
teaching of the sacrificial service, had been theirs.
But they had disregarded the light; and now they
saw in Jesus nothing to be desired.
But the cen
turion, born in heathenism, educated in the idolatry
of imperial Rome, trained as a soldier, seemingly cut
off from spiritual life by his education and sur
roundings, and still further shut out by the bigotry
of the Jews, and by the contempt of his own country
men for the people of Israel,— this man perceived the
truth to which the children of Abraham were blinded.
He did not wait to see whether the Jews themselves
would receive the One who claimed to be their Mes
siah.
As the “light which lighteth every man that
cometh into the world”3 had shone upon him, he had,
though afar off, discerned the glory of the Son of
God.
To Jesus this was an earnest of the work which the
gospel was to accomplish among the Gentiles.
With
joy He looked forward to the gathering of souls from
all nations to His kingdom.
With deep sadness He
pictured to the Jews the result of their rejection of His
grace: “ I say unto you, That many shall come from
the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.”
Alas, how many are still pre
paring for the same fatal disappointment!
While
souls in heathen darkness accept His grace, how
many there are in Christian lands upon whom the
light shines only to be disregarded.
More than twenty miles from Capernaum, on a
3 John 1:9.
24
t
■ * '
3 7 °
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
tableland overlooking the wide, beautiful plain of
Esdraelon, lay the village of Nain, and thither Jesus
next bent His steps.
Many of His disciples and
others were with Him, and all along the way the
people came, longing for His words of love and pity,
bringing their sick for His healing, and ever with the
hope that He who wielded such wondrous power
would make Himself known as the King of Israel.
A multitude thronged His steps, and it was a glad,
expectant company that followed Him up the rocky
path toward the gate of the mountain village.
As they draw near, a funeral train is seen coming
from the gates.
With slow, sad steps it is proceed
ing to the place of burial.
On an open bier carried
in front is the body of the dead, and about it are the
mourners, filling the air. with their wailing cries.
All
the people of the town seem to have gathered to show
their respect for the dead and their sympathy with
the bereaved.
It was a sight to awaken sympathy.
The deceased
was the only son of his mother, and she a widow.
The lonely mourner was following to the grave her
sole earthly support and comfort.
“When the Lord
saw her, He had compassion on her.”
As she moved
on blindly, weeping, noting not His presence, He
came close beside her, and gently said, “ Weep not.”
Jesus was about to change her grief to joy, yet He
could not forbear this expression of tender sympathy.
“ He came and touched the bier;” to Him even
contact with death could impart no defilement.
The
bearers stood still, and the lamentations of the
mourners
ceased.
The two companies
gathered
about the bier, hoping against hope.
One was pres
ent who had banished disease and vanquished de
mons; was death also subject to His power?
In clear, authoritative voice the words are spoken,
TH E CENTURION.
371
“ Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.”
That voice
pierces the ears of the dead.
The young man opens
his eyes.
Jesus takes him by the hand, and lifts him
up.
His gaze falls upon her who has been weeping
beside him, and mother and son unite in a long,
clinging, joyous embrace.
The multitude look on in
silence, as if spellbound.
“There came a fear on all.”
Hushed and reverent they stood for a little time, as if
in the very presence of God.
Then they “ glorified
God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among
us; and, That God hath visited His people.”
The
funeral train returned to Nain as a triumphal pro
cession.
“ And this rumor of Him went forth through
out all Judea, and throughout all the region round
about.”
He who stood beside the sorrowing mother at the
gate of Nain, watches with every mourning one be
side the bier.
He is touched with sympathy for our
grief.
His heart, that loved and pitied, is a heart of
unchangeable tenderness.
His word, that called the
dead to life, is no less efficacious now than when
spoken to the young man of Nain.
He says, “ All
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” 1
That power is not diminished by the lapse of years,
nor exhausted by the ceaseless activity of His over
flowing grace.
T o all who believe on Him He is
still a living Saviour.
Jesus changed the mother’s grief to joy when He
gave back her son; yet the youth was but called
forth to this earthly life, to endure its sorrows, its
toils, and its perils, and to pass again under the power
of death.
But Jesus comforts our sorrow for the
dead with a message of infinite hope: “I am He that
liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore,
.
.
.
and have the keys of hell and of
4 Matt. 28:18.
372
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
death.”
“ Forasmuch then as the children are par
takers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise
took part of the same; that through death He might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil; and deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” 5
Satan cannot hold the dead in his grasp when the
Son of God bids them live.
He cannot hold in
spiritual death one soul who in faith receives Christ’s
word of power.
God is saying to all who are dead in
sin, “ Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the
dead.” 6
That word is eternal life.
As the word of
God which bade the first man live, still gives us life;
as Christ’s word, “Young man, I say unto thee,
Arise,” gave life to the youth of Nain, so that
word, “Arise from the dead,” is life to the soul
that receives it.
God “ hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us into the
kingdom of His dear Son.” 7
It is all offered us in
His word.
If we receive the word, we have the de
liverance.
And “if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from
the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by
His Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
“ For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and
with
the
trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the
Lord.” 8
This is the word of comfort wherewith He
bids us comfort one another.
5Rev. 1:18; Heb. 2:14,15. 6Eph. 5:14. 7Col. 1:13.
8 Rom. 8:11; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.
WHO ARE MY BRETHREN?
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE.
The sons of Joseph were far from being in sym
pathy with Jesus in His work.
The reports that
reached them in regard to His life and labors filled
them with astonishment and dismay.
They heard
that He devoted entire nights to prayer, that through
the day He was thronged by great companies of
people, and did not give Himself time so much as to
eat.
His friends felt that He was wearing Himself
out by His incessant labor; they were unable to ac
count for His attitude toward the Pharisees, and
there were some who feared that His reason was be
coming unsettled.
His brothers heard of this, and also of the charge
brought by the Pharisees that He cast out devils
through the power of Satan.
They felt keenly the
reproach that came upon them through their relation
to Jesus.
They knew what a tumult His words and
works created, and were not only alarmed at His
bold statements, but indignant at His denunciation
of the scribes and Pharisees.
They decided that He
must be persuaded or constrained to cease this man
ner of labor, and they induced Mary to unite with
them, thinking that through His love for her they
might prevail upon Him to be more prudent.
It was just before this that Jesus had a second time
performed the miracle of healing a man possessed,
This chapter is based on Matt. 12:22-50; Mark 3:20-35.
( 373)
374
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
blind and dumb, and the Pharisees had reiterated the
charge, “ He casteth out devils through the prince of
the devils.” 1
Christ told them plainly that in attribut
ing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, they were
cutting themselves off from the fountain of blessing..
Those who had spoken against Jesus Himself, not
discerning His divine character, might receive for
giveness; for through the Holy Spirit they might be
brought to see their error and repent.
Whatever the
sin, if the soul repents and believes, the guilt is
washed away in the blood of Christ; but he who re
jects the work of the Holy Spirit is placing himself
where repentance
and faith cannot come to him.
It is by the Spirit that God works upon the heart;
when men wilfully reject the Spirit, and declare it to
be from Satan, they cut off the channel by which
God can communicate with them.
When the Spirit
is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do
for the soul.
The Pharisees to whom Jesus spoke this warning
did not themselves believe the charge they brought
against Him.
There was not one of those dignitaries
but had felt drawn toward the Saviour.
They had
heard the Spirit’s voice in their own hearts declaring
Him to be the Anointed of Israel, and urging them
to confess themselves His disciples.
In the light of
His presence they had realized their unholiness, and
had longed for a righteousness which they could not
create.
But after their rejection of Him it would be
too humiliating to receive Him as the Messiah.
Hav
ing set their feet in the path of unbelief, they were
too proud to confess their error.
And in order to
avoid acknowledging the truth, they tried with des
perate violence to dispute the
Saviour’s teaching.
The evidence of His power and mercy exasperated
‘ Matt. 9:34.
WHO ARE MY BRETHREN ?
375
them.
They could not prevent the Saviour from
working miracles, they could not silence His teach
ing; but they did everything in their power to mis
represent Him and to falsify His words.
Still the
convicting Spirit of God followed them, and they
had to build up many barriers in order to withstand
its power.
The mightiest agency that can be brought
to bear upon the human heart was striving with them,
but they would not yield.
It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hard
ens their hearts.
He sends them light to correct
their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; it is by
the rejection of this light that the eyes are blinded
and the heart hardened.
Often the process is grad
ual, and almost imperceptible.
Light comes to the
soul through God’s word, through His servants, or
by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when one ray
of light is disregarded, there is a partial benumbing
of the spiritual perceptions, and the second reveal
ing of light is less clearly discerned.
So the dark
ness increases, until it is night in the soul.
Thus it
had been with these Jewish leaders.
They were con
vinced that a divine power attended Christ, but in
order to resist the truth, they attributed the work of
the Holy Spirit to Satan.
In doing this they de
liberately chose deception; they yielded themselves
to Satan, and henceforth they were controlled by his
power.
Closely connected with Christ’s warning in regard
to the sin against the Holy Spirit is a warning against
idle and evil words.
The words are an indication of
that which is in the heart.
“ Out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh.”
But the words are
more than an indication of character; they have
power to react on the character.
Men are influenced
by their own words.
Often under a momentary im
376
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
pulse, prompted by Satan, they give utterance to
jealousy or evil surmising, expressing that which
they do not really believe; but the expression reacts
on the thoughts.
They are deceived by their words,
and come to believe that true which was spoken at
Satan’s
instigation.
Having
once
expressed an
opinion or decision, they are often too proud to re
tract it, and try to prove themselves in the right,
until they come to believe that they are.
It is dan
gerous to utter a word of doubt, dangerous to ques
tion and criticize divine light.
The habit of careless
and irreverent criticism reacts upon the character, in
fostering irreverence and unbelief.
Many a man
indulging this habit has gone on unconscious of dan
ger, until he was ready to criticize and reject the
work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said, “ Every idle
word that men shall speak, they shall give account
thereof in the day of Judgment
For by thy words
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt
be condemned.”
Then He added a warning to those who had been
impressed by His words, who had heard Him gladly,
but who had not surrendered themselves for the in
dwelling of the Holy Spirit.
It is not only by re-
f«J?nce but hy neSIect that the soul is destroyed
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man,” said
Tesus,
he walketh through dry places, seeking rest
and findeth none.
Then he saith, I will return into
my house from whence I came out: and when he is
come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in
and dwell there.”
There were many in Christ’s day, as there are to
day, over whom the control of Satan for the time
seemed broken; through the grace of God they were
WHO ARE MY BRETHREN?
377
set free from the evil spirits that had held dominion
over the soul.
They rejoiced in the love of God;
but, like the stony-ground hearers of the parable,
they did not abide in His love.
They did not surren
der themselves to God daily, that Christ might dwell
in the heart; and when the evil spirit returned, “ with
seven other spirits more wicked than himself,” they
were wholly dominated by the power of evil.
When the soul surrenders itself to Christ, a new
power takes possession of the new heart.
A change
is wrought which man can never accomplish for him
self.
It is a supernatural work, bringing a super
natural element into human nature.
The soul that
is yielded to Christ, becomes His own fortress, which
He holds in a revolted world, and He intends that
no authority shall be known in it but His own.
A
soul thus kept in possession by the heavenly agencies,
is impregnable to the assaults of Satan.
But unless
we do yield ourselves to the control of Christ, we
shall be dominated by the wicked one.
We must
inevitably be under the control of the one or the other
of the two great powers that are contending for the
supremacy of the world.
It is not necessary for us
deliberately to choose the service of the kingdom of
darkness in order to come under its dominion.
We
have only to neglect to ally ourselves with the king
dom of light.
If we do not co-operate with the
heavenly agencies, Satan will take possession of the
heart, and will make it his abiding-place.
The only
defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the
heart through faith in His righteousness.
Unless we
become vitally connected with God, we can never re
sist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indul
gence, and temptation to sin.
We may leave off
many bad habits, for the time we may part company
with Satan; but without a vital connection with God,
37 «
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment
by moment, we shall be overcome.
Without a per
sonal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual com
munion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall
do his bidding in the end.
“ The last state of that man is worse than the first.
Even so,” said Jesus, “ shall it be also unto this wicked
generation.”
There are none so hardened as those
who have slighted the invitation of mercy, and done
despite to the Spirit of grace.
The most common
manifestation of the sin against the Holy Spirit, is in
persistently slighting Heaven’s invitation to repent.
Every step in the rejection of Christ is a step toward
the rejection of salvation, and toward the sin against
the Holy Spirit.
In rejecting Christ the Jewish people committed
the unpardonable sin; and by refusing the invitation
of mercy, we may commit the same error.
We offer
insult to the Prince of life, and put Him to shame
before the synagogue of Satan, and
before the
heavenly universe, when we refuse to listen to His
delegated messengers, and instead listen to the agents
of Satan, who would draw the soul away from Christ.
So long as one does this, he can find no hope or par
don, and he will finally lose all desire to be reconciled
to God.
While Jesus wgis still teaching the people, His dis
ciples brought the message that His mother and His
brothers were without, and desired to see Him.
He
knew what was in their hearts, and “ He answered
and said unto him that told Him, W ho is My mother?
and who are My brethren?
And Pie stretched forth
His hand toward His disciples, and said, Behold My
mother and My brethren!
P'or whosoever shall do
the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same
is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
WHO ARE MY BRETHREN?
379
All who would receive Christ by faith, were united
to Him by a tie closer than that of human kinship.
They would become one with Him, as He was one
with the Father.
As a believer and doer of His
words, His mother was more nearly and savingly re
lated to Him than through her natural relationship.
His brothers would receive no benefit from their con
nection with Him unless they accepted Him as their
personal Saviour.
What a support Christ would have found in His
earthly relatives if they had believed in Him as one
from heaven, and co-operated with Him in doing the
work of God!
Their unbelief cast a shadow over the
earthly life of Jesus.
It was a part of the bitterness
of that cup of woe which He drained for us.
The enmity kindled in the human heart against the
gospel was keenly felt by the Son of God, and it was
most painful to Him in His home; for His own heart
was full of kindness and love, and He appreciated
tender regard in the family relation.
His brothers
desired that He should concede to their ideas, when
such a course would have been utterly out of har
mony with His divine mission.
They looked upon
Him as in need of their counsel.
They judged Him
from their human point of view, and thought that if
He would speak only such things as would be ac
ceptable to the scribes and Pharisees, He would
avoid the disagreeable controversy that His words
aroused.
They thought that He was beside Himself
in claiming divine authority, and in placing Himself
before the rabbis as a reprover of their sins.
They
knew that the Pharisees were seeking occasion to ac
cuse Him, and they felt that He had given them suffi
cient occasion.
With their short measuring line they could not
fathom the mission which He came to fulfil, and
380
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
therefore could not sympathize with Him in His
trials.
Their coarse, unappreciative words showed
that they had no true perception of His character,
and did not discern that the divine blended with the
human.
They often saw Him full of grief; but in
stead of comforting Him, their spirit and words only
wounded His heart.
His sensitive nature was tor
tured, His motives were misunderstood, His work
was uncomprehended.
His brothers often brought forward the philosophy
of the Pharisees, which was threadbare and hoary
with age, and presumed to think that they could
teach Him who understood all truth, and compre
hended all mysteries.
They freely condemned that
which they could not understand.
Their reproaches
probed Him to the quick, and His soul was wearied
and distressed.
They avowed faith in God, and
thought they were vindicating God, when God was
with them in the flesh, and they knew Him not.
These things made His path a thorny one to travel.
So pained was Christ by the misapprehension in His
own home, that it was a relief to Him to go where it
did not exist.
There was one home that He loved to
visit,—the home of Lazarus, and Mary, and Martha;
for in the atmosphere of faith and love His spirit had
rest. Yet there were none on earth who could compre
hend His divine mission, or know the burden which
He bore in behalf of humanity.
Often He could find
relief only in being alone, and communing with His
Heavenly Father.
Those who are called to suffer for Christ’s sake,
who have to endure misapprehension and distrust,
even in their own home, may find comfort in the
thought that Jesus has endured the same.
He is
moved with compassion for them.
He bids them
find companionship in Him, and relief where He
found it, in communion with the Father.
WHO ARE MY BRETHREN ?
Those who accept Christ as their personal
Sa
viour are not left as orphans, to bear the trials of life
alone.
He receives them as members of the heavenly
family; He bids them call His Father their Father.
They are His “ little ones,” dear to the heart of God,
bound to Him by the most tender and abiding ties.
He has toward them an exceeding tenderness, as far
surpassing what our father or mother has felt toward
us in our helplessness, as the divine is above the
human.
Of Christ’s relation to His people, there is a beau
tiful illustration in the laws given to Israel.
When
through poverty a Hebrew had been forced to part
with his patrimony, and to sell himself as a bond-
servant, the duty of redeeming him and his inherit
ance fell to the one who was nearest of kin.2
So the
work of redeeming us and our inheritance, lost
through sin, fell upon Him who is “ near of kin” unto
us.
It was to redeem us that He became our kins
man.
Closer than father, mother, brother, friend, or
lover, is the Lord our Saviour.
“ Fear not,” He says,
“ for I have redeemed thee.
I have called thee by thy
name; thou art Mine.”
“ Since thou wast precious
in My sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have
loved thee; therefore will I give men for thee, and
people for thy life.”3
Christ loves the heavenly beings that surround His
throne; but what shall account for the great love
wherewith He has loved us?
W e cannot understand
it, but we can know it true in our own experience.
And if we do hold the relation of kinship to Him,
with what tenderness should we regard those who are
brethren and sisters of our Lord.
Should we not be
quick to recognize the claims of our divine relation
ship?
Adopted into the family of God, should we
not honor our Father and our kindred?
*See Lev. 25:25, 47-49; Ruth 2:20.
3 Isa. 43.1, 4.
381
THE INVITATION.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR.
“ Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.”
These words of comfort were spoken to the multi
tude that followed Jesus.
The Saviour had said that
only through Himself could men receive a knowledge
of God.
He had spoken of His disciples as the ones
to whom a knowledge of heavenly things had been
given.
But He left none to feel themselves shut out
from His care and love.
All who labor and are
heavy laden may come unto Him.
Scribes and rabbis, with their punctilious attention
to religious forms, had a sense of want that rites of
penance could never satisfy.
Publicans and sinners
might pretend to be content with the sensual and
earthly, but in their hearts were distrust and fear.
Jesus looked upon the distressed and heart-burdened,
those whose hopes were blighted, and who with
earthly joys were seeking to quiet the longing of the
soul, and He invited all to find rest in Him.
Tenderly He bade the toiling people, “ Take My
yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
In these words, Christ is speaking to every human
being.
Whether they know it or not, all are weary
and heavy laden.
All are weighed down with bur
dens that only Christ can remove.
The heaviest bur-
This chapter is based on Matt. 11:28-30.
(382)
THE INVITATION.
383
den that we bear is the burden of sin.
If we were left
to bear this burden, it would crush us.
But the Sinless
One has taken our place.
“The Lord hath laid on
Him the iniquity of us all.” 1
He has borne the bur
den of our guilt.
He will take the load from our
weary shoulders.
He will give us rest.
The burden
of care and sorrow also He will bear.
He invites us
to cast all our care upon Him; for He carries us upon
His heart
The Elder Brother of our race is by the eternal
throne.
He looks upon every soul who is turning
his face toward Him as the Saviour.
He knows by
experience what are the weaknesses of humanity,
what are our wants, and where lies the strength of
our temptations; for He was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin.
He is watching over
you, trembling child of God.
Are you tempted?
He
will deliver.
Are you weak?
He will strengthen.
Are you ignorant?
He will enlighten.
Are you
wounded?
He will heal.
The Lord “telleth the
number of the stars;” and yet “He healeth the broken
in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” 2 “ Come unto
Me,” is His invitation.
Whatever your anxieties
and trials, spread out your case before the Lord.
Your spirit will be braced for endurance.
The way
will be opened for you to disentangle yourself from
embarrassment and difficulty.
The weaker and more
helpless you know yourself to be, the stronger will
you become in His strength.
The heavier your bur
dens, the more blessed the rest in casting them upon
the Burden-bearer.
The rest that Christ offers de
pends upon conditions, but these conditions are
plainly specified.
They are those with which all can
comply.
He tells us just how His rest is to be found.
“Take My yoke upon you,” Jesus says.
The yoke
1 Isa. 53:6.
1 Ps. 147:4, 3.
384
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
is an instrument of service.
Cattle are yoked for
labor, and the yoke is essential that they may labor
effectually.
By this illustration, Christ teaches us
that we are called to service as long as life shall last.
W e are to take upon us His yoke, that we may be
co-workers with Him.
The yoke that binds to service is the law of God.
The great law of love revealed in Eden, proclaimed
upon Sinai, and in the new covenant written in the
heart, is that which binds the human worker to the
will of God.
If we were left to follow our own in
clinations, to go just where our will would lead us,
we should fall into Satan’s ranks and become pos
sessors of his attributes.
Therefore God confines us
to His will, which is high, and noble, and elevating.
He desires that we shall patiently and wisely take up
the duties of service.
The yoke of service Christ
Himself has borne in humanity.
He said, “ I delight
to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within
My heart.” 3
‘T came down from heaven, not to do
Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” 4
Love for God, zeal for His glory, and love for fallen
humanity, brought Jesus to earth to suffer and to die.
This was the controlling power of His life.
This
principle He bids us adopt.
There are many whose hearts are aching under a
load of care because they seek to reach the world’s
standard.
They have chosen its service, accepted its
perplexities, adopted its customs.
Thus their char
acter is marred, and their life made a weariness.
In
order to gratify ambition and worldly desires, they
wound the conscience, and bring upon themselves
an additional burden of remorse.
The continual
worry is wearing out the life forces.
Our Lord de
sires them to lay aside this yoke of bondage.
He m-
s Ps. 40:8.
4 John 6:38.
THE INVITATION.
385
vites them to accept His yoke; He says, “ My yoke is
easy, and My burden is light.”
He bids them seek
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
His promise is, that all things needful to them for
this life shall be added.
Worry is blind, and can
not discern the future; but Jesus sees the end from
the beginning.
In every difficulty He has His way
prepared to bring relief.
Our Heavenly Father has
a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know
nothing.
Those who accept the one principle of
making the service and honor of God supreme, will
find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their
feet.
“ Learn of Me,” says Jesus; “ for I am meek and
lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest.”
W’e are to
enter the school of Christ, to learn from Him meek
ness and lowliness.
Redemption is that process by
which the soul is trained for heaven.
This training
means a knowledge of Christ.
It means emancipa
tion from ideas, habits, and practises that have been
gained in the school of the prince of darkness.
The
soul must be delivered from all that is opposed to
loyalty to God.
In the heart of Christ, where reigned perfect har
mony with God, there was perfect peace.
H e was
never elated by applause, nor dejected by censure or
disappointment.
Amid the greatest opposition and
the most cruel treatment, He was still of good cour
age.
But many who profess to be His followers
have an anxious, troubled heart, because they are
afraid to trust themselves with God.
They do not
make a complete surrender to Him; for they shrink
from the consequences that such a surrender may
involve.
Unless they do make this surrender, they
cannot find peace.
It is the love of self that brings unrest.
When we
25
3 8 6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
are born from above, the same mind will be in us that ■
was in Jesus, the mind that led Him to humble Him
self that we might be saved.
Then we shall not be
seeking the highest place.
W e shall desire to sit at
the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him.
We shall under
stand that the value of our work does not consist in
making a show and noise in the world, and in being
active and zealous in our own strength.
The value
of our work is in proportion to the impartation of the
Holy Spirit
Trust in God brings holier qualities of
mind, so that in patience we may possess our souls.
The yoke is placed upon the oxen to aid them in
drawing the load, to lighten the burden.
So with
the yoke of Christ.
When our will is swallowed up
in the will of God, and we use His gifts to bless
others, we shall find life’s burden light.
He who
walks in the way of God’s commandments is walk
ing in company with Christ, and in His love the heart
is at rest.
When Moses prayed, “ Show me now Thy
way, that I may know Thee,” the Lord answered
him, “ My presence shall go with thee, and I will give
thee rest.”
And through the prophets the message
was given, “ Thus saith the Lord: Stand ye in the
ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the
good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest
for your souls.” 5
And He says, “ O that thou hadst
hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves
of the sea.” 0
Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender
their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering,
will find peace and quietude.
Nothing of the world
can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by
His presence.
In perfect acquiescence there is per
fect rest.
The Lord says, “ Thou wilt keep him in
5 Ex. 33:13, 14; Jer. 6:16.
6 Isa. 48:18.
THE INVITATION.
387
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee; because
he trusteth in Thee.” 7
Our lives may-seem a tangle;
but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master-
worker, He will bring cut the pattern of life and char
acter that will be to His own glory.
And that char
acter which
expresses
the
glory— character— of
Christ, will be received into the faradise of God.
A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for
they are worthy.
As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins
here.
W e respond to His invitation, Come, learn of
Me, and in thus coming we begin the life eternal.
Heaven is a ceaseless approaching to God through
Christ.
The longer we are in the heaven of bliss,
the more and still more of glory will be opened
to us; and the more we know of God, the more
intense will be our happiness.
As we walk with
Jesus in this life, we may be filled with His love,
satisfied
with
His
presence.
All
that
human
nature can bear, we may receive here.
But what is
this compared with the hereafter?
There “ are they
before the throne ot God, and serve Him day and
night in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no
more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun
light on them, nor any heat.
For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall
lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. ’8
7 Isa. 26:3.
“Rev. 7:15-17-
PEACE, BE STILL.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE.
It had been an eventful day in the life of Jesus.
Beside the Sea of Galilee, He had spoken His first
parables, by familiar illustrations again explaining to
the people the nature of His kingdom and the man
ner in which it was to be established.
He had lik
ened His own work to that of the sower; the develop
ment of His kingdom to the growth of the mustard
seed and the effect of leaven in the measure of meal.
The great final separation of the righteous and the
wicked He had pictured in the parables of the wheat
and tares and the fishing-net.
The exceeding pre
ciousness of the truths He taught had been illustrated
by the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price,
while in the parable of the householder He taught
His disciples how they were to labor as His repre
sentatives.
All day He had been teaching and healing; and as
evening came on, the crowds still pressed upon Him.
Day after day He had ministered to them, scarcely
pausing for food or rest.
The malicious criticism
and misrepresentation with which the Pharisees con
stantly pursued Him, made His labors much more
severe and harassing; and now the close of the day
found Him so utterly wearied that He determined
This chapter is based on Matt. 8:23-34; Mark 4:35-41; 5:1-20.
Luke 8:32-39.
( 3 8 8)
PEACE, BE STILL.
to seek retirement in some solitary place across the
lake.
The eastern shore of Gennesaret was not unin
habited, for there were towns here and there beside
the lake; yet it was a desolate region when compared
with the western side.
It contained a population
more heathen than Jewish, and had little communi
cation with Galilee.
Thus it offered Jesus the seclu
sion He sought, and He now bade His disciples
accompany Him thither.
After He had dismissed the multitude, they took
Him, even “ as He was/’ into the boat, and hastily
set off.
But they were not to depart alone.
There
were other fishing boats lying near the shore, and
these were quickly crowded with people who fol
lowed Jesus, eager still to see and hear Him.
The Saviour was at last relieved from the pressure
of the multitude, and, overcome with Weariness and
hunger, He lay down in the stern of the boat, and
soon fell asleep.
The evening had been calm and
pleasant, and quiet rested upon the lake; but sud
denly darkness overspread the sky, the wind swept
wildly down the mountain gorges along the eastern
shore, and a fierce tempest burst upon the lake.
The sun had set, and the blackness of night set
tled down upon the stormy sea.
The waves, lashed
into fury by the howling winds, dashed fiercely over
the disciples’ boat, and threatened to engulf it.
Those hardy fishermen had spent their lives upon the
lake, and had guided their craft safely through many
a storm; but now their strength and skill availed
nothing.
They were helpless in the grasp of the
tempest, and hope failed them as they saw that their
boat was filling.
Absorbed in their efforts to save themselves, they
had forgotten that Jesus was on board.
Now, see-
N
389
390
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ing their labor vain, and only death before them, they
remembered at whose command they had set out to
cross the sea.
In jesus was their only hope.
In
their helplessness and despair they cried, “ Master,
Master 1”
But the dense darkness hid Him from
their sight.
Their voices were drowned by the roar
ing of the tempest, and there was no reply.
Doubt
and fear assailed them.
Had Jesus forsaken them?
Was He who had conquered disease and demons,
and even death, powerless to help His disciples now?
Was He unmindful of them in their distress?
Again they call, but there is no answer except the
shrieking of the angry blast.
Already their boat is
sinking.
A moment, and apparently they will be
swallowed up by the hungry waters.
Suddenly a flash of lightning pierces the darkness,
and they see Jesus lying asleep, undisturbed by the
tumult.
In amazement and despair they exclaim,
“ Master, carest Thou not that we perish?”
How
can He rest so peacefully, while they are in danger,
and battling with death?
Their cry arouses Jesus.
As the lightning’s glare
reveals Him, they see the peace of heaven in His
face; they read in His glance self-forgetful, tender
love, and, their hearts turning to Him, cry, “ Lord,
save us; we perish.”
Never did a soul utter that cry unheeded.
As the
disciples grasp their oars to make a last effort, Jesus
rises.
He stands in the midst of His disciples, while
the tempest rages, the waves break over them, and the
lightning illuminates His countenance.
He lifts His
hand, so often employed in deeds of mercy, and says
to the angry sea, “ Peace, be still.”
The storm ceases.
The billows sink to rest.
The
clouds roll away, and the stars shine forth.
The boat
rests upon a quiet sea.
Then turning to His dis
PEACE, BE STILL.
391
ciples, Jesus asks sorrowfully, “ Why are ye fearful?
Have ye not yet faith?”1
A hush fell upon the disciples.
Even Peter did
not attempt to express the awe that filled his heart.
The boats that had set out to accompany Jesus had
been in the same peril with that of the disciples.
Terror and despair had seized their occupants; but
the command of Jesus brought quiet to the scene of
tumult.
The fury of the storm had driven the boats
into close proximity, and all on board beheld the
miracle.
In the calm that followed, fear was for
gotten.
The people whispered among themselves,
“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and
the sea obey Iiim ?”
1
When Jesus was awakened to meet the storm, He
was in perfect peace.
There was no trace of fear in
word or look, for no fear was in His heart.
But He
rested not in the possession of almighty power.
It
was not as the “ Master of earth and sea and sky”
that He reposed in quiet.
That power He had laid
down, and He says, “ I can of Mine own self do noth
ing.” 2
He trusted in the Father’s might
It was in
faith— faith in God’s love and care—that Jesus rested,
and the power of that word which stilled the storm
was the power of God.
As Jesus rested by faith in the Father’s care, so we
• are to rest in the care of our Saviour.
If the disciples
had trusted in Him, they would have been kept in
peace.
Their fear in the time of danger revealed
their unbelief.
In their efforts to save themselves,
they forgot Jesus; and it was only when, in despair
of self-dependence, they turned to Him, that He
could give them help.
How
often the disciples’
experience is ours!
When the tempests of temptation gather, and the
1 R. V.
JJ°hn 5:30.
392
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
fierce lightnings flash, and the waves sweep over us,
we battle with the storm alone, forgetting that there
is One who can help us.
W e trust to our own
strength till our hope is lost, and we are ready to
perish.
Then we remember Jesus, and if we call
upon Him to save us, we shall not cry in vain.
Though He sorrowfully reproves our unbelief and
self-confidence, He never fails to give us the help we
need.
Whether on the land or on the sea, if we have
the Saviour in our hearts, there is no need of fear.
Living faith in the Redeemer will smooth the sea of
life, and will deliver us from the danger in the way
that He knows to be best.
There is another spiritual lesson in this miracle of
the stilling of the tempest.
Every man’s experience
testifies to the truth of the words of Scripture, “ The
wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest.
.
.
.
There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked.”3
Sin has destroyed our peace.
While self
is unsubdued, we can find no rest.
The masterful
passions of the heart no human power can control.
W e are as helpless here as were the disciples to quiet
the raging storm.
But He who spoke peace to the
billows of Galilee, has spoken the word of peace for
every soul.
However fierce the tempest, those who
turn to Jesus with the cry, “ Lord, save us,” will find
deliverance.
His grace, that reconciles the soul to
God, quiets the strife of human passion, and in His
love the heart is at rest.
“ He maketh the storm a
calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Then are
they glad because they be quiet; so He bringeth them
unto their desired
haven.” 4
“ Being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
“The work of righteousness shall be
3 Isa. 57:20, 21.
4 Ps. 107:29, 30.
PEACE, BE STILL.
393
peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and
assurance forever.” 5
In the early morning the Saviour and His com
panions came to shore, and the light of the rising
sun touched sea and land as with the benediction of
peace.
But no sooner had they stepped upon the
beach than their eyes were greeted by a sight more
terrible than the fury of the tempest.
From some
hiding-place
among
the
tombs,
two
madmen
rushed upon them, as if to tear them in pieces.
Hanging about these men were parts of chains which
they had broken . in escaping from confinement.
Their flesh was torn and bleeding where they had cut
themselves with sharp stones.
Their eyes glared
out from their long and matted hair, the very like
ness of humanity seemed to have been blotted out
by the demons that possessed them, and they looked
more like wild beasts than like men.
The disciples and their companions fled in terror;
but presently they noticed that Jesus was not with
them, and they turned to look for Him.
He was
standing where they had left Him.
He who had
stilled the tempest, who had before met Satan and
conquered him, did not flee before these demons.
When the men, gnashing their teeth, and foaming at
the mouth, approached Him, Jesus raised that hand
which had beckoned the waves to rest, and the men
could come no nearer.
They stood raging but help
less before Him.
With authority He bade the unclean spirits come
out of them.
His words penetrated the darkened
minds of the unfortunate men.
They realized dimly
that One was near who could save them from the
tormenting demons.
They fell at the Saviour’s feet
to worship him; but when their lips were opened to
6 Rom. 5:1; Isa. 32:17.
394
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
entreat His mercy, the demons spoke through them,
crying vehemently, “What have I to do with Thee,
Jesus, Thou Son of God most high?
I beseech Thee,
torment me not.”
Jesus asked, “What is. thy name?”
And the an
swer was, “ My name is Legion; for we are many.”
Using the afflicted men as mediums of communica
tion, they besought Jesus not to send them out of the
country.
Upon a mountain-side not far distant a
great herd of swine was feeding.
Into these the de
mons asked to be allowed to enter, and Jesus suf
fered them.
Immediately a panic seized the herd.
They rushed madly down the cliff, and, unable to
check themselves upon the shore, plunged into the
lake, and perished.
Meanwhile a marvelous change had come over the
demoniacs.
Light
had shone into
their
minds.
Their eyes beamed with intelligence.
The counte
nances so long deformed into the image of Satan,
became suddenly mild, the blood-stained hands were
quiet, and with glad voices the men praised God for
their deliverance.
From the cliff the keepers of the swine had seen
all that had occurred, and they hurried away to pub
lish the news to their employers and to all the people.
In fear and amazement the whole population flocked
to meet Jesus.
The two demoniacs had been the
terror of the country.
No one had been safe to pass
the place where they were; for they would rush upon
every traveler with the fury of demons.
Now these
men were clothed and in their right mind, sitting at
the feet of Jesus, listening to His words, and glorify
ing the name of Him who had made them whole.
But the people who beheld this wonderful scene did
not rejoice.
The loss of the swine seemed to them
of greater moment than the deliverance of these cap
tives of Satan.
PEACE, BE STILL.
- 395
It was in mercy to the owners of the swine that
this loss had been permitted to come upon them.
They were absorbed in earthly things, and cared not
for the great interests of spiritual life.
Jesus desired
to break the spell of selfish indifference, that they
might accept His grace.
But regret and indignation
for their temporal loss blinded their eyes to the Sa
viour’s mercy.
The manifestation of supernatural power aroused
the superstitions of the people, and excited their
fears.
Further calamities might follow from having
this stranger among them.
They apprehended finan
cial ruin, and determined to be freed from His pres
ence.
Those who had crossed the lake with Jesus
told of all that had happened on the preceding night;
of their peril in the tempest, and how the wind and
the sea had been stilled.
But their words were with
out effect.
In terror the people thronged about
Jesus, beseeching Him to depart from them, and He
complied, taking ship at once for the opposite shore.
The people of Gergesa had before them the living
evidence of Christ’s power and mercy.
They saw the
men who had been restored to reason; but they were
so fearful of endangering their earthly interests, that
He who had vanquished the prince of darkness be
fore their eyes, was treated as an intruder, and the
Gift of heaven was turned from their doors.
We
have not the opportunity of turning from the person
of Christ as had the Gergesenes; but still there are
many who refuse to obey His word, because obedi
ence would involve the sacrifice of some worldly
interest.
Lest His presence shall cause them pe
cuniary loss, many reject His grace, and drive His
Spirit from them.
But far different was the feeling of the restored
demoniacs.
They desired the company of their de
\
396
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
liverer.
In His presence they felt secure from the
demons that had tormented their lives and wasted
their manhood.
As Jesus was about to enter the
boat, they kept close to His side, knelt at His feet,
and begged Him to keep them near Him, where
they might ever listen to His words.
But Jesus bade
them go home and tell what great things the Lord
had done for them.
Here was a work for them to do,—to go to a
heathen home, and tell of the blessing they had re
ceived from Jesus.
It was hard for them to be
separated from the Saviour.
Great difficulties were
sure to beset them in association with their heathen
countrymen.
And their long isolation from society
seemed to have disqualified them for the work He
had indicated.
But as soon as Jesus pointed out
their duty, they were ready to obey.
Not only did
they tell , their own households and neighbors about
Jesus, but they went throughout Decapolis, every
where declaring His power to save, and describing
how He had freed them from the demons.
In doing
this work, they could receive a greater blessing than
if, merely for benefit to themselves, they had re
mained in His presence.
It is in working to spread
the good news of salvation that we are brought near
to the Saviour.
The two restored demoniacs were the first mis
sionaries whom Christ sent to preach the gospel in
the region of Decapolis.
For a few moments only,
these men had been privileged to hear the teachings
of Christ.
Not one sermon from His lips had ever
fallen upon their ears.
They could not instruct the
people as the disciples who had been daily with Christ
were able to do.
But they bore in their own per
sons the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah.
They
could tell what they knew; what they themselves had
PEACE, BE STILL.
397
seen, and heard, and felt of the power of Christ.
This is wrhat every one can do whose heart has been
touched by the grace of God.
John, the beloved
disciple, wrote: “ That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the W ord of life;
.
.
.
that which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you.” 6
As
witnesses for Christ, we are to tell what we know,
what we ourselves have seen and heard and felt.
If
we have been following Jesus step by step, we shall
have something right to the point to tell concerning
the way in which He has led us.
W e can tell how
we have tested His promise, and found the promise
true.
W e can bear witness to what we have known
of the grace of Christ.
This is the witness for which
our Lord calls, and for want of which the world is
perishing.
Though the people of Gergesa had not received
Jesus, He did not leave them to the darkness they
had chosen.
When they bade Him depart from
them, they had not heard His words.
They were
ignorant of that which they were rejecting.
There
fore He again sent the light to them, and by those
to whom they would not refuse to listen.
In causing the destruction of the swine, it was
Satan’s purpose to turn the people away from the
Saviour, and prevent the preaching of the gospel in
that region.
But this very occurrence roused tfie
whole country as nothing else could have done, and
directed attention to Christ.
Though the Saviour
Himself departed, the men whom He had healed, re
mained as witnesses to His power.
Those who had
been mediums of the prince of darkness, became
channels of light, messengers of the Son of God.
61 John 1:1-3.
398
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Men marveled as they listened to the wondrous news.
A door was opened to the gospel throughout that
region.
When Jesus returned to Decapolis, the peo
ple flocked about Him, and for three days, not
merely the inhabitants of one town, but thousands
from all the surrounding region, heard the message
of salvation.
Even the power of demons is under the
control of our Saviour, and the working of evil is
overruled for good.
The encounter with the demoniacs of Gergesa had
a lesson for the disciples.
It showed the depths of
degradation to which Satan is seeking to drag the
whole human race, and the mission of Christ to set
men free from his power.
Those wretched beings,
dwelling in the place of graves, possessed by demons,
in bondage to uncontrolled passions and loathsome
lusts, represent what humanity would become if
given up to Satanic jurisdiction.
Satan’s influence
is constantly exerted upon men to distract the
senses, control the mind for evil, and incite to vio
lence and crime.
He weakens the body, darkens the
intellect, and debases the soul.
Whenever men re
ject the Saviour’s invitation, they are yielding them
selves to Satan.
Multitudes in every department in
life, in the home, in business, and even in the church,
are doing this to-day.
It is because of this that vio
lence and crime have overspread the earth; and moral
darkness, like the pall of death, enshrouds the habita
tions of men.
Through his specious temptations,
Satan leads men to worse and worse evils, till utter
depravity and ruin are the result.
The only safe
guard against his power is found in the presence of
Jesus.
Before men and angels. Satan has been re
vealed as man’s enemy and destroyer;
Christ, as
man’s friend and deliverer.
His Spirit will develop
in man all that will ennoble the character and dignify
PEACE, BE STILL.
399
the nature. It will build man up for the glory of
God in body and soul and spirit.
“ For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind.” 7
He has called us “to the
obtaining of the glory”— character— “ of our Lord
Jesus Christ;” has called us to be “conformed to the
image of His Son.” 8
And souls that have been degraded into instru
ments of Satan, are still through the power of Christ
transformed into messengers of righteousness, and
sent forth by the Son of God to tell what “great
things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had
compassion on thee.”
1 2 Tim. 1:7.
2 Thess. 2:14; Rom. 8:29.
THE TOUCH OF FAITH.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX.
Returning from Gergesa to the western shore,
Jesus found a multitude gathered to receive Him,
and they greeted Him with joy.
He remained by the
seaside for a time, teaching and healing, and then re
paired to the house of Levi-Matthew to meet the
publicans at the feast.
Here Jairus, the ruler of the
synagogue, found Him.
This elder of the Jews came to Jesus in great dis
tress, and cast himself at His feet exclaiming, “ My
little daughter lieth at the point of death; I pray
Thee, come and lay Thy hands on her, that she may
be healed; and she shall live.”
Jesus set out at once with the ruler for his home.
Though the disciples had seen so many of His works
of mercy, they were surprised at His compliance with
the entreaty of the haughty rabbi; yet they accom
panied their Master, and the people followed, eager
and expectant.
The ruler’s house was not far dis
tant, but Jesus and His companions advanced slowly,
for the crowd pressed Him on every side.
The anx
ious father was impatient of delay; but Jesus, pitying
the people, stopped now and then to relieve some suf
fering one, or to comfort a troubled heart.
While they were still on the way, a messenger
pressed through the crowd, bearing to Jairus the news
This chapter is based on Matt. 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43;
Luke 8:40-56.
( 4 0 0 )
THE TOUCH OF FAITH.
401
that his daughter was dead, and it was useless to
trouble the Master further.
The word caught the
ear of Jesus.
“ Fear not,” He said; “ believe only, and
she shall be made whole.”
Jairus pressed closer to the Saviour, and together
they hurried to the ruler’s home.
Already the hired
mourners and flute-players were there, filling the air
with their clamor.
The presence of the crowd, and
the tumult, jarred upon the spirit of Jesus.
He tried
to silence them, saying, “Why make ye this ado, and
weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.”
They
were indignant at the words of the stranger.
They
had seen the child in the embrace of death, and they
laughed Him to scorn.
Requiring them all to leave
' the house, Jesus took with Him the father and
mother of the maiden, and the three disciples, Peter,
James, and John, and together they entered the
chamber of death.
Jesus approached the bedside, and taking the
child’s hand in His own, He pronounced softly, in
the familiar language of her home, the words, “ Dam
sel, I say unto thee, Arise.”
Instantly a tremor passed through the unconscious
form.
The pulses of life beat again.
The lips un
closed with a smile.
The eyes opened widely as if
from sleep, and the maiden gazed with wonder on the
group beside her.
She arose, and her parents clasped
her in their arms, and wept for joy.
On the way to the ruler’s house, Jesus had met, in
the crowd, a poor woman who for twelve years had
suffered from a disease that made her life a burden.
She had spent all her means upon physicians and
remedies, only to be pronounced incurable.
But
her hopes revived when she heard of the cures that
Christ performed.
She felt assured that if she could
only go to Him, she would be healed.
In weakness
26
"i
402
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
and suffering she came to the seaside where He was
teaching, and tried to press through the crowd, but
in vain.
Again she followed Him from the house
of Levi-Matthew, but was still unable to reach Him.
She had begun to despair, when, in making His way
through the multitude, He came near where she was.
The golden opportunity had come.
She was in
the presence of the great Physician!
But amid the
confusion she could not speak to Him, nor catch
more than a passing glimpse of His figure.
Fearful
of losing her one chance of relief, she pressed for
ward, saying to herself, “ If I may but touch His
garment, I shall be whole.”
As He was passing,
she reached forward, and succeeded in barely touch
ing the border of His garment.
But in that moment
she knew that she was healed.
In that one touch
was concentrated the faith of her life, and instantly
her pain and feebleness gave place to the vigor of
perfect health.
With a grateful heart she then tried to withdraw
from the crowd; but suddenly Jesus stopped, and the
people halted with Him.
He turned, and looking
about asked in a voice distinctly heard above the
confusion of the multitude, “W ho touched Me?”
The people answered this query with a look of amaze
ment.
Jostled upon all sides, and rudely pressed
hither and thither, as He was, it seemed a strange
inquiry.
*
Peter, ever ready to speak, said, “ Master, the mul
titude throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest Thou,
W ho touched Me?”
Jesus answered, “ Somebody
hath touched Me; for I perceive that virtue is gone
out of Me.”
The Saviour could distinguish the touch
of faith from the casual contact of the careless throng.
Such trust should not be passed without comment.
He would speak to the humble woman words of com
THE TOUCH OF FAITH.
403
fort that would be to her a well-spring of joy,— words
that would be a blessing to His followers to the close
of time.
Looking toward the woman, Jesus insisted on
knowing who had touched Him,
Finding conceal
ment vain, she came forward tremblingly, and cast
herself at His feet.
With grateful tears she told the
story of her suffering, and how she had found relief.
Jesus gently said, “ Daughter, be of good comfort;
thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.”
He
gave no opportunity for superstition to claim heal
ing virtue for the mere act of touching His garments.
It was not through the outward contact with Him,
but through the faith which took hold on His divine
< power, that the cure was wrought.
The wondering crowd that pressed close about
Christ realized no accession of vital power.
But when
the suffering woman put forth her hand to touch
Him, believing that she would be made whole, she
felt the healing virtue.
So in spiritual things.
To
talk of religion in a casual way, to pray without soul-
hunger and living faith, avails nothing.
A nominal
faith in Christ, which accepts Him merely as the Sa
viour of the world, can never bring healing to the
soul.
The faith that is unto salvation is not a mere
intellectual assent to the truth.
He who waits for
entire knowledge before he will exercise faith, can
not receive blessing from God.
It is not enough to
believe about Christ; we must believe in Him.
The
only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces
Him as a personal Saviour; which appropriates His
merits to ourselves.
Many hold faith as an opinion.
Saving faith is a transaction, by which those who re
ceive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with
God.
Genuine faith is life.
A living faith means an
increase of vigor, a confiding trust, by which the soul
becomes a conquering power.
404
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
After healing the woman, Jesus desired her to ac
knowledge the blessing she had received.
The gifts
which the gospel offers, are not to be secured by
stealth or enjoyed in secret.
So the Lord calls upon
us for confession of His goodness.
“ Ye are my wit
nesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.” 1
Our confession of His faithfulness is Heaven’s
chosen agency for revealing Christ to the world.
We
are to acknowledge His grace as made known
through the holy men of old; but that which will be
most effectual is the testimony of our own experience.
W e are witnesses for God as we reveal in ourselves
the working of a power that is divine.
Every indi
vidual has a life distinct from all others, and an ex
perience differing essentially from theirs.
God de
sires that our praise shall ascend to Him, marked by
our own individuality.
These precious acknowledge
ments to the praise of the glory of His grace, when
supported by a Christ like life, have an irresistible
power, that works for the salvation of souls.
When the ten lepers came to Jesus for healing, He
bade them go and show themselves to the priests.
On the way they were cleansed, but only one of them
returned to give Him glory.
The others went their
way, forgetting Him who had made them whole.
How many are still doing the same thing.
The Lord
works continually to benefit mankind.
He is ever
imparting His bounties.
He raises up the sick from
beds of languishing, He delivers men from peril which
they do not see. He commissions heavenly angels to
save them from calamity, to guard them from “ the
pestilence that walketh in darkness,” and “the de
struction that wasteth at noonday,” 2 but. their hearts
are unimpressed.
He has given all the riches of
heaven to redeem them, and yet they are unmindful
'Isa. 43:12.
s Ps. 91:6.
THE TOUCH OF FAITH.
405
of His great love.
By their ingratitude they close
their hearts against the grace of God.
Like the heath
in the desert, they know not when good cometh, and
their souls inhabit the parched places of the wil
derness.
It is for our own benefit to keep every gift of God
fresh in our memory.
Thus faith is strengthened to
claim and to receive more and more.
There is
greater encouragement for us in the least blessing we
ourselves receive from God than in all the accounts
we can read of the faith and experience of others.
The soul that responds to the grace of God shall be
like a watered garden.
His health shall spring forth
speedily; his light shall rise in obscurity, and the glory
' of the Lord shall be seen upon him. r Let us then re
member the loving-kindness of the Lord, and the
multitude of His tender mercies.
Like the people of
Israel, let us set up our stones of witness, and inscribe
upon them the precious story of what God has
wrought for us.
And as we review His dealings with
us in our pilgrimage, let us, out of hearts melted with
gratitude, declare, “ What shall I render unto the Lord
for all His benefits toward me?
I will take the cup
of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
I
will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence
of all His people.” 3
8 Ps. 116:12-14.
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN.
The apostles were members of the family of Jesus,
and they had accompanied Him as He traveled on foot
through Galilee.
They had shared with Him the
toils and hardships that overtook them.
They had
listened to His discourses, they had walked and talked
with the Son of God, and from His daily instruction
they had learned how to work for the elevation of
humanity.
As Jesus ministered to the vast multi
tudes that gathered about Him, His disciples were
in attendance, eager to do His bidding and to lighten
His labor.
They assisted in arranging the people,
bringing the afflicted ones to the Saviour, and pro
moting the comfort of all.
They watched for inter
ested hearers, explained the Scriptures to them, and
in various ways worked for their spiritual benefit.
They taught what they had learned of Jesus, and were
every day obtaining a rich experience.
But they
needed also an experience in laboring alone.
They
were still in need of much instruction, great patience
and tenderness.
Now, while He was personally with
them, to point out their errors, and counsel and cor
rect them, the Saviour sent them forth as His repre
sentatives.
While they had been with Him, the disciples had
often been perplexed by the teaching of the priests
This chapter is based on Matt, io; Mark 6:7-11;
Luke 9:1-6.
( 4 0 6 )
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS.
407
and Pharisees, but they had brought their perplexities
to Jesus.
He had set before them the truths of Scrip
ture in contrast with tradition. Thus He had strength
ened their confidence in God’s word, and in a great
measure had set them free from their fear of the rab
bis, and their bondage to tradition.
In the training
of the disciples the example of the Saviour’s life was
far more effective than any mere doctrinal instruc
tion.
When they were separated from Him, every
look and tone and word came back to them.
Often
when in conflict with the enemies of the gospel, they
repeated His words, and as they saw their effect upon
the people, they rejoiced greatly.
Calling the twelve about Him, Jesus bade them go
out two and two through the towns and villages.
None were sent forth alone, but brother was associ
ated with brother, friend with friend.
Thus they
could help and encourage each other, counseling and
praying together, each one’s strength supplementing
the other’s weakness.
In the same manner He after
ward sent forth the seventy.
It was the Saviour’s
purpose that the messengers of the gospel should be
associated in this way.
In our own time evangelis
tic work would be far more successful if this example
were more closely followed.
The disciples’ message was the same as that of John
the Baptist and of Christ Himself: “The kingdom of
heaven is at hand.”
They were to enter into no con
troversy with the people as to whether Jesus of Naz
areth was the Messiah; but in His name they were
to do the same works of mercy as He had done.
He
bade them, “ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received,
freely give.”
During His ministry, Jesus devoted more time to
healing the sick than to preaching.
His miracles tes-
tihed to the truth of His words, that He came not to
destroy, but to save.
His righteousness went before
Him, and the glory of the Lord was His rearward.
Wherever He went, the tidings of His mercy preceded
Him.
Where He had passed, the objects of His com
passion were rejoicing in health, and making trial of
their new-found powers.
Crowds were collecting
around them to hear from their lips the works that
the Lord had wrought.
His voice was the first sound
that many had ever heard, His name the first word
they had ever spoken, His face the first they had
ever looked upon.
Why should they not love Jesus,
and sound His praise?
As He passed through the
towns and cities, He was like a vital current, diffusing
life and joy wherever He went.
The followers of Christ are to labor as He did.
We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and
comfort the suffering and afflicted.
We are to min
ister to the despairing, and inspire hope in the hope
less.
And to us also the promise will be fulfilled,
“Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of
the Lord shall be thy rearward.” 1 "•The love of Christ,
manifested in unselfish ministry, will be more effect
ive in reforming the evil-doer than will the sword or
the court of justice.
These are necessary to strike
terror to the law-breaker, but the loving missionary
can do more than this.
Often the heart will harden
under reproof; but it will melt under the love of
Christ.
The missionary cannot only relieve physical
maladies, but he can lead the sinner to the great Physi
cian, who can cleanse the soul from the leprosy of
sin.
Through His servants, God designs that the
sick, the unfortunate, those possessed of evil spirits,
shall hear His voice.
Through His human agencies
He desires to be a Comforter such as the world knows
not.
J
4 ° 8
t h e d e s ir e o f a g e s .
1 Isa. 58:8.
t h e f i r s t e v a n g e l i s t s .
4°9
The disciples on their first missionary tour were to go
only to “ the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” If they
had now preached the gospel to the Gentiles or the
Samaritans, they would have lost their influence with
the Jews.
By exciting the prejudice of the Pharisees
they would have involved themselves in controversy
which would have discouraged them at the outset of
their labors.
Even the apostles were slow to under
stand that the gospel was to be carried to all nations.
Until they themselves could grasp this truth, they
were not prepared to labor for the Gentiles.
If the
Jews would receive the gospel, God purposed to
make them His messengers to the Gentiles.
There
fore they were first to hear the message.
'' All over the field of Christ’s labor there were souls
awakened to their need, and hungering and thirsting
for the truth.
The time had come to send the tidings
of His love to these longing hearts.
To all these
the disciples were to go as His representatives.
The
believers would thus be led to look upon them as di
vinely appointed teachers, and when the Saviour
should be taken from them, they would not be left
without instructors.
On this first tour the disciples were to go only
where Jesus had been before them, and had made
friends.
Their preparation for the journey was to be
of the simplest kind.
Nothing must be allowed to di
vert their minds from their great work, or in any
way excite opposition and close the door for further
labor.
They were not to adopt the dress of the re
ligious teachers, nor use any guise in apparel to dis
tinguish them from the humble peasants.
They were
not to enter into the synagogues and call the people
together for public service; their efforts were to be put
forth in house-to-house labor.
They were not to
waste time in needless salutations, or in going trom
4io
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
house to house for entertainment.
But in every place
they were to accept the hospitality of those who were
worthy, those who would welcome them heartily as
if entertaining Christ Himself.
They were to enter
the dwelling with the beautiful salutation, “ Peace be
to this house.” 2
That home would be blessed by
their prayers, their songs of praise, and the opening
of the Scriptures in the family circle.
These disciples were to be heralds of the truth, to
prepare the way for the coming of their Master. The
message they had to bear was the word of eternal life,
and the destiny of men depended upon their reception
or rejection of it.
To impress the people with its so
lemnity, Jesus bade His disciples, “ Whosoever shall
not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart
out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your
feet.
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of
Judgment, than for that city.”
Now the Saviour’s eye penetrates the future; He
beholds the broader fields in which, after His death,
the disciples are to be witnesses for Him.
His pro
phetic glance takes in the experience of His servants
through all the ages till He shall come the second
time.
He shows Plis followers the conflicts they
must meet; He reveals the character and plan of the
battle.
He lays open before them the perils they
must encounter, the self-denial that will be required.
He desires them to count the cost, that they may not
be taken unawares by the enemy.
Their warfare is
not to be waged against flesh and blood, but “against
the principalities, against the powers, against the
world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual
hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”8
They
1 Luke 10:5.
Eph. 6:12, R. V.
are to contend with supernatural forces, but they are
assured of supernatural help.
All the intelligences of
heaven are in this army.
And more than angels are
in the ranks.
The Holy Spirit, the representative of
the Captain of the Lord’s host, comes down to direct
the battle.
Our infirmities may be many, our sins
and mistakes grievous; but the grace of God is for all
who seek it with contrition.
The power of Omnipo
tence is enlisted in behalf of those who trust in God.
“ Behold,” said Jesus, “ I send you forth as sheep in
the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents,
and harmless as doves.”
Christ Himself did not sup
press one word of truth, but He spoke it always in
love.
He exercised the greatest tact, and thoughtful,
kind attention in His intercourse with the people. He
was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word,
never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul.
He did
not censure human weakness.
He fearlessly de
nounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears
were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes.
He wept over Jerusalem, the city He loved, that re
fused to receive Him, the Way, the Truth, and the
Life.
They rejected Him, the Saviour, but He re
garded them with pitying tenderness, and sorrow so
deep that it broke His heart.
Every soul was pre
cious in His eyes.
While He always bore Himself
with divine dignity, He bowed with tenderest regard
to every member of the family of God.
In all men
He saw fallen souls whom it was His mission to save.
The servants of Christ are not to act out the dic
tates of the natural heart.
They need to have close
communion with God, lest, under provocation, self
rise up, and they pour forth a torrent of words that
are unbefitting, that are not as dew, or the still show
ers that refresh the withering plants.
This is what
Satan wants them to do; for these are his methods.
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS.
4 H
4 12
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
It is the dragon that is wroth; it is the spirit of Satan
that is revealed in anger and accusing.
But God’s
servants are to be representatives of Him.
He desires
them to deal only in the currency of heaven, the truth
that bears His own image and superscription.
The
power by which they are to overcome evil is the
power of Christ. The glory of Christ is their strength.
They are to fix their eyes upon His loveliness.
Then
they can present the gospel with divine tact and
gentleness.
And the spirit that is kept gentle under
provocation will speak more effectively in favor of
the truth than will any argument, however forcible.
Those who are brought in controversy with the
enemies of truth have to meet, not only men, but
Satan and his agents.
Let them remember the Sa
viour’s words, “ Behold, I send you forth as lambs
among wolves.” 3
Let them rest in the love of God,
and the spirit will be kept calm, even under personal
abuse.
The Lord will clothe them with a divine pan
oply.
His Holy Spirit will influence the mind and
heart, so that their voices shall not catch the notes of
the baying of the wolves.
Continuing His instruction to His disciples, Jesus
said, “ Beware of men.”
They were not to put im
plicit confidence in those who knew not God, and
open to them their counsels; for this would give
Satan’s agents an advantage.
Man’s inventions often
counterwork God’s plans.
Those who build the tem
ple of the Lord, are to build according to the pattern
shown in the mount,— the divine similitude.
God is
dishonored and the gospel is betrayed when His serv
ants depend on the counsel of men who are not under
the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Worldly wisdom is
foolishness with God.
Those who rely upon it, will
surely err.
3 Luke 10:3.
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS.
413
“They will deliver you up to councils, .
.
.
yea, and before governors and kings shall ye be
brought for My sake, for a testimony to them and to
the Gentiles.” 5
Persecution will spread the light.
The servants of Christ will be brought before the
great men of the world, who, but for this, might never
hear the gospel.
The truth has been misrepresented
to these men.
They have listened to false charges
concerning the faith of Christ’s disciples.
Often their
only means of learning its real character is the testi
mony of those who are brought to trial for their faith.
Under examination these are required to answer, and
their judges to listen to the testimony borne.
God’s
grace will be dispensed to His servants to meet the
emergency.
“ It shall be given you,” says Jesus, “in
that same hour what ye shall speak.
For it is not ye
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speak-
etli in you.”
As the Spirit of God illuminates the
minds of His servants, the truth will be presented in
its divine power and preciousness.
Those who reject
the truth will stand to accuse and oppress the dis
ciples.
But under loss and suffering, even unto
death, the Lord’s children are to reveal the meekness
of their divine Example.
Thus will be seen the con
trast between Satan’s agents and the representatives
of Christ.
The Saviour will be lifted up before the
rulers and the people.
The disciples w^ere not endowed with the courage
and fortitude of the martyrs until such grace was
needed.
Then the Saviour’s promise was fulfilled.
When Peter and John testified before the Sanhedrim
council, men “ marveled; and they took knowledge of
them, that they had been with Jesus.”8
Of Stephen
it is written that “ all that sat in the council, looking
steadfastly on him, saw7 his face as it had been the
5R. V.
“Acts 4:13.
t'ace of an angel.”
Men “ were not able to resist the
wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.” 7
And
Paul, writing of his own trial at the court of the
Caesars, says, “At my first defense no one took my
part, but all forsook me.
.
.
.
But the Lord stood
by me, and strengthened me; that through me the
message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the
Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the
mouth of the lion.” 8
The servants of Christ were to prepare no set speech
to present when brought to trial.
Their preparation
was to be made day by day in treasuring up the pre
cious truths of God’s word, and through prayer
strengthening their faith.
When they were brought
into trial, the Holy Spirit would bring to their re
membrance the very truths that would be needed.
A daily, earnest striving to know God, and Jesus
Christ whom He has sent, would bring power and
efficiency to the soul.
The knowledge obtained by
diligent searching of the Scriptures, would be flashed
into the memory at the right time.
But if any had
neglected to acquaint themselves with the words of
Christ, if they had never tested the power of His
grace in trial, they could not expect that the Holy
Spirit would bring His words to their remembrance.
They were to serve God daily with undivided affec
tion, and then trust Him.
So bitter would be the enmity to the gospel that
even the tenderest earthly ties would be disregarded.
The disciples of Christ would be betrayed to death by
the members of their own households.
“ Ye shall be
hated of all men for My name’s sake,” He added; “ but
he that shall endure unto the end, shall be saved.” 9
But He bade them not to expose themselves unnec
essarily to persecution.
He Himself often left one
1 Acts 6:15, 10.
8 2 Tim. 4:16, 17, R. V.
9 Mark 13:13.
\\ \
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS.
415
field of labor for another, in order to escape from
those who were seeking His life.
When He was
rejected at Nazareth, and His own townsmen tried
to kill Him, He went down to Capernaum, and there
the people were astonished at His teaching; “ for His
word was with power.” 30
So His servants were not
to be discouraged by persecution, but to seek a place
where they could still labor for the salvation of souls.
The servant is not above his master.
The Prince
of heaven was called Beelzebub, and His disciples
will be misrepresented in like manner.
But what
ever the danger, Christ’s followers must avow their
principles.
They should scorn concealment.
They
cannot remain uncommitted until assured of safety
1 in confessing the truth.
They are set as watchmen,
to warn men of their peril.
The truth received from
Christ must be imparted to all, freely and openly.
Jesus said, “ What I tell you in darkness, that speak
ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach
ye upon the housetops.”
Jesus Himself never purchased peace by compro
mise.
His heart overflowed with love for the whole
human race, but He was never indulgent to their sins.
He was too much their friend to remain silent while
they were pursuing a course that would ruin their
souls,— the souls He had purchased with His own
blood.
He labored that man should be true to him
self, true to his higher and eternal interest.
The
servants of Christ are called to the same work, and
they should beware lest, in seeking to prevent dis
cord, they surrender the truth.
They are to “ follow
after the things which make for peace;” 11 but real
peace can never be secured by compromising princi
ple.
And no man can be true to principle without
exciting opposition.
A Christianity that is spiritual
10 Luke 4:32.
u Rom. 14:19-
4 16
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
will be opposed by the children of disobedience.
But
Jesus bade His disciples, “ Fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul.”
Those
who are true to God need not fear the power of men
nor the enmity of Satan.
In Christ their eternal life
is secure.
Their only fear should be, lest they sur-
mnder the truth, and thus betray the trust with which
God has honored them.
It is Satan’s work to fill men’s hearts with doubt.
He leads them to look upon God as a stern judg'e.
He tempts them to sin, and then to regard themselves
as too vile to approach their Heavenly Father or to
excite His pity.
The Lord understands all this.
Jesus assures His disciples of God’s sympathy for
thein in their needs and weaknesses.
Not a sigh is
bieatned, not a pain felt, not a grief pierces the soul,
but the throb vibrates to the Father’s heart.
The Bible shows us God in His high and holy
place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and
solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten
thousand and thousands of thousands of holy intel
ligences, all waiting to do His will.
Through chan
nels which we cannot discern, He is in active com
munication with every part of His dominion.
But it
is in this speck of a world, in the souls that He gave
His only begotten Son to save, that His in terested
the interest of all heaven is centered.
God is bend
ing from His throne to hear the cry of the oppressed
To every sincere prayer He answers, “ Here am I.”
He uplifts the distressed and down-trodden.
In all
our afflictions He is afflicted.
In every temptation
and every trial the angel of His presence is near to
deliver.
Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without the
bather’s notice.
Satan’s hatred against God leads
him to hate every object of the Saviour’s care.
He
THE FIRST EVANGELISTS.
4 H
seeks to mar the handiwork of God, and he delights
in destroying even the dumb creatures.
It is only
through God’s protecting care that the birds are pre
served to gladden us with their songs of joy.
But
He does not forget even the sparrows.
“ Fear ye not
therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows/’
Jesus continues: As you confess Me before men, so
I will confess you before God and the holy angels.
You are to be My witnesses upon earth, channels
through which My grace can flow for the healing of
the world.
So I will be your representative in
heaven.
The Father beholds not your faulty char
acter, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection.
I am the medium through which Heaven’s blessings
shall come to you.
And every one who confesses Me
by sharing My sacrifice for the lost, shall be confessed
as a sharer in the glory and joy of the redeemed.
He who would confess Christ, must have Christ
abiding in him.
He cannot communicate that which
he has not received.
The disciples might speak
fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of
Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike
meekness and love, they were not confessing Him.
A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny
Him, whatever the profession.
Men may deny Christ
by evil-speaking, by foolish talking, by words that
are untruthful or unkind.
They may deny Him by
shunning life’s burdens, by the pursuit of sinful pleas
ure.
They may deny Him by conforming to the
world, by uncourteous behavior, by the love of their
own opinions, by justifying self, by cherishing doubt,
borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness.
In all
these ways they declare that Christ is not in them.
And “ whosoever shall deny Me before men,” He says,
“ him will I also deny before My Father which is in
heaven.”
27
4 1 8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The Saviour bade His disciples not to hope that the
world’s enmity to the gospel would be overcome, and
that after a time its opposition would cease.
He said,
“ I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
This creat
ing of strife is not the effect of the gospel, but the re
sult of opposition to it.
Of all persecution the hard
est to bear is variance in the home, the estrangement
of dearest earthly friends.
But Jesus declares, “ He
that loveth father or mother more than Me is not
worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or daughter
more than Me is not worthy of Me.
And he that
taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not
worthy of Me.”
The mission of Christ’s servants is a high honor,
and a sacred trust.
“ He that receiveth you,” He
says, “receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiv
eth Him that sent Me.”
No act of kindness shown
to them in His name will fail to be recognized and' re*
warded.
And in the same tender recognition He in
cludes the feeblest and lowliest of the family of God:
‘‘Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these
little ones”—those who are as children in their faith
and their knowledge of Christ—“a cup of cold water
only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you,
he shall in no wise lose his reward.”
Thus the Saviour ended His instruction.
In the
name of Christ the chosen twelve went out, as He had
gone, “to preach the gospel to the poor,
. . .
to
heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at
liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable
year of the Lord.” 18
u Luke 4:18, 19.
COME REST AWHILE.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT.
On returning from their missionary tour, “the apos
tles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told
Him all things, both what they had done, and what
they had taught.
And He said unto them, Come ye
yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile:
for there were many coming and going, and they had
no leisure so much as to eat.”
The disciples came to Jesus and told Him all things.
Their intimate relationship with Him encouraged
them to lay before Him their favorable and unfavor
able experiences, their joy at seeing results from their
labors, and their sorrow at their failures, their faults,
and their weaknesses.
They had committed errors
in their first work as evangelists, and as they frankly
told Christ of their experiences, He saw that they
needed much instruction.
He saw, too, that they had
become weary in their labors, and that they needed
to rest.
But where they then were, they could not obtain
the needed privacy; “ for there were many coming and
going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
The people were thronging after Christ, anxious to be
healed, and eager to listen to His words.
Many felt
drawn to Him; for He seemed to them to be the
This chapter is based on Matt. 14:1, 2, 12, 13; Mark 6:30-32;
Luke 9:7-10.
(419)
4 2 0
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
fountain of all blessings.
Many of those who then
thronged about Christ to receive the precious boon
of health, accepted Him as their Saviour.
Many
others, afraid then to confess Him, because of the
Pharisees, were converted at the descent of the Holy
Spirit, and, before the angry priests and rulers, ac
knowledged Him as the Son of God.
But now Christ longed for retirement, that He
might be with His disciples; for He had much to say
to them.
In their work they had passed through the
test of conflict, and had encountered opposition in va
rious forms.
Hitherto they had consulted Christ in
everything; but for some time they had been alone,
and at times they had been much troubled to know
what to do.
They had found much encouragement
in their work; for Christ did not send them away with
out His Spirit, and by faith in Him they worked many
miracles; but they needed now to feed on the bread
of life.
They needed to go to a place of retirement,
where they could hold communion with Jesus, and
receive instruction for future work.
“And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart
into a desert place, and rest awhile.”
Christ is full
of tenderness and compassion for all in His service.
He would show His disciples that God does not re
quire sacrifice, but mercy.
They had been putting
their whole souls into labor for the people, and this
was exhausting their physical and mental strength.
It was their duty to rest.
As the disciples had seen the success of their labors,
they were in danger of taking credit to themselves,
in danger of cherishing spiritual pride, and thus falling
under Satan’s temptations.
A great work was before
them, and first of all they must learn that their strength
was not in self, but in God.
Like Moses in the wil
derness of Sinai, like David among the hills of Judea,
COME REST AWHILE.
421
or Elijah by the brook Cherith, the disciples needed
to come apart from the scenes of their busy activity,
to commune with Christ, with nature, and with their
own hearts.
While the disciples had been absent on their mis
sionary tour, Jesus had visited other towns and vil
lages, preaching the gospel of the kingdom.
It was
about this time that He received tidings of the Bap
tist’s death.
This event brought vividly before Him
the end to which His own steps were tending.
The
shadows were gathering thickly about His path.
Priests and rabbis were watching to compass His
death, spies hung upon His steps, and on every hand
plots for His ruin were multiplying.
News of the
' preaching of the apostles throughout Galilee reached
Herod, calling his attention to Jesus and His work.
“ This is John the Baptist,” he said; “ he is risen from
the dead;” and he expressed a desire to see Jesus.
Herod was in constant fear lest a revolution might
be secretly carried forward, with the object of
unseating him from the throne, and breaking the
Roman yoke from the Jewish nation.
Among the
people the spirit of discontent and insurrection was
rife.
It was evident that Christ’s public labors in
Galilee could not be long continued.
The scenes of
His suffering were drawing near, and He longed to
be apart for a season from the confusion of the mul
titude.
With saddened hearts the disciples of John had
borne his mutilated body to its burial.
Then they
“ went and told Jesus.”
These disciples had been
envious of Christ when Fie seemed to be drawing the
people away from John.
They had sided with the
Pharisees in accusing Him when He sat with the
publicans at Matthew’s feast.
They had doubted
His divine mission because He did not set the Bap
422
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
tist at liberty.
But now that their teacher was dead,
and they longed for consolation in their great sor
row, and for guidance as to their future work, they
came to Jesus, and united their interest with His.
They too needed a season of quiet for communion
with the Saviour.
Near Bethsaida, at the northern end of the lake,
was a lonely region, now beautiful with the fresh
green of spring, that offered a welcome retreat to
Jesus and His disciples.
For this place they set out,
going in their boat across the water.
Here they
would be away from the thoroughfares of travel, and
the bustle and agitation of the city.
The scenes of
nature were in themselves a rest, a change grateful to
the senses.
Here they could listen to the words of
Christ without hearing the angry interruptions, the
retorts and accusations of-the scribes and Pharisees.
Here they could enjoy a short season of precious fel
lowship in the society of their Lord.
The rest which Christ and His disciples took was
not self-indulgent rest.
The time they spent in retire
ment was not devoted to pleasure-seeking.
They
talked together regarding the work of God, and the
possibility of bringing greater efficiency to the work.
The disciples had been with Christ, and could under
stand Him; to them He heed not talk in parables.
He corrected their errors, and made plain to them the
right way of approaching the people.
He opened
more fully to them the precious treasures of divine
truth.
They were vitalized by divine power, and in
spired with hope and courage.
Though Jesus could work miracles, and had em
powered His disciples to work miracles, He directed
His worn servants to go apart into the country and
rest.
When He said that the harvest was great, and
the laborers were few, He did not urge upon His dis
COME REST AWHILE.
423
ciples the necessity of ceaseless toil, but said, “Pray
ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will
send forth laborers into His harvest.” 1
God has ap
pointed to every man his work, according to his abil
ity,2 and He would not have a few weighted with
responsibilities, while others have no burden, no
travail of soul.
Christ’s words of compassion are spoken to His
workers to-day just as surely as they were spoken to
His disciples.
“ Come ye yourselves apart,
.
.
.
and rest awhile,” He says to those who are worn and
weary.
It is not wise to be always under the strain of
work and excitement, even in ministering to men’s
spiritual needs; for in this way personal piety is neg
lected, and the powers of mind and soul and body
are overtaxed.
Self-denial is required of the disciples
of Christ, and sacrifices must be made; but care must
also be exercised lest through their overzeal Satan
take advantage of the weakness of humanity, and the
work of God be marred.
In the estimation of the rabbis, it was the sum of
religion to be always in a bustle of activity.
They
depended upon some outward performance to show
their superior piety.
Thus they separated their souls
from God, and built themselves up in self-sufficiency.
The same dangers still exist.
As activity increases,
and men become successful in doing any work for
God, there is danger of trusting to human plans and
methods.
There is a tendency to pray less, and to
have less faith.
Like the disciples, we are in danger
of losing sight of our dependence on God, and seek
ing to make a saviour of our activity.
W e need to
look constantly to Jesus, realizing that it is His power
which does the work.
While we are to labor earnestly
for the salvation of the lost, we must also take time
1 Matt. 9:38.
2Eph. 4:11-13.
for meditation, for prayer, and for the study of the
word of God.
Only the work accomplished with
much prayer, and sanctified by the merit of Christ,
will in the end prove to have been efficient for good.
No other life was ever so crowded with labor and
responsibility as was that of Jesus; yet how often He
was found in prayer.
How constant was His com
munion with God.
Again and again in the history
of His earthly life are found records such as these:
“ Rising up a great while before day, He went out,
and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
“ Great multitudes came together to hear, and to be
healed by Him of their infirmities.
And He with
drew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed.”
“ And
it came to pass in those days that He went out into a
mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer
to God.” 3
In a life wholly devoted to the good of others, the
Saviour found it necessary to withdraw from the thor
oughfares of travel and from the throng that followed
Him day after day.
He must turn aside from a life
of ceaseless activity and contact with human needs, to
seek retirement and unbroken communion with His
Father.
As one with us, a sharer in our needs and
weaknesses, He was wholly dependent upon God,
and in the secret place of prayer He sought divine
strength, that He might go forth braced for duty and
trial.
In a world of sin, Jesus endured struggles and
torture of soul.
In communion with God He could
unburden the sorrows that were crushing Him.
Here
He found comfort and joy.
In Christ the cry of humanity reached the Father
of infinite pity.
As a man He supplicated the throne
of God, till His humanity was charged with a heav
enly current that should connect humanity with divin-
3 Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15, 16; 6:12.
4 24
THE d e s ir e o f a g e s.
COME REST AWHILE.
425
ity.
Through continual communion He received life
from God, that He might impart life to the world.
His experience is to be ours.
“ Come ye yourselves apart,” He bids us.
If we
would give heed to His word, we should be stronger
and more useful.
The disciples sought Jesus, and
told Him all things; and He encouraged and instructed
them.
If to-day we would take time to go to Jesus
and tell Him our needs, we should not be disap
pointed; He would be at our right hand to help us.
W e need more simplicity, more trust and confidence
in our Saviour.
He whose name is called “the mighty
God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace;”
He of whom it is written, “The government shall be
' upon His shoulder,” is the Wonderful Counselor.
We
are invited to ask wisdom of Him.
He “ giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not.” 4
In all who are under the training of God is to be
revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world,
its customs or its practises; and every one needs to
have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge
of the will of God.
W e must individually hear Him
speaking to the heart.
When every other voice is
hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the si
lence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of
God.
He bids us, “ Be still, and know that I am
God.” 5
Here alone can true rest be found.
And this
is the effectual preparation for all labor for God.
Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life’s in
tense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be
surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace.
The life will breathe out fragrance, and will reveal a
divine power that will reach men’s hearts.
Isa. 9:6; James 1:5.
5 Ps. 46:10.
GIVE YE THEM TO EAT.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE.
Christ had retired to a secluded place with His dis
ciples, but this rare season of peaceful quietude was
soon broken.
The disciples thought they had retired
where they would not be disturbed; but as soon as
the multitude missed the divine Teacher, they in
quired, “ Where is He?”
Some among them had
noticed the direction in which Christ and His disciples
had gone.
Many went by land to meet them, while
others followed in their boats across the water.
The
Passover was at hand, and, from far and near, bands
of pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem gathered to see
Jesus.
Additions were made to their number, until
there were assembled five thousand men, besides
women and children.
Before Christ reached the
shore, a multitude were waiting for Him.
But He
landed unobserved by them, and spent a little time
apart with the disciples.
From the hillside He looked upon the moving mul
titude, and His heart was stirred with sympathy.
In
terrupted as He was, and robbed of His rest, He was
not impatient.
He saw a greater necessity demand
ing His attention as He watched the people coming
and still coming.
He was “moved with compassion
toward them, because they were as sheep not having
a shepherd.”
Leaving His retreat, He found a con-
This chapter is based on Matt. 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44;
Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13.
(4 26 )
GIVE YE THEM TO EAT.
427
venient place where He could minister to them. They
received no help from the priests and rulers; but the
healing waters of life flowed from Christ as He taught
the multitude the way of salvation.
The people listened to the words of mercy flowing
so freely from the lips of the Son of God.
They
heard the gracious words, so simple and so plain that
they were as the balm of Gilead to their souls.
The
healing of His divine hand brought gladness and life
to the dying, and ease and health to those suffering
with disease.
The day seemed to them like heaven
upon earth, and they were utterly unconscious of
how long it had been since they had eaten anything.
At length the day was far spent.
The sun was
sinking in the west, and yet the people lingered.
Je
sus had labored all day without food or rest.
He was
pale from weariness and hunger, and the disciples be
sought Him to cease from His toil.
But He could
not withdraw
Himself
from the multitude that
pressed upon Him.
The disciples finally came to Him, urging that for
their own sake the people should be sent away. Many
had come from far, and had eaten nothing since morn
ing.
In the surrounding towns and villages they
might be able to buy food.
But Jesus said, “ Give ye
them to eat,” and then, turning to Philip, questioned,
“Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
This He said to test the faith of the disciple.
Philip
looked over the sea of heads, and thought how im
possible it would be to provide food to satisfy the
wants of such a crowd.
He answered that two hun
dred pennyworth of bread would not be nearly enough
to divide among them, so that each might have a
little.
Jesus inquired how much food could be found
among the company.
“There is a lad here,” said
Andrew, “which hath five barley loaves, and two
428
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
small fishes; but what are they among so many?”
Jesus directed that these be brought to Him.
Then
He bade the disciples seat the people on the grass in
parties of fifty or a hundred, to preserve order, and
that all might witness what He was about to do.
When this was accomplished, Jesus took the food,
“and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake,
and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disci
ples to the multitude.”
“And they did all eat, and
were filled.
And they took up twelve baskets full of
the fragments, and of the fishes.”
He who taught the people the way to secure peace
and happiness was just as thoughtful of their tempo
ral necessities as of their spiritual need.
The people
were weary and faint.
There were mothers with
babes in their arms, and little children clinging to
their skirts.
Many had been standing for hours.
They had been so intensely interested in Christ’s
words, that they had not once thought of sitting down,
and the crowd was so great that there was danger of
their trampling on one another.
Jesus would give
them a chance to rest, and He bade them sit down.
There was much grass in the place, and all could rest
in comfort.
Christ never worked a miracle except to supply a
genuine necessity, and every miracle was of a charac
ter to lead the people to the tree of life, whose leaves
are for the healing of the nations.
The simple food
passed round by the hands of the disciples contained
a whole treasure of lessons.
It was humble fare that
had been provided; the fishes and barley loaves were
the daily food of the fisher folk about the Sea of Gali
lee.
Christ could have spread before the people a
rich repast, but food prepared merely for the gratifi
cation of appetite would have conveyed no lesson for
their good.
Christ taught them in this lesson that the
GIVE YE THEM TO EAT.
429
natural provisions of God for man had been perverted.
And never did people enjoy the luxurious feasts pre
pared for the gratification of perverted taste as this
people enjoyed the rest and the simple food which
Christ provided so far from human habitations.
If men to-day were simple in their habits, living in
harmony with nature’s laws, as did Adam and Eve
in the beginning, there would be an abundant supply
for the needs of the human family.
There would be
fewer imaginary wants, and more opportunities to
work in God’s ways.
But selfishness and the indul
gence of unnatural taste, have brought sin and misery
into the world, from excess on the one hand, and
from want on the other.
Jesus did not seek to attract the people to Him by
gratifying the desire for luxury.
To that great throng,
weary and hungry after the long, exciting day, the
simple fare was an assurance not only of His power,
but of His tender care for them in the common needs
of life.
The Saviour has not promised His followers
the luxuries of the world; their fare may be plain,
and even scanty; their lot may be shut in by poverty;
but His word is pledged that their need shall be sup
plied, and tie has promised that which is far better
than worldly good,— the abiding comfort of His own
presence.
r In feeding the five thousand, Jesus lifts the veil
from the world of nature, and reveals the power that
is constantly exercised for our good.
In the produc
tion of earth’s harvests, God is working a miracle
every day.
Through natural agencies the same work
is accomplished that was wrought in the feeding of
the multitude.
Men prepare the soil and sow the
seed, but it is the life from God that causes the seed
to germinate.
It is God’s rain and air and sunshine
that cause it to put forth, “ first the blade, then the
'i
.
430
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” 1
It is God
who is every day feeding millions from earth’s har
vest fields.
Men are called upon to co-operate with
God in the care of the grain and the preparation of
the loaf, and because of this they lose sight of the
divine agency.
They do not give God the glory due
unto His holy name.
The working of His power is
ascribed to natural causes or to human instrumen
tality.
Man is glorified in place of God, and His gra
cious gifts are perverted to selfish uses, and made a
curse instead of a blessing.
God is seeking to change
all this.
He desires that our dull senses shall be
quickened to discern His merciful kindness and to
glorify Him for the working of His power.
He de
sires us to recognize Him in His gifts, that they may
be, as He intended, a blessing to us.
It was to ac
complish this purpose that the miracles of Christ were
performed.
After the multitude had been fed, there was an
abundance of food left.
But He who had all the re
sources of infinite power at His command said,
“ Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing
be lost.”
These words meant more than putting the
bread into the baskets.
The lesson was twofold.
Nothing is to be wasted.
We are to let slip no tem
poral advantage.
We should neglect nothing that
will tend to benefit a human being.
Let everything
be gathered up that will relieve the necessity of earth’s
hungry ones.
And there should be the same careful
ness in spiritual things.
When the baskets of frag
ments were collected, the people thought of their
friends at home.
They wanted them to share in the
bread that Christ had blessed.
The contents of the
baskets were distributed among the eager throng, and
were carried away into all the region round about.
*M ark 4:28.
GIVE YE THEM TO EAT.
431
So those who were at the feast were to give to others
the bread that comes down from heaven, to satisfy
the hunger of the soul.
They were to repeat what
they had learned of the wonderful things of God.
Nothing was to be lost.
Not one word that con
cerned their eternal salvation was to fall useless to the
ground.
The miracle of the loaves teaches a lesson of de
pendence upon God.
When Christ fed the five thou
sand, the food was not nigh at hand.
Apparently He
had no means at His command.
Here He was, with
five thousand men, besides women and children, in
the wilderness.
He had not invited the large multi
tude to follow Him; they came without invitation or
command; but He knew that after they had listened
so long to His instruction, they would feel hungry
and faint; for He was one with them in their need of
food.
They were far from home, and the night was
close at hand.
Many of them were without means
to purchase food.
He who for their sake had fasted
forty days in the wilderness, would not suffer them to
return fasting to their homes.
The providence of
God had placed Jesus where He was; and He de
pended on His Heavenly Father for the means to re
lieve the necessity.
And when we are brought into strait places, we are
to depend on God.
W e are to exercise wisdom and
judgment in every action of life, that we may not,
by reckless movements, place ourselves in trial.
W e
are not to plunge into difficulties, neglecting the
means God has provided, and misusing the faculties
He has given us.
Christ’s workers are to obey His
instructions implicitly.
The work is God’s, and if we
would bless others, His plans must be followed.
Self
cannot be made a center; self can receive no honor.
If we plan according to our own ideas, the Lord will
432
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
leave us to our own mistakes.
But when, after fol
lowing His directions, we are brought into strait
places, He will deliver us.
W e are not to give up in
discouragement, but in every emergency we are to
seek help from Him who has infinite resources at His
command.
Often we shall be surrounded with trying
circumstances, and then, in the fullest confidence, we
must depend upon God.
He will keep every soul that
is brought into perplexity through trying to keep the
way of the Lord.
Christ has bidden us, through the prophet, “ Deal
thy bread to the hungry,” and “ satisfy the afflicted
soul;” “when thou seest the naked that thou cover
him,” and “ bring the poor that are cast out to thy
house.”2
He has bidden us, “ Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”3
But how often our hearts sink, and faith fails us, as
we see how great is the need, and how small the means
in our hands.
Like Andrew looking upon the five
barley loaves and the two little fishes, we exclaim,
“ What are they among so many?”
Often we hesi
tate, unwilling to give all that we have, fearing to
spend and to be spent for others.
But Jesus has bid
den us, “ Give ye them to eat.”
His command is a
promise; and behind it is the same power that fed the
multitude beside the sea.
In Christ’s act of supplying the temporal necessi
ties of a hungry multitude, is wrapped up a deep spir
itual lesson for all His workers.
Christ received
from the Father; He imparted to the disciples; they
imparted to the multitude; and the people to one an
other.
So all who are united to Christ will receive
from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food, and
impart it to others.
In full reliance upon God, Jesus took the small
2 Isa. 58:7-10.
3 Mark 16:15.
GIVE YE THEM TO EAT.
433
store of loaves; and although there was but a small
portion for His own family of disciples, He did not
invite them to eat, but began to distribute to them,
bidding them serve the people.
The food multiplied
in His hands; and the hands of the disciples, reaching
out to Christ, Himself the Bread of life, were never
empty.
The little store was sufficient for all.
After
the wants of the people had been supplied, the frag
ments were gathered up, and Christ and His disciples
ate together of the precious, Heaven-supplied food.
The disciples were the channel of communication
between Christ and the people.
This should be a
great encouragement to His disciples to-day.
Christ
is the great center, the source of all strength.
His
disciples are to receive their supplies from Him.
The
most intelligent, the most spiritually minded, can be
stow only as they receive.
Of themselves they can
supply nothing for the needs of the soul.
W e can
impart only that which we receive from Christ; and
we can receive only as we impart to others.
As
we continue imparting, we continue to receive; and
the more we impart, the more we shall receive.
Thus
we may be constantly believing, trusting, receiving,
and imparting.
The work of building up the kingdom of Christ
will go forward, though to all appearance it moves
slowly, and impossibilities seem to testify against
advance.
The work is of God, and He will furnish
means, and will send helpers, true, earnest disciples,
whose hands also will be filled with food for the
starving multitude.
God is not unmindful of those
who labor in love to give the word of life to perishing
souls, who in their turn reach forth their hands for
food for other hungry souls.
In our work for God there is danger of relying
too largely upon what man with his talents and
28
434
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ability can do.
Thus we lose sight of the one Master-
worker.
Too often the worker for Christ fails to
realize his personal responsibility.
He is in danger
of shifting his burden upon organizations, instead of
relying upon Him who is the source of all strength.
It is a great mistake to trust in human wisdom or
numbers in the work of God.
Successful work for
Christ depends not so much on numbers or talent as
upon pureness of purpose, the true simplicity of ear
nest, dependent faith.
Personal responsibilities must
be borne, personal duties must be taken up, personal
efforts must be made for those who do not know
Christ.
In the place of shifting your responsibility
upon some one whom you think more richly endowed
than you are, work according to your ability.
When the question comes home to your heart,
“Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
let not your answer be the response of unbelief.
When the disciples heard the Saviour’s direction,
“ Give ye them to eat,” all the difficulties arose in their
minds.
They questioned, Shall we go away into the
villages to buy food?
So now, when the people are
destitute of the bread of life, the Lord’s children
question, Shall we send for some one from afar, to
come and feed them?
But what said Christ?— “ Bid
the men sit down,” and He fed them there.
So when
you are surrounded by souls in need, know that
Christ is there.
Commune with Him.
Bring your
barley loaves to Jesus.
The means in our possession may not seem to be
sufficient for the work; but if we will move forward
in faith, believing in the all-sufficient power of God.
abundant resources will open before us.
If the work
be of God, He Himself will provide the means tor its
accomplishment.
He will reward honest, simple re
liance upon Him.
The little that is wisely and
GIVE YE THEM TO EAT.
435
economically used in the service of the Lord of
heaven will increase in the very act of imparting.
In
the hand of Christ the small supply of food remained
undiminished until the famished multitude were satis
fied.
If we go to the Source of all strength, with our
hands of faith outstretched to receive, we shall be sus
tained in our work, even under the most forbidding
circumstances, and shall be enabled to give to others
the bread of life.
The Lord says, “ Give, and it shall be given unto
you.”
“ He that soweth sparingly shall reap also
sparingly; and he that soweth with blessings shall
reap also with blessings.
.
.
.
And God is able
to make all grace abound unto you; that ye, having
always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto
every good work; as it is written,—
“ He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor;
His righteousness abideth forever.
“And He that supplieth seed to the sower and bread
for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sow
ing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; ye
being enriched in everything unto all liberality, which
vvorketh through us thanksgiving to God.”4
4Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6-11, R. V., margin.
FALLING SHADOW S.
From the Discourse on the Bread of Life to
the Departure from Galilee for the
Feast of Tabernacles.
“ From that time many ot His disciples went back and
walked no more with Him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve,
Will ye also go away?” John 6:66, 67.
A NIGHT ON THE LAKE.
CHAPTER FORTY.
Seated upon the grassy plain, in the twilight of the
spring evening, the people ate of the food that Christ
had provided.
The words they had heard that day
had come to them as the voice of God.
The works
of healing they had witnessed, were such as only di
vine power could perform.
But the miracle of the
loaves appealed to every one in that vast multitude.
All were sharers in its benefit.
In the days of Moses,
. God had fed Israel with manna in the desert; and who
was this that had fed them that day, but He whom
Moses had foretold?
No human power could create
from five barley loaves and two small fishes, food suf
ficient to feed thousands of hungry people.
And
they said one to another, “This is of a truth that
prophet that should come into the world.”
All day the conviction has strengthened.
That
crowning act is assurance that the long-looked-for
Deliverer is among them.
The hopes of the people
rise higher and higher.
This is He who will make
Judea an earthly paradise, a land flowing with milk
and honey.
He can satisfy every desire.
He can
break the power of the hated Romans.
He can de
liver Judah and Jerusalem.
He can heal the soldiers
who are wounded in battle.
He can supply whole
This chapter is based on Matt. 14-22-33; Mark 6 .45_52>
John 6:14-21.
(439)
440
t h e d e s ir e o f a g e s .
ai mies with food.
He can conquer the nations, and
give to Israel the long-sought dominion.
In their enthusiasm the people are ready at once to
crown Him king.
They see that He makes no effort
to attract attention or secure honor to Himself.
In
this He is essentially different from the priests and
rulers, and they fear that He will never urge His
claim to David’s throne.
Consulting together, they
agree to take Him by force, and proclaim Him the
king of Israel.
The disciples unite with the multi
tude in declaring the throne of David the rightful in
heritance of their Master.
It is the modesty of Christ,
they say, that causes Him to refuse such honor.
Let
the people exalt their Deliverer.
Let the arrogant
priests and rulers be forced to honor Him who comes
clothed with the authority of God.
dhey eagerly arrange to carry out their purpose;
but Jesus sees what is on foot, and understands, as
they cannot, what would be the result of such a move
ment.
Even now the priests and rulers are hunting
His life.
They accuse Him of drawing the people
away from them.
Violence and insurrection would
follow an effort to place Him on the throne, and the
work of the spiritual kingdom would be hindered.
Without delay the movement must be checked.
Call
ing His disciples, Jesus bids them take the boat, and
return at once to Capernaum, leaving Him to dismiss
the people.
Never before had a command from Christ seemed
so impossible of fulfilment.
The disciples had long
hoped for a popular movement to place Jesus on the
throne; they could not endure the thought that all this
enthusiasm should come to nothing.
The multitudes
that were assembling to keep the Passover were
anxious to see the new prophet.
To His followers
this seemed the golden opportunity to establish their
A NIGHT ON THE LAKE.
4 4 I
beloved Master on the throne of Israel.
In the glow
of this new ambition it was hard for them to go away
by themselves, and leave Jesus alone upon that deso
late shore.
They protested against the arrangement;
but Jesus now spoke with an authority He had never
before assumed toward them.
They knew that further
opposition on their part would be useless, and in si
lence they turned toward the sea.
Jesus now commands the multitude to disperse; and
His manner is so decisive that they dare not disobey.
The words of praise and exaltation die on their lips.
In the very act of advancing to seize Him, their steps
are stayed, and the glad, eager look fades from their
countenances.
In that throng are men of strong
mind and firm determination; but the kingly bearing
of Jesus, and His few quiet words of command, quell
the tumult, and frustrate their designs.
They recog
nize in Him a power above all earthly authority, and
without a question they submit
When left alone, Jesus “ went up into a mountain
apart to pray.”
For hours He continued pleading
with God.
Not for Himself but for men were those
prayers.
He prayed for power to reveal to men the
divine character of His mission, that Satan might not
blind their understanding and pervert their judgment.
The Saviour knew that His days of personal ministry
on earth were nearly ended, and that few would re
ceive Him as their Redeemer.
In travail and con
flict of soul He prayed for His disciples.
They were
to be grievously tried.
Their long-cherished hopes,
based on a popular delusion, were to be disappointed
in a most painful and humiliating manner.
In the
place of His exaltation to the throne of David, they
were to witness His crucifixion.
This was to be in
deed His true coronation.
But they did not discern
this, and in consequence strong temptations would
442
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
come to them, which it would be difficult for them to
recognize as temptations.
Without the Holy Spirit
to enlighten the mind and enlarge the comprehension,
the faith of the disciples would fail.
It was painful
to Jesus that their conceptions of His kingdom were,
to so great a degree, limited to worldly aggrandize
ment and honor.
For them the burden was heavy
upon His heart, and He poured out His supplications
with bitter agony and tears.
The disciples had not put off immediately from the
land, as Jesus directed them.
They waited for a
time, hoping that He would come to them.
But as
they saw that darkness was fast gathering, they “ en
tered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Caper
naum.”
They had left jesus with dissatisfied hearts,
more impatient with Him than ever before since ac
knowledging Him as their Lord.
They murmured
because they had not been permitted to proclaim Him
king.
They blamed themselves for yielding so read
ily to His command.
They reasoned that if they had
been more persistent, they might have accomplished
their purpose.
Unbelief was taking possession of their minds and
hearts.
Love of honor had blinded them.
They
knew that Jesus was hated by the Pharisees, and they
were eager to see Him exalted as they thought He
should be.
To be united with a teacher who could
work mighty miracles, and yet be reviled as deceivers,
was a trial they could ill endure.
Were they always
to be accounted followers of a false prophet?
Would
Christ never assert His authority as king?
Why did
not He who possessed such power reveal Himself in
His true character, and make their way less painful?
Why had He not saved John the Baptist from a vio
lent death?
Thus the disciples reasoned, until they
brought upon themselves great spiritual darkness.
A NIGHT ON THE LAKE.
443
They questioned, Could Jesus be an impostor, as the
Pharisees asserted?
The disciples had that day witnessed the wonderful
w orks of Christ.
It had seemed that heaven had come
down to the earth.
The memory of that precious,
glorious day should have filled them with faith and
hope.
Had they, out of the abundance of their hearts,
been conversing together in regard to these things,
they would not have entered into temptation.
But
their disappointment had absorbed their thoughts.
The words of Christ, “ Gather up the fragments, that
nothing be lost,” were unheeded.
Those were hours
of large blessing to the disciples, but they had for
gotten it all.
They were in the midst of. troubled
waters.
Their thoughts were stormy and unreason
able, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict
their souls and occupy their minds.
God often does
this when men create burdens and troubles for them
selves.
The disciples had no need to make trouble.
Already danger was fast approaching.
A violent tempest had been stealing upon them,
and they were unprepared for it.
It was a sudden
contrast, for the day had been perfect; and when the
gale struck them, they were afraid.
They forgot
their disaffection, their unbelief, their impatience.
Every one worked to keep the boat from sinking.
It was but a short distance by sea from Bethsaida to
the point where they expected to meet Jesus, and in
ordinary weather the journey required but a few
hours; but now they were driven farther and farther
from the point they sought.
Until the fourth watch
of the night they toiled at the oars.
Then the weary
men gave themselves up for lost.
In storm and dark
ness the sea had taught them their own helplessness,
and they longed for the presence of their Master.
Jesus had not forgotten them.
The Watcher on
1
444
t h e d e s ir e o f a g e s .
the shore saw those fear-stricken men battling with
the tempest.
Not for a moment did He lose light of
His disciples.
With deepest solicitude His eyes fol
lowed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden;
for these men were to be the light of the world.
As
a mother in tender love watches her child, so the com
passionate Master watched His disciples.
When
their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition
quelled, and in humility they prayed for help, it was
given them.
At the moment when they believe themselves lost,
a gleam of light reveals a mysterious figure approach
ing them upon the water.
But they know not that
it is Jesus.
The One who has come for their help,
they count as an enemy.
Terror overpowers them.
The hands that have grasped the oars with muscles
like iron, let go their hold.
The boat rocks at the
will of the waves; all eyes are riveted on this vision
of a man walking upon the white-capped billows of
the foaming sea.
I hey think it a phantom that omens their destruc
tion, and they cry out for fear.
Jesus advances as if
He would pass them; but they recognize Him, and
cry out, entreating His help.
Their beloved Master
turns, His voice silences their fear, “ Be of good cheer;
it is I; be not afraid.”
As soon as they could credit the wondrous fact,
1’eter was almost beside himself with joy.
As if he
could scarcely yet believe, he cried out, “ Lord, if it
be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And
He said, Come.”
Looking unto Jesus, Peter walks securely; but as
in self-satisfaction he glances back toward his com
panions in the boat, his eyes are turned from the
Saviour.
The wind is boisterous.
The waves roll
high, and come directly between him and the Master;
A N IG H T O N T H E L A K E .
445
and he is afraid.
For a moment Christ is hidden
from his view, and his faith gives way.
He begins
to sink.
But while the billows talk with death, Peter
lifts his eyes from the angry waters, and fixing them
upon Jesus, cries, “ Lord, save me.”
Immediately
Jesus grasps the outstretched hand, saying, “0 thou
of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”
Walking side by side, Peter’s hand in that of his
Master, they stepped into the boat together.
But
Peter was now subdued and silent.
He had no rea
son to boast over his fellows, for through unbelief
and self-exaltation he had very nearly lost his life.
When he turned his eyes from Jesus, his footing was
lost, and he sunk amid the waves.
When trouble comes upon us, how often we are
like Peter.
We look upon the waves, instead of keep
ing our eyes fixed upon the Saviour.
Our footsteps
slide, and the proud waters go over our souls.
Jesus
did not bid Peter come to Him that he should perish;
He does not call us to follow Him, and then forsake
us.
“ Fear not,” He says; “ for I have redeemed thee,
T have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee;
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be
burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
For
I am the Lord thy God, the Ploly One of Israel, thy
Saviour.” 1
Jesus read the character of His disciples.
He knew
how sorely their faith was to be tried.
In this inci
dent on the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own
weakness,— to show that his safety was in constant
dependence upon divine power.
Amid the storms
of temptation he could walk safely only as in utter
self-distrust he should rely upon the Saviour.
It was
1 Isa. 43:1-3.
446
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
on the point where he thought himself strong that
Peter was wreak; and not until he discerned his weak
ness could he realize his need of dependence upon
Christ.
Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought
to teach him in that experience on the sea, he would
not have failed when the great test came upon him.
Day by day God instructs His children.
By the
circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them
to act their part upon that wider stage to which His
providence has appointed them.
It is the issue of
the daily test that determines their victory or defeat
in life’s great crisis.
Those who fail to realize their constant dependence
upon God, will be overcome by temptation.
We may
now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we
shall never be moved.
W e may say with confidence,
‘‘I know in whom I have believed; nothing can shake
my faith in God and in His word.”
But Satan is
planning to take advantage of our hereditary and cul
tivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to
our own necessities and defects.
Only through real
izing our own weakness, and looking steadfastly unto
Jesus, can we walk securely.
No sooner had Jesus taken His place in the boat
than the wind ceased, “ and immediately the ship was
at the land w'hither they went.”
The night of horror
was succeeded by the light of dawn.
The disciples,
and others who also were on board, bowed at the feet
of Jesus with thankful hearts, saying, “ Of a truth
Thou art the Son of God!”
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE.
When Christ forbade the people to declare Him
king, He knew that a turning-point in His history
was reached.
Multitudes who desired to exalt Him
to the throne to-day, would turn from Him to-morrow.
The disappointment of their selfish ambition would
turn their love to hatred, and their praise to curses.
Yet knowing this, He took no measures to avert the
crisis.
From the first He had held out to His fol
lowers no hope of earthly rewards.
To one who
came desiring to become His disciple He had said,
“The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have
nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His
head.” 1
If men could have had the world with
Christ, multitudes would have proffered Him their
allegiance; but such service He could not accept.
Of those now connected with Him, there were many
who had been attracted by the hope of a worldly
kingdom.
These must be undeceived.
The deep
spiritual teaching in the miracle of the loaves had not
been comprehended.
This was to be made plain.
And this new revelation would bring with it a closer
test.
The miracle of the loaves was reported far and
near, and very early next morning the people flocked
to Bethsaida to see Jesus.
They came in great num
bers, by land and sea.
Those who had left Him the
preceding night returned, expecting to find Him still
This chapter is based on John 6:22-71.
1 Matt. 8:20.
( 4 4 7)
448
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
there; for there had been no boat by which He could
pass to the other side.
But their search was fruit
less, and many repaired to Capernaum, still seeking
Him.
Meanwhile He had arrived at Gennesaret, after
an absence of but one day.
As soon as it was known
that He had landed, the people “ ran through that
whole region round about, and began to carry about
in beds those that were sick, where they heard He
was.” 2
After a time He went to the synagogue, and there
those who had come from Bethsaida found Him.
They learned from His disciples how He had crossed
the sea.
The fury of the storm, and the many hours
of fruitless rowing against adverse winds, the appear
ance of Christ walking upon the water, the fears thus
aroused, His reassuring words, the adventure of
Peter and its result, with the sudden stilling of the
tempest and landing of the boat, were all faithfully
recounted to the wondering crowd.
Not content
with this, however, many gathered about Jesus, ques
tioning, “ Rabbi, when earnest Thou hither?”
They
hoped to receive from His own lips a further account
of the miracle.
Jesus did not gratify their curiosity.
He sadly
said, “ Y e seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles,
but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”
They did not seek Him from any worthy motive; but
as they had been fed with the loaves, they hoped still
to receive temporal benefit by attaching themselves
to Him.
The Saviour bade them, “ Labor not for the
meat which perisheth, but for that meat which en-
dureth unto everlasting life.”
Seek not merely for
material benefit.
Let it not be the chief effort to pro
vide for the life that now is, but seek for spiritual
J Mark 6:55.
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
449
food, even that wisdom which will endure unto ever
lasting life.
This the Son of God alone can give;
“ for Him hath God the Father sealed.”
For the moment the interest of the hearers was
awakened.
They exclaimed, “ What shall we do,
that we might work the works of God?”
They had
been performing many and burdensome works in
order to recommend themselves to God; and they
were ready to hear of any new observance by which
they could secure greater merit.
Their question
meant, WThat shall we do that we may deserve heaven?
What is the price we are required to pay in order to
obtain the life to come?
“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the
work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath
sent.”
The price of heaven is Jesus.
The way to
heaven is through faith in “the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world.” 8
But the people did not choose to receive this state
ment of divine truth.
Jesus had done the very work
which prophecy had foretold that the Messiah would
do; but they had not witnessed what their selfish
hopes had pictured as His work.
Christ had in
deed once fed the multitude with barley loaves; but
in the days of Moses, Israel had been fed with manna
forty years, and far greater blessings were expected
from the Messiah.
Their dissatisfied hearts queried
why, if Jesus could perform so many wondrous works
as they had witnessed, could He not give health,
strength, and riches to all His people, free them from
their oppressors, and exalt them to power and honor?
The fact that He claimed to be the Sent of God, and
yet refused to be Israel’s king, was a mystery which
they could not fathom.
His refusal was misinter
preted.
Many concluded that He dared not assert
* fohn 1:29.
29
45©
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
His claims because He Himself doubted as to the
divine character of His mission.
Thus they opened
their hearts to unbelief, and the seed which Satan had
sown bore fruit of its kind, in misunderstanding and
defection.
Now, half-mockingly, a rabbi questioned, “ What
sign showest Thou then, that we may see, and believe
Thee?
What dost Thou work?
Our fathers did eat
manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them
bread from heaven to eat.”
The Jews honored Moses as the giver of the
manna, ascribing praise to the instrument, and losing
sight of Him by whom the work had been accom
plished.
Their fathers had murmured against Moses,
and had doubted and denied his divine mission.
Now in the same spirit the children rejected the One
who bore the message of God to themselves.
“Then
said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Moses gave you not that bread from heaven.”
The
giver of the manna was standing among them.
It
was Christ Himself who had led the Hebrews through
the wilderness, and had daily fed them with the
bread from heaven.
That food was a type of the
real bread from heaven.
The life-giving Spirit, flow
ing from the infinite fulness of God, is the true
manna.
Jesus said, “ The bread of God is that which
cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the
world.” 4
Still thinking that it was temporal food to which
Jesus referred, some of His hearers exclaimed, “ Lord,
evermore give us this bread.”
Jesus then spoke
plainly: “ I am the bread of life.”
The figure which Christ used was a familiar one to
the Jews. Moses, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
had said, “ Man doth not live by bread only, but by
*R. V.
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
451
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the
Lord.” And the prophet Jeremiah had written, “Thy
words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word
was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.” ’’
The rabbis themselves had a saying, that the eating
of bread, in its spiritual significance, was the study of
the law and the practise of good works; and it was
often said that at the Messiah’s coming, all Israel
would be fed.
The teaching of the prophets made
plain the deep spiritual lesson in the miracle of the
loaves.
This lesson Christ was seeking to open to
His hearers in the synagogue.
Had they understood
the Scriptures, they would have understood His
words when He said, “ I am the bread of life.”
Only
' the day before, the great multitude, when faint and
weary, had been fed by the bread which He had given.
As from that bread they had received physical strength
and refreshment, so from Christ they might receive
spiritual strength unto eternal life.
“ He that com
eth to Me,” He said, “ shall never hunger; and he that
believeth on Me shall never thirst.”
But He added,
“ Ye also have seen Me, and believe not.”
They had seen Christ by the witness of the Holy
Spirit, by the revelation of God to their souls.
The
living evidences of His power had been before them
day after day, yet they asked for still another sign.
Had this been given, they would have remained as
unbelieving as before.
If they were not convinced
by what they had seen and heard, it was useless to
show them more marvelous works.
Unbelief will
ever find excuse for doubt, and will reason away the
most positive proof.
Again Christ appealed to those stubborn hearts.
“Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”
All who received Him in faith, He said, should have
6Deut. 8:3; Jer. 15:16.
452
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
eternal life.
Not one could be lost.
No need for
Pharisees and Sadducees to dispute concerning the
future life.
No longer need men mourn in hopeless
grief over their dead.
“This is the will of Him that
sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and be-
lieveth on Him, may have everlasting life; and I will
raise Him up at the last day.”
But the leaders of the people were offended, “and
they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose
father and mother we know?
How is it then that
Pie saith, I came down from heaven?”
They tried
to arouse prejudice by referring scornfully to the
lowly origin of Jesus.
They contemptuously alluded
to His life as a Galilean laborer, and to His family
as being poor and lowly.
The claims of this uned
ucated carpenter, they said, were unworthy of their
attention.
And on account of His mysterious birth
they insinuated that He was of doubtful parentage,
thus representing the human circumstances of His
birth as a blot upon His history.
Jesus did not attempt to explain the mystery of
His birth.
He made no answer to the questionings
in regard to His having come down from heaven, as
He had made none to the questions concerning His
crossing the sea.
He did not call attention to the
miracles that marked His life.
Voluntarily He had
made Himself of no reputation, and taken upon Him
the form of a servant.
But His words and works rt-f
vealed His character.
All whose hearts were open
to divine illumination would recognize in Him “the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” 6
The prejudice of the Pharisees lay deeper than
their questions would indicate; it had its root in the
perversity of their hearts.
Every word and act of
Jesus aroused antagonism in them; for the spirit
6 John 1:14.
4 5 i
which they cherished could find in Him no answering
chord.
“ No man can come to Me, except the Father which
hath sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up at
the last day.
It is written in the prophets, And they
shall be all taught of God.
Every man therefore
that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, com-
eth unto Me.”
None will ever come to Christ, save
those who respond to the drawing of the Father’s
love.
But God is drawing all hearts unto Him, and
only those who resist His drawing will refuse to come
to Christ.
In the words, “They shall be all taught of God,"
Jesus referred to the prophecy of Isaiah: “All thy
'children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall
be the peace of thy children.” 7
This scripture the
Jews appropriated to themselves.
It was their boast
that God was their teacher.
But Jesus showed how
vain is this claim; for He said, “ Every man therefore
that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, com-
eth unto Me.”
Only through Christ could they re
ceive a knowledge of the Father.
Humanity could
not endure the vision of His glory.
Those who had
learned of God had been listening to the voice of His
Son, and in Jesus of Nazareth they would recognize
Him who through nature and revelation has declared
the Father.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth
on Me hath everlasting life.”
Through the beloved
John, who listened to these words, the Holy Spirit
declared to the churches, “This is the record, that
God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in
His Son.
He that hath the Son hath life.”8
And
Tesus said. “ I will raise him up at the last day.”
Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we
7 Isa. 54:13.
81 John 5:11, 12.
THE CRISIS IN GALIL.EE.
4 5 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
might become one spirit with Him.
It is by virtue
of this union that we are to come forth from the
grave,— not merely as a manifestation of the power of
Christ, but because, through faith, His life has be
come ours.
Those who see Christ in His true char
acter, and receive Him into the heart, have everlast
ing life.
It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells
in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart
by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.
The people had referred Christ to the manna which
their fathers ate in the wilderness, as if the furnishing
of that food was a greater miracle than Jesus had per
formed; but He shows how meager was that gift
when compared with the blessings He had come to
bestow.
The manna could sustain only this earthly
existence; it did not prevent the approach of death,
nor insure immortality; but the bread of heaven would
nourish the soul unto everlasting life.
The Saviour
said, “ I am that bread of life.
Your fathers did eat
manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
This is the
bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die.
I am the living bread
which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this
bread, he shall live forever.”
To this figure Christ
now adds another.
Only through dying could He
impart life to men, and in the words that follow He
points to His death as the means of salvation.
He
says, “The bread that I will give is My flesh, which
1 will give for the life of the world.”
The Jews were about to celebrate the Passover at
Jerusalem, in commemoration of the night of Israel’s
deliverance, when the destroying angel smote the
homes of Egypt.
In the paschal lamb God desired
them to behold the Lamb of God, and through the
symbol receive Him who gave Himself for the life of
the world.
But the Jews had come to make the
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
455
symbol all-important, while its significance was un
noticed.
They discerned not the Lord’s body.
The
same truth that was symbolized in the paschal serv
ice, was taught in the words of Christ.
But it was
still undiscerned.
Now the rabbis exclaimed angrily, “ How can this
man give us His flesh to eat? ’
They affected to
understand His words in the same literal sense as did
Nicodemus when he asked, “ How can a man be
born when he is old?” 9
To some extent they com
prehended the meaning of Jesus, but they were not
willing to acknowledge it.
By misconstruing His
words, they hoped to prejudice the people against
Him.
,
Christ did not soften down His symbolical repre
sentation.
He reiterated the truth in yet stronger
language: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye
eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood,
ye have no life in you.
Whoso eateth My flesh, and
"drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise
him up at the last day.
For My flesh is meat indeed,
and My blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth My
flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I
in him.”
T o eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to
receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He
forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him.
It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by
drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of
His nature.
What food is to the body, Christ must
be to the soul.
Food cannot benefit us unless we eat
it; unless it becomes a part of our being.^ So Christ
is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a per
sonal Saviour.
A theoretical knowledge will do us
no good.
W e must feed upon Him, receive Him
9 John 3:4.
4 5 &
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
into the heart, so that His life becomes our life.
His
love, His grace, must be assimilated.
But even these figures fail to present the privilege
of the believer’s relation to Christ.
Jesus said, “As
the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the
Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by
Me.”
As the Son of God lived by faith in the Father,
so are we to live by faith in Christ.
So fully was
Jesus surrendered to the will of God that the Father
alone appeared in His life.
Although tempted in all
points like as we are, He stood before the world un
tainted by the evil that surrounded Him.
Thus we
also are to overcome as Christ overcame.
Are you a follower of Christ?
Then all that is
written concerning the spiritual life is written for
you, and may be attained through uniting yourself
to Jesus.
Is your zeal languishing? has your first
love grown cold?
Accept again of the proffered love
of Christ.
Eat of His flesh, drink of His blood, and
you will become one with the Father and with the
Son.
The unbelieving Jews refused to see any except the
most literal meaning in the Saviour’s words.
By the
ritual law they were forbidden to taste blood, and they
now construed Christ’s language into a sacrilegious
speech, and disputed over it among themselves.
Many even of the disciples said, “This is an hard say
ing; who can hear it?”
The Saviour answered them: “ Doth this offend
you?
What and if ye shall see the Son of man as
cend up where He was before?
It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words
that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are
life.”
The life of Christ, that gives life to the world, is in
His word.
It was by His word that Jesus healed
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
457
disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled
the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore wit
ness that His word was with power.
He spoke the
word of God, as He had spoken through all the
prophets and teachers of the Old Testament.
The
whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Sa
viour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the
word.
When His visible presence should be with
drawn, the word must be their source of power.
Like their Master, they were to live “by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” 10
As our physical life is sustained by food so our
spiritual life is sustained by the word of God.
And
every soul is to receive life from God’s word for him-
1 self.
As we must eat for ourselves in order to re
ceive nourishment, so we must receive the word for
ourselves.
We are not to obtain it merely through
the medium of another’s mind.
We should carefully
study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy
Spirit, that we may understand His word.
We
should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on
the task of ascertaining the thought which God has
put in that verse for us.
W e should dwell upon the
thought until it becomes our own, and we know
“what saith the Lord.”
In His promises and warnings, Jesus means me.
God so loved the world, that He gave His only be
gotten Son, that I by believing in Him, m ight not
perish, but have everlasting life.
The experiences
related in God’s word are to be my experiences.
Prayer and promise, precept and warning, are mine.
“ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son
of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”11
10Matt. 4:4.
“ Gal. 2:20,
\
4 5 *
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
As faith thus receives and assimilates the principles
of truth, they become a part of the being, and the
motive power of the life.
The word of God, received
into the soul, moulds the thoughts, and enters into
the development of character.
By looking constantly to Jesus with the eye of
faith, we shall be strengthened.
God will make the
most precious revelations to His hungering, thirst
ing people.
They will find that Christ is a personal
Saviour.
As they feed upon His word, they find that
it is spirit and life.
The word destroys the natural,
earthly nature, and imparts a new life in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Spirit comes to the soul as a Comforter.
By the transforming agency of His grace, the image
of God is reproduced in the disciple; he becomes a
new creature.
Love takes the place of hatred, and
the heart receives the divine similitude.
This is what
it means to live “by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God.”
This is eating the Bread that
comes down from heaven.
Christ had spoken a sacred, eternal truth regarding
the relation between Himself and His followers.
He
knew the character of those who claimed to be His
disciples, and His words tested their faith.
He de
clared that they were to believe and act upon His
teaching.
All who received Him would partake of
His nature, and be conformed to His character.
This
involved the relinquishment of their cherished am
bitions.
It required the complete surrender of them
selves to Jesus.
They were called to become self-
sacrificing, meek and lowly in heart.
They must
walk in the narrow path traveled by the Man of Cal
vary, if they would share in the gift of life and the
glory of heaven.
The test was too great.
The enthusiasm of those
who had sought to take Him by force and make Him
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
4 5 9
king grew cold.
This discourse in the synagogue,
they declared, had opened their eyes.
Now they
were undeceived.
In their minds His words were a
direct confession that He was not the Messiah, and
that no earthly rewards were to be realized from con
nection with Him.
They had welcomed His miracle-
working power; they were eager to be freed from
disease and suffering; but they would not come into
sympathy with His self-sacrificing life.
They cared
not for the mysterious spiritual kingdom of which
He spoke.
The insincere, the selfish, who had sought
Him, no longer desired Him.
If He would not de
vote His power and influence to obtaining their free
dom from the Romans, they would have nothing to
do with Him.
Jesus told them plainly, “There are some of you
that believe not;” adding, “ Therefore said I unto you,
that no man can come unto Me, except it were given
unto him of My Father.”
He wished them to under
stand that if they were not drawn to Him, it was be
cause their hearts were not open to the Holy Spirit.
“The natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spirit
ually discerned.” 12
It is by faith that the soul be
holds the glory of Jesus.
This glory is hidden, until,
through the Holy Spirit, faith is kindled in the soul.
By the public rebuke of their unbelief these dis
ciples were still further alienated from Jesus.
They
were greatly displeased, and wishing to wound the
Saviour, and gratify the malice of the Pharisees, they
turned their backs upon Him, and left Him with dis
dain.
They had made their choice,— had taken the
form without the spirit, the husk without the kernel.
Their decision was never afterward reversed; for
they walked no more with Jesus.
121 Cor. 2:14.
460
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly
purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the gar
ner.” 13
This was one of the times of purging.
By
the words of truth, the chaff was being separated from
the wheat.
Because they were too vain and self-
righteous to receive reproof, too world-loving to
accept a life of humility, many turned away from
Jesus.
Many are still doing the same thing.
Souls
are tested to-day as were those disciples in the syna
gogue at Capernaum.
When truth is brought home
to the heart, they see that their lives are not in accord
ance with the will of God.
They see the need of an
entire change in themselves; but they are not willing
to take up the self-denying work.
Therefore they
are angry when their sins are discovered.
They go
away offended, even as the disciples left Jesus, mur
muring, “This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
Praise and flattery would be pleasing to their ears;
but the truth is unwelcome; they cannot hear it.
When the crowds follow, and the multitudes are fed,
and the shouts of triumph are heard, their voices are
loud in praise; but when the searching of God’s Spirit
reveals their sin, and bids them leave it, they turn
their backs upon the truth, and walk no more with
Jesus.
As those disaffected disciples turned away from
Christ, a different spirit took control of them.
They
could see nothing attractive in Him whom they had
once found so interesting.
They sought out His
enemies, for they were in harmony with their spirit
and work.
They misinterpreted His words, falsified
His statements, and impugned His motives.
They
sustained their course by gathering up every item
that could be turned against Him; and such indigna
tion was stirred up by these false reports that His life
was in danger.
18 Matt. 3:12
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
461
The news spread swiftly, that by His own confes
sion, Jesus of Nazareth was not the Messiah.
And
thus in Galilee the current of popular feeling was
turned against Him, as, the year before, it had been
in Judea.
Alas for Israel!
They rejected their Sa
viour, because they longed for a conqueror who
would give them temporal power.
They wanted the
meat which perishes, and not that which endures
unto everlasting life.
With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had
been His disciples departing from Him, the Life and
the Light of men.
The consciousness that His com
passion was unappreciated, His love unrequited, His
mercy slighted, His salvation rejected, filled
Him
with sorrow that was inexpressible.
It was such
developments as these that made Him a man of sor
rows, and acquainted with grief.
Without attempting to hinder those who
were
leaving Him, Jesus turned to the twelve and said,
“Will ye also go away?”
Peter replied by asking, “ Lord, to whom shall we
go?”
“Thou hast the words of eternal life,” he
added.
“And we believe and are sure that Thou art
that Christ, the Son of the living God.”
“To whom shall we go?”
The teachers of Israel
were slaves to formalism.
The Pharisees and Sad-
ducees were in constant contention.
To leave Jesus
was to fall among sticklers for rites and ceremonies,
and ambitious men who sought their own glory.
The disciples had found more peace and joy since
they had accepted Christ than in all their previous
lives.
How could they go back to those who had
scorned and persecuted the Friend of sinners?
They
had long been looking for the Messiah; now H e had
come, and they could not turn from His presence to
those who were hunting His life, and had persecuted
them for becoming His followers.
46 2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ To whom shall we go?”
Not from the teaching
of Christ, His lessons of love and mercy, to the dark
ness of unbelief, the wickedness of the world.
While
the Saviour was forsaken by many who had witnessed
His wonderful works, Peter expressed the faith of
the disciples,— “Thou art that Christ.”
The very
thought of losing this anchor of their souls filled them
with fear and pain.
To be destitute of a Saviour,
was to be adrift on a dark and stormy sea.
Many of the words and acts of Jesus appear mys
terious to finite minds, but every word and act had its
definite purpose in the work for our redemption; each
was calculated to produce its own result.
If we were
capable of understanding His purposes, all would
appear important, complete, and in harmony with
His mission.
While we cannot now comprehend the works and
ways of God, we can discern His great love, which
underlies all His dealings with men.
He who fives
near to Jesus will understand much of the mystery
of godliness.
He will recognize the mercy that ad
ministers reproof, that tests the character, and brings
to fight the purpose of the heart.
When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused
so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what
would be the result of His words; but He had a pur
pose of mercy to fulfil.
He foresaw that in the hour
of temptation every one of His beloved disciples
would be severely tested.
His agony in Gethsemane,
His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a
most trying ordeal.
Had no previous test been
given, many who were actuated by merely selfish
motives would have been connected with them. When
their Lord was condemned in the judgment-hall;
when the multitude who had hailed Him as their king
hissed at Him and reviled Him; when the jeering
THE CRISIS IN GALILEE.
4^3
crowd cried, “ Crucify Him!”— when their worldly
ambitions were disappointed, these self-seeking ones
would, by renouncing their allegiance to Jesus, have
brought upon the disciples a bitter, heart-burdening
sorrow, in addition to their grief and disappointment
in the ruin of their fondest hopes.
In that hour of
darkness, the example of those who turned from
Him might have carried others with them.
But
Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal
presence He could still strengthen the faith of His
true followers.
Compassionate Redeemer, who in the full knowl
edge of
the doom that awaited
Him, tenderly
smoothed the way for the disciples, prepared them
for their crowning trial, and strengthened them for
the final test.
TRADITION.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
The scribes and Pharisees, expecting to see Jesus
at the Passover, had laid a trap for Him.
But Jesus,
knowing their purpose, had absented Himself from
this gathering.
“Then came together unto Him the
Pharisees, and certain of the scribes.”
As He did
not go to them, they came to Him.
For a time it
had seemed that the people of Galilee would receive
Jesus as the Messiah, and that the power of the
hierarchy in that region would be broken.
The mis
sion of the twelve, indicating the extension of
Christ’s work, and bringing the disciples more di
rectly into conflict with the rabbis, had excited anew
the jealousy of the leaders at Jerusalem.
The spies
they sent to Capernaum in the early part of His
ministry, who had tried to fix on Him the charge of
Sabbath-breaking, had been put to confusion; but the
rabbis were bent on carrying out their purpose.
Now another deputation was sent to watch His move
ments, and find some accusation against Him.
As before, the ground of complaint was His dis
regard of the traditional precepts that encumbered
the law of God.
These were professedly designed to
guard the observance of the law, but they were re
garded as more sacred than the law itself.
When
they came in collision with the commandments given
This chapter is based on Matt. 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23.
(464)
from Sinai, preference was given to the rabbinical
precepts.
Among the observances most strenuously enforced,
was that of ceremonial purification.
A neglect of the
forms to be observed before eating was accounted a
heinous sin, to be punished both in this world and in
the next; and it was regarded as a virtue to destroy
the transgressor.
The rules in regard to purification were number
less.
The period of a lifetime was scarcely sufficient
for one to learn them all.
The life of those who tried
to observe the rabbinical requirements was one long-
struggle against ceremonial defilement, an endless
round of washings and. purifications.
While the peo
ple were occupied with trifling distinctions, and
observances which God had not required, their atten
tion was turned away from the great principles of
His law.
Christ and His disciples did not observe these
ceremonial washings, and the spies made this neg
lect the ground of their accusation.
They did not,
however, make a direct attack on Christ, but came
to Him with criticism of His disciples.
In the pres
ence of the multitude they said, “Why do Thy dis
ciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they
wash not their hands when they eat bread.”
Whenever the message of truth comes home to
souls with special power, Satan stirs up his agents to
start a dispute over some minor question.
Thus
he seeks to attract attention from the real issue.
Whenever a good work is begun, there are cavilers
ready to enter into dispute over forms or technicali
ties, to draw minds away from the living realities.
When it appears that God is about to work in a
special manner for His people, let them not be en
ticed into a controversy that will work only ruin of
30
\
TRADITION.
465
4.66
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
souls.
The questions that most concern us are, Do
I believe with saving faith on the Son of God?
Is
my life in harmony with the divine law?
“He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life.”
“And
hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep
His commandments.” 1
Jesus made no attempt to defend Himself or His
disciples.
He made no reference to the charges
against Him, but proceeded to show the spirit that
actuated these sticklers for human rites.
He gave
them an example of what they were repeatedly doing,
and had done just before coming in search of Him.
“ Full well ye reject the commandment of God,” He
said, “that ye may keep your own tradition.
For
Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and.
Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the
death.
But ye say, If a man shall say to his father
or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by
whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall
be free.
And ye suffer him no more to do aught for
his father or his mother.”
They set aside the fifth
commandment as of no consequence, but were -\rery
exact in carrying out the traditions of the elders.
They taught the people that the devotion of their
property to the temple was a duty more sacred than
even the support of their parents; and that, however
great the necessity, it was sacrilege to impart to father
or mother any part of what had been thus consecrated.
An undutiful child had only to pronounce the wofd
“ Corban” over his property, thus devoting it to God,
and he could retain it for his own use during his life
time, and after his death it was to be appropriated to
the temple service.
Thus he was at liberty, both in
life and in death, to dishonor and defraud his parents,
under cover of a pretended devotion to God.
‘ John 3:36; 1 John 2:3.
TRADITION.
467
Never, by word or deed, did Jesus lessen man's
obligation to present gifts and offerings to God.
It
was Christ who gave all the directions of the law in
regard to tithes and offerings.
When on earth He
commended the poor woman who gave her all to the
temple treasury.
But the apparent zeal for God on
the part of the priests and rabbis was a pretense to
cover their desire
for self-aggrandizement.
The
people were deceived by them.
They were bearing-
heavy burdens which God had not imposed.
Even
the disciples of Christ were not wholly free from the
yoke that had been bound upon them by inherited
prejudice and rabbinical authority.
Now, by reveal
ing the true spirit of the rabbis, Jesus sought to free
from the bondage of tradition all who were really
desirous of serving God.
“ Ye hypocrites,” He said, addressing the wily spies,
“well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This peo
ple draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and hon-
oreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from
Me.
But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men.”
The words
of Christ were an arraignment of the whole system
of Pharisaism.
He declared that by placing their
requirements above the divine precepts, the rabbis
were setting themselves above God.
The deputies from Jerusalem were filled with rage.
They could not accuse Christ as a violator of the
law given from Sinai, for He spoke as its defender
against their traditions.
The great precepts of the
law, which He had presented, appeared in striking con
trast to the petty rules that men had advised.
To the multitude, and afterward more fully to His
disciples, Jesus explained that defilement comes not
from without, but from within.
Purity and impurity
pertain to the soul.
It is the evil deed, the evil word,
the evil thought, the transgression of the law of God,
not the neglect of external, man-made ceremonies,
that defiles a man.
The disciples noted the rage of the spies as their
false teaching was exposed.
They saw the angry
looks, and heard the half-muttered words of dissatis
faction and revenge.
Forgetting how often Christ
had given evidence that He read the heart as an open
book, they told Him of the effect of His words.
Hoping that He might conciliate the enraged officials,
they said to Jesus, “ Knowest Thou that the Pharisees
were offended, after they heard this saying?”
He answered, “ Every plant, which My Heavenly
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.”
The
customs and traditions so highly valued by the
rabbis, were of this world, not from heaven.
How
ever great their authority with the people, they could
not endure the testing of God.
Every human inven
tion that has been substituted for the commandments
of God, will be found worthless in that day when
“ God shall bring every work into judgment, with
every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it
be evil.”2
The substitution of the precepts of men for the
commandments of God has not ceased.
Even among
Christians are found institutions and usages that have
no better foundation than the traditions of
the
h athers.
Such institutions, resting upon mere human
authority, have supplanted those of divine appoint-/
ment.
Men cling to their traditions, and revere theft
customs, and cherish hatred against those who seek to
show them their error.
In this day, when we are bid
den to call attention to the commandments of God and
the faith of Jesus, we see the same enmity as was
manifested in the days of Christ.
Of the remnant
2Eccl. 12:14.
468
THE d e s ir e o f a g e s .
TRADITION.
469
people of God it is written, “The dragon was wroth
with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments
of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”3
But “ every plant which My Heavenly Father hath
not planted, shall be rooted up.”
In place of the
authority of the so-called Fathers of the church, God
bids us accept the word of the eternal Father, the
Lord of heaven and earth.
Here alone is truth un
mixed with error.
David said, “ I have more under
standing than all my teachers; for Thy testimonies
are my meditation.
I understand more than the
ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.” 4
Let all who
accept human authority, the customs of the church,
or the traditions of the Fathers, take heed- to the warn
ing conveyed in the words of Christ, “ In vain they do
worship Me, teaching for doctrines the command
ments of men.”
3 Rev. 12:17.
4 Ps. 119:99, 100.
BARRIERS BROKEN DOWN.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE.
After the encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus with
drew from Capernaum, and crossing Galilee, repaired
to the hill country on the borders of Phenicia. Look
ing westward, He could see, spread out upon the
plain below, the ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon, with
their heathen temples, their magnificent palaces and
marts of trade, and the harbors filled with shipping.
Beyond was the blue expanse of the Mediterranean,
over which the messengers of the gospel were to bear
its glad tidings to the centers of the world’s great
empire.
But the time was not yet.
The work before
Him now was to prepare His disciples for their mis
sion.
In coming to this region He hoped to find the
retirement He had failed to secure at Bethsaida. Yet
this was not His only purpose in taking this journey.
“ Behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those
borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O
Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously
vexed with a devil.” 1
The people of this district
were of the old Canaanite race.
They were idolaters,
and were despised and hated by the Jews.
To this
class belonged the woman who now came to Jesus.
She was a heathen, and was therefore excluded from
the advantages which the Jews daily enjoyed. There
were many Jews living among the Phenicians, and
This chapter is based on Matt. 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-36.
l R. V.
f 470)
BARRIERS BROKEN DOWN.
471
the tidings of Christ’s work had penetrated to this
region.
Some of the people had listened to His words
and had witnessed His wonderful works.
This wo
man had heard of the prophet, who, it was reported,
healed all manner of diseases.
As she heard of His
power, hope sprung up in her heart.
Inspired by a
mother’s love, she determined to present her daugh
ter’s case to Him.
It was her resolute purpose to
bring her affliction to Jesus.
He must heal her
child.
She had sought help from the heathen gods,
but had obtained no relief.
And at times she was
tempted to think, What can this Jewish teacher do
for me?
But the word had come, He heals all manner
of diseases, whether those who come to Him for help
are rich or poor.
She determined not to lose her only
hope.
Christ knew this woman’s situation.
He knew
that she was longing to see Him, and He placed Him
self in her path.
By ministering to her sorrow, He
could give a living representation of the lesson He
designed to teach.
For this He had brought His
disciples into this region.
He desired them to see the
ignorance existing in cities and villages close to the
land of Israel.
The people who had been given every
opportunity to understand the truth, were without a
knowledge of the needs of those around them.
No
effort was made to help souls in darkness.
The parti
tion wall which Jewish pride had erected, shut even
the disciples from sympathy with the heathen world.
But these barriers were to be broken down.
Christ did not immediately reply to the woman’s
request.
He received this representative of a de
spised race as the Tews would have done.
In this He
designed that His disciples should be impressed with
the cold and heartless manner in which the Jews
would treat such a case, as evinced by His reception
472
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of the woman, and the compassionate manner in
which He would have them deal with such distress,
as manifested by His subsequent granting of her pe
tition.
But although Jesus did not reply, the woman did
not lose faith.
As He passed on, as if not hearing
her, she followed Him, continuing her supplications.
Annoyed by her importunities, the disciples asked
Jesus to send her away.
They saw that their Master
treated her with indifference, and they therefore sup
posed that the prejudice of the Jews against the Ca-
naanites was pleasing to Him.
But it was a pitying
Saviour to whom the woman made her plea, and in an
swer to the request of the disciples, Jesus said, “ I am
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Although this answer appeared to be in accordance
with the prejudice of the Jews, it was an implied re
buke to the disciples, which they afterward under
stood as reminding them of what He had often told
them,—that He came to the world to save all who
would accept Him.
The woman urged her case with increased earnest
ness, bowing at Christ’s feet, and crying, “ Lord, help
me.”
Jesus, still apparently rejecting her entreaties,
according to the unfeeling prejudice of the Jews, an
swered, “ It is not meet to take the children’s bread,
and to cast it to dogs.”
This was virtually assert
ing that it was not just to lavish the blessings brought
to the favored people of God upon strangers and aliens
from Israel.
This answer would have utterly disy
couraged a less earnest seeker.
But the woman saw
that her opportunity had come.
Beneath the appar
ent refusal of Jesus, she saw a compassion that He
could not hide.
“Truth, Lord,” she answered, “yet
the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their mas
ter’s table.”
While the children of the household eat
BARRIERS BROKEN DOWN.
473
at the father’s table, even the dogs are not left unfed.
They have a right to the crumbs that fall from the
table abundantly supplied.
So while there were many
blessings given to Israel, was there not also a blessing
for her?
She was looked upon as a dog, and had she
not then a dog’s claim to a crumb from His bounty?
Jesus had just departed from His field of labor be
cause the scribes and Pharisees were seeking to take
His life.
They murmured and complained.
They
manifested unbelief and bitterness, and refused the
salvation so freely offered them.
Here Christ meets
one of an unfortunate and despised race, that has not
been favored with the light of God’s word; yet she
yields at once to the divine influence of Christ, and
has implicit faith in His ability to grant the favor she
asks.
She begs for the crumbs that fall from the
Master’s table.
If she may have the privilege of a
dog, she is willing to be regarded as a dog.
She has
no national or religious prejudice or pride to influ
ence her course, and she immediately acknowledges
Jesus as the Redeemer, and as being able to do all
that she asks of Him.
The Saviour is satisfied.
He has tested her faith
in Him.
By His dealings with her, He has shown
that she who has been regarded as an outcast from
Israel, is no longer an alien, but a child in God’s
household.
As a child it is her privilege to share in
the Father’s gifts.
Christ now grants her request,
and finishes the lesson to the disciples.
Turning to
her with a look of pity and love, He says, “ O woman,
great is thy faith.
Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.”
From that hour her daughter became whole.
The
demon troubled her no more.
The woman departed,
acknowledging her Saviour, and happy in the grant
ing of her prayer.
This was the only miracle that Jesus wrought while
474
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
on this journey.
It was for the performance of this
act that He went to the borders of Tyre and Sidon.
He wished to relieve the afflicted woman, and at the
same time to leave an example in His work of mercy
toward one of a despised people, for the benefit of His
disciples when He should no longer be with them.
He wished to lead them from their Jewish exclusive
ness to be interested in working for others besides
their own people.
Jesus longed to unfold the deep mysteries of the
truth which had been hid for ages, that the Gentiles
should be fellow-heirs with the Jews, and “ partakers
of His promise in Christ by the gospel.”2
This truth
the disciples were slow to learn, and the divine
Teacher gave them lesson upon lesson.
In reward
ing the faith of the centurion at Capernaum, and
preaching the gospel to the inhabitants of Sychar, He
had already given evidence that He did not share the
intolerance of the Jews.
But the Samaritans had
some knowledge of God; and the centurion had shown
kindness to Israel.
Now Jesus brought the disciples
in contact with a heathen, whom they regarded as
having no reason above any of her people, to expect
favor from Him.
He would give an example of how
such a one should be treated.
The disciples had
thought that He dispensed too freely the gifts of His
grace.
He would show that His love was not to be
circumscribed to race or nation.
When He said, “ I am not sent but unto the lost
sheep of the house of Israel,” He stated the truth,
and in His work for the Canaanite woman He was
fulfilling His commission.
This woman was one of
the lost sheep that Israel should have rescued.
It
was their appointed work, the work which they had
neglected, that Christ was doing.
2Eph. 3:6.
BARRIERS BROKEN DOWN.
475
This act opened the minds of the disciples more
fully to the labor that lay before them among the
Gentiles.
They saw a wide field of usefulness out
side of Judea.
They saw souls bearing sorrows un
known to those more highly favored.
Among those
whom they had been taught to despise were souls
longing for help from the mighty Healer, hungering
for the light of truth, which had been so abundantly
given to the Jews.
Afterward, when the Jews turned still more per
sistently from the disciples, because they declared Je
sus to be the Saviour of the world, and when the par
tition wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down
by the death of Christ, this lesson, and similar ones
which pointed to the gospel work unrestricted by
custom or nationality, had a powerful influence upon
the representatives of Christ, in directing their labors.
The Saviour’s visit to Phenicia and the miracle .
there performed, had a yet wider purpose.
Not
alone for the afflicted woman, nor even for His dis
ciples and those who received their labors, was the
work accomplished; but also “ that ye might believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through His name.” 3
The same agencies that barred men away from Christ
eighteen hundred years ago, are at work to-day. The
spirit which built up the partition wall between Jew
and Gentile is still active.
Pride and prejudice have
built strong walls of separation between different
classes of men.
Christ and His mission have been
misrepresented, and multitudes feel that they are vir
tually shut away from the ministry of the gospel.
But let them not feel that they are shut away from
Christ.
There are no barriers which man or Satan
can erect but that faith can penetrate.
3John 20:31.
4 7 6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
in faith the woman of Phenicia flung herself
against the barriers that had been piled up between
Jew and Gentile.
Against discouragement, regard
less of appearances that might have led her to doubt,
she trusted the Saviour’s love.
It is thus that Christ
desires us to trust in Him.
The blessings of salva
tion are for every soul.
Nothing but his own choice
can prevent any man from becoming a partaker of
the promise in Christ by the gospel.
Caste is hateful to God.
He ignores everything of
this character.
In His sight the souls of all men are
of equal value.
He “ hath made of one blood all na
tions of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,
and hath determined the times before appointed, and
the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek
the Lord; if haply they might feel after Him and find
Him, though He be not far from every one of us.”
Without distinction of age, or rank, or nationality, or
religious privilege, all are invited to come unto Him
and live.
"Whosoever believeth on Him shall not
be ashamed; for there is no difference.”
“ There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free.”
“ The rich and poor meet together; the Lord is the
Maker of them all.”
“ The same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon Him.
For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 4
‘Acts 17:26, 27; Gal. 3:28; Prov. 22:2; Rom. 10:11-13.
THE TRUE SIGN.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR.
“Again He went out from the borders of Tyre, and
came through Sidon unto the Sea of Galilee through
the midst of the borders of Decapolis.” 1
It was in the region of Decapolis that the demo
niacs of Gergesa had been healed.
Here the people,
alarmed at the destruction of the swine, had con
strained Jesus to depart from among them.
But they
had listened to the messengers Pie left behind, and a
desire was aroused to see Him.
As He came again
into that region, a crowd gathered about Him, and a
deaf, stammering man was brought to Him.
Jesus
did not, according to His custom, restore the man by
a word only.
Taking him apart from the multitude,
He put His fingers in his ears, and touched his
tongue; looking up to heaven, He sighed at thought
of the ears that would not be open to the truth, the
tongues that refused to acknowledge the Redeemer.
At the word, “ Be open,” the man’s speech was re
stored, and, disregarding the command to tell no
man, he published abroad the story of his cure.
Jesus went up into a mountain, and there the multi
tude flocked to Him, bringing their sick and lame,
and laying them at His feet.
He healed them all;
and the people, heathen as they were, glorified the
God of Israel.
For three days they continued to
This chapter is based on Matt. 15:29-39; 16:1-12; Mark 7:31-37;
8:t-2I.
'i
1 R. V.
(477 )
478
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
throng about the Saviour, sleeping at night in the
open air, and through the day pressing eagerly to
hear the words of Christ, and to see His works.
At
the end of three days their food was spent.
Jesus
would not send them away hungry, and He called
upon His disciples to give them food.
Again the
disciples revealed their unbelief.
At Bethsaida they
had seen how, with Christ’s blessing, their little store
availed for the feeding of the multitude; yet they did
not now bring forward their all, trusting His power
to multiply it for the hungry crowds.
Moreover,
those whom He fed at Bethsaida were Jews; these
were Gentiles and heathen.
Jewish prejudice was
still strong in the hearts of the disciples, and they an
swered Jesus, “Whence can a man satisfy these men
with bread here in the wilderness?”
But obedient to
His word they brought Him what they had,—seven
loaves and two fishes.
The multitude were fed, seven
large baskets of fragments remaining.
Four thou
sand men, besides women and children, were thus
refreshed, and Jesus sent them away with glad and
grateful hearts.
Then taking a boat with His disciples He crossed
the lake to Magdala, at the southern end of the plain
of Gennesaret.
In the border of Tyre and Sidon His
spirit had been refreshed by the confiding trust of the
Syro-Phenician woman.
The heathen people of De-
capolis had received Him with gladness.
Now as He
landed once more in Galilee, where His power had
been most strikingly manifested, where most of His
works of mercy had been performed, and His teach
ing given, He was met with contemptuous unbelief.
A deputation of Pharisees had been joined by rep
resentatives from the rich and lordly Sadducees, the
party of the priests, the skeptics and aristocracy of
the nation.
The two sects had been at bitter enmity.
THE TRUE SIGN.
4 7 9
The Sadducees courted the favor of the ruling power,
in order to maintain their own position and authority.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, fostered the popu
lar hatred against the Romans, longing for the time
when they could throw off the yoke of the conqueror.
But Pharisee and Sadducee now united against Christ.
Like seeks like; and evil, wherever it-exists, leagues
with evil for the destruction of the good.
Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Christ,
asking for a sign from heaven.
When in the days of
Joshua, Israel went out to battle with the Canaanites
at Bethhoran, the sun had stood still at the leader’s
command until victory was gained; and many similar
wonders had been manifest in their history.
Some
' such sign was demanded of Jesus.
But these signs
were not what the Jews needed.
No mere external
evidence could benefit them.
What they needed was
not intellectual enlightenment, but spiritual renova
tion.
“ O ye hypocrites,” said Jesus, “ye can discern the
face of the sky,”—by studying the sky they could
foretell the weather,— “but can ye not discern the
signs of the times?”
Christ’s own words, spoken
with the power of the Holy Spirit that convicted them
of sin, were the sign that God had given for their sal
vation.
And signs direct from heaven had been given
to attest the mission of Christ.
The song of the
angels to the shepherds, the star that guided the wise
men, the dove and the voice from heaven at His
baptism, were witnesses for Him.
“ And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and saith,
Why doth this generation seek after a sign?” “There
shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the
prophet Jonas.”
As Jonah was three days and three
nights in the belly of the whale, Christ was to be the
same time “ in the heart of the earth.”2
And as the
’ Matt. 12:40, 41.
1
480
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
preaching of Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so
Christ’s preaching was a sign to His generation. But
what a contrast in the reception of the word.
The
people of the great heathen city trembled as they
heard the warning from God.
Kings and nobles
humbled themselves; the high and the lowly together
cried to the God of heaven, and His mercy was granted
unto them.
“'The men of Nineveh shall rise in judg
ment with this generation,” Christ had said, “and
shall condemn it; because they repented at the preach
ing of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is
here.” 3
Every miracle that Christ performed was a sign of
His divinity.
He was doing the very work that had
been foretold of the Messiah: but to the Pharisees
these works of mercy were a positive offense.
The
Jewish leaders looked with heartless indifference on
human suffering.
In many cases their selfishness
and oppression had caused the affliction that Christ
relieved.
Thus His miracles were to them a reproach.
That which led the Jews to reject the Saviour’s
work, was the highest evidence of His divine char
acter.
The greatest significance of His miracles is
seen in the fact that they were for the blessing of hu
manity.
The highest evidence that He came from
God is, that His life revealed the character of God.
He did the works and spoke the words of God.
Such
a life is the greatest of all miracles.
When the message of truth is presented in our day.
there are many who, like the Jews, cry, “ Show us 4
sign.
W ork us a miracle.”
Christ wrought no mir
acle at the demand of the Pharisees.
He wrought
no miracle in the wilderness in answer to Satan’s in
sinuations.
He does not impart to us power to vin
dicate ourselves or satisfy the demands
of unbelief
’ Matt. 12:40, 41.
THE TRUE SIGN.
481
and pride.
But the gospel is not without a sign of its
divine origin.
Is it not a miracle that we can break
from the bondage of Satan?
Enmity against Satan
is not natural to the human heart; it is implanted by
the grace of God.
When one who has been con
trolled by a stubborn, wayward will is set free, and
yields himself wholeheartedly to the drawing of God’s
heavenly agencies, a miracle is wrought; so also when
a man who has been under strong delusion, comes to
understand moral truth.
Every time a soul is con
verted, and learns to love God and keep His com
mandments, the promise of God is fulfilled, “A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you.” 4
The change in human hearts, the
, transformation of human characters, is a miracle that
reveals an ever-living Saviour, working to rescue
souls.
A consistent life in Christ is a great miracle.
In the preaching of the word of God, the sign that
should be manifest now and always, is the presence
of the Holy Spirit, to make the word a regenerating
power to those that hear.
This is God’s witness be
fore the world to the divine mission of His Son.
Those who desired a sign from Jesus had so hard
ened their hearts in unbelief that they did not discern
in His character the likeness of God.
They would
not see that His mission was in fulfilment of the
Scriptures.
In the parable of the rich man and Laz
arus, Jesus said to the Pharisees, “ If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be per
suaded, though one rose from the dead.” 5
No sign
that could be given in heaven or earth would benefit
them.
Jesus “ sighed deeply in His spirit,” and, turning
from the group of cavilers, re-entered the boat with
His^ disciples.
In sorrowful
silence
they again
4Eze. 36:26.
“ Luke 16:31.
31
482
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
crossed the lake.
They did not, however, return to
the place they had left, but directed their course
toward Bethsaida, near where the five thousand had
been fed.
Upon reaching the farther side, Jesus said,
“ lake heed and beware of the leaven of,the Pharisees
and of the Sadducees.”
The Jews had been accus
tomed since the days of Moses to put away leaven
from their houses at the Passover season, and lhey
had thus been taught to regard it as a type of sin.
Tet the disciples failed to understand Jesus.
In their
sudden departure from Magdala they had forgotten
to take bread, and they had with them only one loaf.
To this circumstance they understood Christ to refer,
warning them not to buy bread of a Pharisee or a
Sadducee.
Their lack of faith and spiritual insight
had often led them to similar misconception of His
words.
Now Jesus reproved them for thinking that
He who had fed thousands with a few fishes and bar
ley loaves could in that solemn warning have referred
merely to temporal food.
There was danger that the
crafty reasoning of the Pharisees and the Sadducees
would leaven His disciples with unbelief, causing
them to think lightly of the works of Christ.
The disciples were inclined to think that their Mas
ter should have granted the demand for a sign in the
heavens.
They believed that He was fully able to do
this, and that such a sign would put His enemies
to silence.
They did not discern the hypocrisy of
these cavilers.
Months afterward, “ when there were gathered to
gether an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch
that they trod one upon another,” Jesus repeated the
same teaching.
“ He began to say unto His disciples
first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees,
which is hypocrisy.” 6
6 Lu k e 12 :1.
THE TRUE SIGN.
483
The leaven placed in the meal works imperceptibly,
changing the whole mass to its own nature.
So if
hypocrisy is allowed to exist in the heart, it per
meates the character and the life.
A striking exam
ple of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Christ had
already rebuked in denouncing the practise of “ Cor-
ban,” by which a neglect of filial duty was concealed
under a pretense of liberality to the temple. The
scribes and Pharisees were insinuating deceptive prin
ciples.
They concealed the real tendency of their
doctrines, and improved every occasion to instill them
artfully into the minds of their hearers.
These false
principles, when once accepted, worked like leaven in
the meal, permeating and transforming the character.
It was this deceptive teaching that made it so hard for
the people to receive the words of Christ.
The same influences are working to-day through
those who try to explain the law of God in such a
way as to make it conform to their practises.
This
class do not attack the law openly, but put forward
speculative theories that undermine its principles.
They explain it so as to destroy its force.
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was the product of
self-seeking.
The glorification of themselves was
the object of their lives.
It was this that led them to
pervert and misapply the Scriptures, and blinded
them to the purpose of Christ’s mission.
This sub
tle evil even the disciples of Christ were in danger
of cherishing.
Those who classed themselves with
the followers of Jesus, but who had not left Ml in
order to become His dispiples, were influenced in a
great degree by the reasoning of the Pharisees. 1 hey
were often vacillating between faith and unbelief, and
they did not discern the treasures of wisdom hidden
in Christ.
Even the disciples, though outwardly
they had left all for Jesus’ sake, had not in heart
4 8 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ceased to seek great things for themselves.
It was
this spirit that prompted the strife as to who should be
greatest.
It was this that came between them and
Christ, making them so little in sympathy with His
mission of self-sacrifice, so slow to comprehend the
mystery of redemption.
As leaven, if left to com
plete its work, will cause corruption and decay, so
does the self-seeking spirit, cherished, work the de
filement and ruin of the soul.
Among the followers of our Lord to-day, as of old,
how wide-spread is this subtle, deceptive sin.
How
often our service to Christ, our communion with one
another, is marred by the secret desire to exalt self.
How ready the thought of self-gratulation, and the
longing for human approval.
It is the love of self,
the desire for an easier way than God has appointed,
that leads to the substitution of human theories and
traditions for the divine precepts.
To His own dis
ciples the warning words of Christ are spoken,
“Take
heed, and
beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees.’'
The religion of Christ is sincerity itself.
Zeal for
God’s glory is the motive implanted by the Holy
Spirit; and only the effectual working of the Spirit
can implant this motive.
Only the power of God can
banish self-seeking and hypocrisy.
This change is
the sign of His working.
When the faith we accept
destroys selfishness and pretense, when it leads us to
seek God’s glory and not our own, we may know that
it is of the right order.
“ Father, glorify Thy name,”/
was the key-note of Chris.t’s life, and if we follotv
Him, this will be the key-note of our life.
He com
mands us to “walk even as He walked;” and “ hereby
we do know that we know Him, if we keep His com
mandments.” 8
7 Jo h n 12:28.
1 Jo h n 2:6, 3.
I'HE FORESHADOWING OF THE
CROSS.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE.
The work of Christ on earth was hastening to a
close.
Before Him, in vivid outline, lay the scenes
whither His feet were tending.
Even before He took
humanity upon Him, He saw the whole length of the
path He must travel in order to save that which was
lost.
Every pang that rent His heart, every insult
that was heaped upon His head, every privation that
He was called to endure, was open to His view before
He laid aside His crown and royal robe, and stepped
down from the throne, to clothe His divinity with
humanity.
The path from the manger to Calvary
was all before His eyes.
He knew the anguish that
would come upon Him.
He knew it all, and yet He
said, “ Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is
written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God;
yea, Thy law is within My heart.” 1
Ever before Him He saw the result of His mission.
His earthly life, so full of toil and self-sacrifice, was
cheered by the prospect that He would not have all
this travail for naught.
By giving His life for the
life of men, He would win back the world to its
loyalty to God.
Although the baptism of blood must
first be received; although the sins of the world were to
weigh upon His innocent soul; although the shadow
This chapter is based on Matt. 16:13-28; Mark 8:27-38;
Luke 9:18-27.
1 Ps. 40:7, 8.
(485)
486
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of an unspeakable woe was upon Him; yet for the
joy that was set before Him, He chose to endure the
cross, and despised the shame.
From the chosen companions of His ministry the
scenes that lay before Him were as yet hidden; but
the time was near when they must behold His agony.
They must see Him whom they had loved and trusted-,
delivered into the hands of His enemies, and hung
upon the cross of Calvary.
Soon He must leave
them to face the world without the comfort of His
visible presence.
He knew how bitter hate and un
belief would persecute them, and He desired to pre
pare them for their trials.
Jesus and His disciples had now come into one of
the towns about Caesarea Philippi.
They were be
yond the limits of Galilee, in a region where idolatry
prevailed.
Here the disciples were withdrawn from
the controlling influence of Judaism, and brought
into closer contact with the heathen worship. Around
them were represented forms of superstition that ex
isted in all parts of the world.
Jesus desired that a
view of these things might lead them to feel their
responsibility to the heathen.
During His stay in
this region, He endeavored to withdraw from teach
ing the people, and to devote Himself more fully to
His disciples.
He was about to tell them of the suffering that
awaited Him.
But first He went away alone, and
prayed that their hearts might be prepared to re
ceive His words.
Upon joining them, He did not
at once communicate that which He desired to im
part.
Before doing this, He gave them an oppor
tunity of confessing their faith in Him that they
might be strengthened for the coming trial.
He
asked, ‘"'Whom do men say that I the Son of man
am?”
Sadly the disciples were forced to acknowledge
that Israel had failed to recognize their Messiah.
Some indeed, when they saw His miracles had de
clared Him to be the Son of David.
The multitudes
that had been fed at Bethsaida had desired to pro
claim Him king of Israel.
Many were ready to ac
cept Him as a prophet; but they did not believe Him
to be the Messiah.
Jesus now put a second question, relating to the
disciples themselves: “ But whom say ye that I am?’'
Peter answered, “ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God,”
From the first, Peter had believed Jesus to be the
Messiah.
Many others who had been convicted by
the preaching of John the Baptist, and had accepted
Christ, began to doubt as to John’s mission when he
was imprisoned and put to death; and they now
doubted that Jesus was the Messiah, for whom they
had looked so long.
Many of the disciples who had
ardently expected Jesus to take His place on Davids
throne, left Him when they perceived that He had
no such intention.
But Peter and his companions
turned not from their allegiance.
The vacillating
course of those who praised yesterday and con
demned to-day did not destroy the faith of the true
follower of the Saviour.
Peter declared,
Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God.’
He waited
not for kingly honors to crown his Lord, but accepted
Him in His humiliation.
Peter had expressed the faith of the twelve.
Yet
the disciples were still far from understanding Christ s
mission.
The opposition and misrepresentation of
the priests and rulers, while it could not turn them
away from Christ, still caused them great perplexity.
They did not see their way clearly.
The influence of
their early training, the teaching of the rabbis, the
THE FORESHADOWING OF THE CROSS.
487
power of tradition, still intercepted their view of
truth.
From time to time precious rays of light from
Jesus shone upon them, yet often they were like men
groping among shadows.
But on this day, before
they were brought face to face with the great trial of
their faith, the Holy Spirit rested upon them in power.
For a little time their eyes were turned away from
“ the things which are seen,” to behold “ the things
which are not seen.”2
Beneath the guise of hu
manity they discerned the glory of the Son of God.
Jesus answered Peter, saying, “ Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.”
The truth which Peter had confessed, is the foun
dation of the believer’s faith.
It is that which Christ
Himself has declared to be eternal life.
But the
possession of this knowledge was no ground for self-
glorification.
Through no wisdom or goodness of
his own had it been revealed to Peter.
Never can
humanity, of itself, attain to a knowledge of the
divine.
“ It is as high as heaven; what canst thou
do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?” 3
Only
the spirit of adoption can reveal to us the deep things
of God, which “ eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man.”
“ God
hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God.” 4
’’The secret of the Lord is with them that
fear H im ;” and the fact that Peter discerned the glory
of Christ was an evidence that he had been “ tauglit
of God.” 5
Ah, indeed, “ blessed art thou, Simon
Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee.”
Jesus continued: “I say also unto thee, That thou
*2 Cor. 4:18.
8Job 11:8.
41 Cor. 2:9, 10.
5 Ps. 25:14; John 6:45.
4-88
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The word Peter signifies a stone,— a rolling stone.
Peter was not the rock upon which the church was
founded.
The gates of hell did prevail against him
when he denied his Lord with cursing and swearing.
The church was built upon One against whom the
gates of hell could not prevail.
Centuries before the Saviour’s advent, Moses had
pointed to the Rock or Israel’s salvation. The psalmist
had sung of “the Rock of my strength.”
Isaiah had
written, “ Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in
Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a pre
cious corner-stone, a sure foundation.” 6
Peter him
self, writing by inspiration, applies this prophecy to
-Jesus.
He says, “ If ye have tasted that the Lord
is gracious; unto whom coming, a living stone, re
jected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,
ve also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual
house.” 7
“ Other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 8
“Upon this rock,” said
Jesus, “ I will build My church.”
In the presence of
God, and all the heavenly intelligences, in the pres
ence of the unseen army of hell, Christ founded His
church upon the living Rock.
That Rock is Him
self,— His own body, for us broken and bruised.
Against the church built upon this foundation, the
gates of hell shall not prevail.
How feeble the church appeared when Christ spoke
these words!
There was only a handful of belie'veis,
against whom all the power of demons and evil men
would be directed; yet the followers of Christ were
not to fear.
Built upon the Rock of their strength,
they could not be overthrown.
6Deut. 32:4; Ps. 62:6; Isa. 28:16.
71 Peter 2:3-5, R. V.
81 Cor im i.
THE FORESHADOWING OF THE CROSS.
489
\
490
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
For six thousand years, faith has builded upon
Christ.
For six thousand years the floods and tem
pests of Satanic wrath have beaten upon the Rock of
our salvation; but it stands unmoved.
Peter had expressed the truth which is the foun
dation of the church’s faith, and Jesus now honored
him as the representative of the whole body of be
lievers.
He said, “ I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatso
ever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.”
“ The keys of the kingdom of heaven” are the words
of Christ.
All the words of Holy Scripture are His,
and are here included.
These words have power to
open and to shut heaven.
They declare the conditions
upon which men are received or rejected.
Thus
the work of those who preach God’s word is a savor
of life unto life or of death unto death.
Theirs is a
mission weighted with eternal results.
The Saviour did not commit the work of the gospel
to Peter individually.
At a later time, repeating the
words that were spoken to Peter, He applied them
directly to the church.
And the same in substance
was spoken also to the twelve as representatives of
the body of believers.
If Jesus had delegated any
special authority to one of the disciples above the
others, we should not find them so often contending
as to who should be the greatest.
They would have
submitted to the wish of their Master, and honored
the one whom He had chosen.
/
Instead of appointing one to be their head, Christ
said to the disciples, “ Be not ye called, Rabbi;”
“ neither be ye called masters; for one is your Master,
even Christ.” 0
•Matt. 23:8, 10.
“ The head of every man is Christ.”
God, who put
all things under the Saviour’s feet, “ gave Him to be
the head over all things to the church, which is His
body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” 10
The
church is built upon Christ as its foundation; it is to
obey Christ as its head.
It is not to depend upon
man, or be controlled by man.
Many claim that a
position of trust in the church gives them authority
to dictate what other men shall believe and what they
shall do.
This claim God does not sanction.
The
Saviour declares, “All ye are brethren.”
All are ex
posed to temptation, and are liable to error.
Upon
no finite being can we depend for guidance.
The
Rock of faith is the living presence of Christ in the
church.
Upon this the weakest may depend, and
those who think themselves the strongest will prove
to be the weakest, unless they make Christ their
efficiency.
“ Cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
and maketh flesh his arm.”
The Lord “is the Rock,
His work is perfect.”
“ Blessed are all they that put
their trust in Him.” 11
After Peter's confession, Jesus charged the dis
ciples to tell no man that He was the Christ.
This
charge was given because of the determined opposi
tion of the scribes and Pharisees.
More than this,
the people, and even the disciples, had so false a con
ception of the Messiah that a public announcement
of Him would give them no true idea of His char
acter or His work.
But day by day He was reveal
ing Himself to them as the Saviour, and thus He
desired to give them a true conception of Him as the
Messiah.
The disciples still expected Christ to reign as a
temporal prince.
Although He had so long con
cealed His design, they believed that He w^ould not
101 Cor. ti 13; Eph. 1:22, 23.
uJer. 17:5; Deut. 32:4; Ps. 2:12.
THE FORESHADOWING OF THE CROSS.
491
492
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
always remain in poverty and obscurity; the time
was near when He would establish His kingdom.
That the hatred of the priests and rabbis would never
be overcome, that Christ would be rejected by His
own nation, condemned as a deceiver, and crucified
as a malefactor,— such a thought the disciples had
never entertained.
But the hour of the power of
darkness was drawing on, and Jesus must open to
His disciples the conflict before them.
He was sad
as He anticipated the trial.
Hitherto He had refrained from making known to
them anything relative to His sufferings and death.
In His conversation with Nicodemus He had said,
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that who
soever believeth in Him should not perish, but'have
eternal life.”12
But the disciples did not hear this,
and had they heard, would not have understood.
But now they have been with Jesus, listening to His
words, beholding His works, until, notwithstanding
the humility of His surroundings, and the opposition
of priests and people, they can join in the testimony
of Peter, “ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living
God.”
Now the time has come for the veil that hides
the future to be withdrawn.
“ From that time forth
began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He
must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,
and be raised again the third day.”
Speechless with grief and amazement, the disciples
listened.
Christ had accepted Peter’s acknowledg
ment of Him as the Son of God; and now His words
pointing to His suffering and death seemed incompre
hensible.
Peter could not keep silent.
He laid hold
upon his Master, as if to draw Him back from His
“ John 3:14,15.
THE FORESHADOWING OF THE CROSS.
493
impending doom, exclaiming, “ Be it far from Thee,
Lord; this shall not be unto Thee.”
Peter loved his Lord; but Jesus did not commend
him for thus manifesting the desire to shield Him
from suffering.
Peter’s words were not such as
would be a help and solace to Jesus in the great trial
before Him.
They were not in harmony with God’s
purpose of grace toward a lost world, nor with the
lesson of self-sacrifice that Jesus had come to teach
by His own example.
Peter did not desire to see
the cross in the work of Christ.
The impression
which his words would make, was directly opposed
to that which Christ desired to make on the minds of
His followers, and the Saviour was moved to utter
one of the sternest rebukes that ever fell from His
lips: “ Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offense
unto Me; for thou savorest not the things that be of
God, but those that be of men.”
Satan was trying to discourage Jesus, and turn
Him from His mission; and Peter, in his blind love,
was giving voice to the temptation.
The prince of
evil was the author of the thought.
His instigation
was behind that impulsive appeal.
In the wilderness,
Satan had offered Christ the dominion of the world
on condition of forsaking the path of humiliation and
sacrifice.
Now he was presenting the same tempta
tion to the disciple of Christ.
He was seeking to fix
Peter’s gaze upon the earthly glory, that he might not
behold the cross to which Jesus desired to turn his
eyes.
And through Peter, Satan was again pressing
the temptation upon Jesus.
But the Saviour heeded
it not; His thought was for His disciple.
Satan had
interposed between Peter and his Master, that the
heart of the disciple might not be touched at the
vision of Christ’s humiliation for him.
The words
of Christ were spoken, not to Peter, but to the one
494
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
who was trying to separate him from his Redeemer.
“ Get thee behind Me, Satan.”
No longer interpose
between Me and My erring servant.
Let Me come
face to face with Peter, that I may reveal to him the
mystery of My love.
It was to Peter a bitter lesson, and one which he
learned but slowly, that the path of Christ on earth
lay through agony and humiliation.
The disciple
shrank from fellowship with his Lord in suffering.
But in the heat of the furnace fire he was to learn its
blessing.
Long afterward, when his active form was
bowed with the burden of years and labors, he wrote,
“ Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye
are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His
glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy.” 13
Jesus now explained to His disciples that His own
life of self-abnegation was an example of what theirs
should be.
Calling about Him, with the disciples,
the people who had been lingering near, He said, “ If
any man will come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
The
cross was associated with the power of Rome.
It
was the instrument of the most cruel and humiliating
form of death.
The lowest criminals were required
to bear the cross to the place of execution; and often
as it was about to be laid upon their shoulders, they
resisted with desperate violence, until they were over
powered, and the instrument of tortureJ was bound
upon them.
But Jesus bade His followers take up
the cross and bear it after Him.
To the disciples His
words, though dimly comprehended, pointed to their
submission to the most bitter humiliation,— submis-
131 Peter 4:12, 13.
THE FORESHADOWING OF THE CROSS.
495
sion even unto death for the sake of Christ.
No
more complete self-surrender could
the Saviour’s
words have pictured.
But all this He had accepted
for them.
Jesus did not count heaven a place to be
desired while we were lost.. He left the heavenly
courts for a life of reproach and insult, and a death
of shame.
He who was rich in heaven’s priceless
treasure, became poor, that through His poverty we
might be rich.
W e are to follow in the path He trod.
Love for souls for whom Christ died, means cruci
fixion of self.
He who is a child of God should
henceforth look upon himself as a link in the chain
let down to save the world, one with Christ in His
plan of mercy, going forth with Him to seek and save
the lost.
The Christian is ever to realize that he has
consecrated himself to God, and that in character
he is to reveal Christ to the world.
The self-sacrifice,
the sympathy, the love,- manifested in the life of
Christ, are to reappear in the life of the worker for
God.
“Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but who
soever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s,
the same shall save it.”
Selfishness is death.
No
organ of the body could live, should it confine its
service to itself.
The heart, failing to send its life
blood to the hand and the head, would quickly lose
its power.
As our life-blood, so is the love of Christ
diffused through every part of His mystical body.
We are members one of another, and the soul that
refuses to impart will perish.
And “what is a man
profited/’ said Jesus, “ if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul?”
Beyond the poverty and humiliation of the present,
He pointed the disciples to His coming in glory, not
in the splendor of an earthly throne, but with the
496
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
glory of God and the hosts of heaven.
And then,
He said, “ He shall reward every man according to
his works.”
Then for their encouragement He gave
the promise, “ Verily I say unto you, There be some
standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they
see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.”
But
the disciples did not comprehend His words.
The
glory seemed far away.
Their eyes were fixed upon
the nearer view, the earthly life of poverty, humilia
tion, and suffering.
Must their glowing expectations
of the Messiah’s kingdom be relinquished?
Were
they not to see their Lord exalted to the throne of
David?
Could it be that Christ was to live, a hum
ble, homeless wanderer, to be despised, rejected, and
put to death?
Sadness oppressed their hearts, for
they loved their Master.
Doubt also harassed their
minds, for it seemed incomprehensible that the Son
of God should be subjected to such cruel humilia
tion.
They questioned why He should voluntarily
go to Jerusalem to meet the treatment which He had
told them He was there to receive.
How could He
resign Himself to such a fate, and leave them in
greater darkness than that in which they were grop
ing before He revealed Himself to them?
In the region of Caesarea Philippi, Christ was out
of the reach of Herod and Caiaphas, the disciples
reasoned.
He had nothing to fear from the hatred
of the Jews or from the power of the Romans.
Why
not work there, at a distance from the Pharisees?
Why need He give Himself up to death?
If He was
to die, how was it that His kingdom was to be estab
lished so firmly that the gates of hell should not pre
vail against it?
To the disciples this was indeed a
mystery.
They were even now journeying along the shores
of the Sea of Galilee toward the city where all their
THE FORESHADOWING OF THE CROSS.
497
hopes were to be crushed.
They dared not remon
strate with Christ, but they talked together in low,
sorrowful tones in regard to what the future would
be.
Even amid their questionings they clung to the
thought that some unforeseen circumstance might
avert the doom which seemed to await their Lord.
Thus they sorrowed and doubted, hoped and feared,
for six long, gloomy days.
32
HE WAS TRANSFIGURED.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX.
Evening is drawing on as Jesus calls to His side
three of His disciples, Peter, James, and John, and-
leads them across the fields, and far up a rugged
path, to a lonely mountain-side.
The Saviour and
Plis disciples have spent the day in traveling and
teaching, and the mountain climb adds to their
weariness.
Christ has lifted burdens from mind and
body of many sufferers; He has sent the thrill of life
through their enfeebled frames; but He also is com
passed with humanity, and with His disciples He is
wearied with the ascent.
The light of the setting sun still lingers on the
mountain top, and gilds with its fading glory the path
they are traveling.
But soon the light dies out from
hill as well as valley, the sun disappears behind
the western horizon, and the solitary travelers are
wrapped in the darkness of night.
The gloom of
their surroundings seems in harmony with their sor
rowful lives, around which the clouds are gathering
and thickening.
The disciples do not venture to ask Christ whither
He is going, or for what purpose.
He has often
spent entire nights in the mountains in prayer, f He
whose hand formed mountain and valley is at home
with nature, and enjoys its quietude.
The disciples
This chapter is based on Matt. 17:1—8; Mark 9:2-8;
Luke 9:28-36.
(498)
H E WAS TRANSFIGURED.
499
follow where Christ leads the way; yet they wonder
why their Master should lead them up this toilsome
ascent when they are weary, and when He too is in
need of rest.
Presently Christ tells them that they are now to go
no farther.
Stepping a little aside from them, the
Man of sorrows pours out His supplications with
strong crying and tears.
He prays for strength to
endure the test in behalf of humanity.
He must
Himself gain a fresh hold on Omnipotence, for only
thus can Pie contemplate the future.
And He pours
out Plis heart-longings for His disciples, that in the
hour of the power of darkness their faith may not
fail.
The dew is heavy upon His bowed form, but
He heeds it not.
The shadows of night gather
thickly about Him, but He regards not their gloom.
So the hours pass slowly by.
At first the disciples
unite their prayers with Plis in sincere devotion; but
after a time they are overcome with weariness, and,
even while trying to retain their interest in the scene,
they fall asleep.
Jesus has told them of His suffer
ings; He has taken them with Him that they might
unite with Him in prayer; even now He is praying
for them.
The Saviour has seen the gloom of Plis
disciples, and has longed to lighten their grief by an
assurance that their faith has not been in vain.
Not
all, even of the twelve, can receive the revelation He
desires to give.
Only the three who are to witness
His anguish in Gethsemane have been chosen to be
with Him on the mount.
Now the burden of His
prayer is that they may be given a manifestation of
the glory He had with the Father before the world
was, that Plis kingdom may be revealed to human
eyes, and that Plis disciples may be strengthened to
behold it.
He pleads that they may witness a mani
festation of His divinity that will comfort them in the
5o o
THE DESIRE O F AGES.
hour of His supreme agony with the knowledge that
He is of a surety the Son of God, and that His shame
ful death is a part of the plan of redemption.
His prayer is heard.
While He is bowed in lowli
ness upon the stony ground, suddenly the heavens
open, the golden gates of the city of God are thrown
wide, and holy radiance descends upon the mount,
enshrouding
the
Saviour’s form.
Divinity from
within flashes through humanity, and meets the glory
coming from above.
Arising from His prostrate
position, Christ stands in Godlike majesty.
The
soul-agony is gone.
His countenance now shines
“as the sun,” and His garments are “ white as the
light.”
The disciples, awaking, behold the flood of glory
that illuminates the mount.
In fear and amazement
they gaze upon the radiant form of their Master.
As
they become able to endure the wondrous light, they
see that Jesus is not alone.
Beside Him are two
heavenly beings, in close converse with Him.
They
are Moses, who upon Sinai had talked with God; and
Elijah, to whom the high privilege was given—
granted to but one other of the sons of Adam— never
to come under the power of death.
Upon Mount Pisgah fifteen centuries before, Moses
had stood gazing upon the land of promise.
But
because of his sin at Meribah, it was not for him to
enter there.
Not for him was the joy of leading the
host of Israel into the inheritance of their fathers.
His agonized entreaty, “ I pray Thee, let me go over,
and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that
goodly mountain, and Lebanon,” 1 was refused.
The
hope that for forty years had lighted up the darkness
of the desert wanderings must be denied.
A wilder
ness grave was the goal of those years of toil and
^eut. 3:25.
HE WAS TRANSFIGURED.
501
heart-burdening care.
But He who is “able to do
exceeding
abundantly above
all
that we ask or
think,” 2 had in this measure answered His servant’s
prayer.
Moses passed under the dominion of death,
but he was not to remain in the tomb.
Christ Him
self called him forth to life.
Satan the tempter had
claimed the body of Moses because of his sin; but
Christ the Saviour brought him forth from the
grave.3
Moses upon the mount of transfiguration was a
witness to Christ’s victory over sin and death.
He
represented those who shall come forth from the grave
at the resurrection of the just.
Elijah, who' had been
translated to heaven without seeing death, repre
sented those who will be living upon the earth at
Christ’s second coming, and who will be “ changed in
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trump;” when “this mortal must put on immortal
ity,” and “ this corruptible must put on incorrup
tion.” 4
Jesus was clothed with the light of heaven,
as He will appear when He shall come “the second
time without sin unto salvation.”
For He will come
“ in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” 5
The Saviour’s promise to the disciples was now ful
filled.
Upon the mount the future kingdom of glory
was represented in miniature,— Christ the
King,
Moses a representative of the risen saints, and Elijah
of the translated ones.
The disciples do not yet comprehend the scene;
but they rejoice that the patient Teacher, the meek
and lowly One, who has wandered to and fro a help
less stranger, is honored by the favored ones of
heaven.
They believe that Elijah has come to an
nounce the Messiah’s reign, and that the kingdom of
aEph. 3:20.
3 J ude 9.
41 Cor. 15:51-53.
6Heb. 9:28; Mark 8:38.
502
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Christ is about to be set up on the earth.
The mem
ory of their fear and disappointment they would
banish forever.
Here, where the glory of God is re
vealed, they long to tarry.
Peter exclaims, “ Master,
it is good for us to be here; and let us make three
tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and
one for Elias.”
The disciples are confident that
Moses and Elijah have been sent to protect their
Master, and to establish His authority as king.
But before the crown must come the cross.
Not
the inauguration of Christ as king, but the decease to
be accomplished at Jerusalem, is the subject of their
conference with Jesus.
Bearing the weakness of
humanity, and burdened with its sorrow and sin,
Jesus walked alone in the midst of men.
As the
darkness of the coming trial pressed upon Him, He
was in loneliness of spirit, in a world that knew Him
not.
Even His loved disciples, absorbed in their
own doubt and sorrow and ambitious hopes, had not
comprehended the mystery of His mission.
He had
dwelt amid the love and fellowship of heaven; but in
the world that He had created, He was in solitude.
Now heaven had sent its messengers to Jesus; not
angels, but men who had endured suffering and sor
row, and who could sympathize with the Saviour in
the trial of His earthly life.
Moses and Elijah had
been co-laborers with Christ.
They had shared His
longing for the salvation of men.
Moses had pleaded
for Israel: “ Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin;
—and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book
which Thou hast written.” 6
Elijah had
known
loneliness of spirit, as for three years and a half of
famine he had borne the burden of the nation’s
hatred and its woe.
Alone he had stood for God
upon Mount Carmel.
Alone he had fled to the desert
6 Ex. 32:32.
HE WAS TRANSFIGURED.
503
in anguish and despair.
These men, chosen above
every angel around the throne, had come to com
mune with Jesus concerning the scenes of His suffer
ing, and to comfort Him with the assurance of the
sympathy of heaven.
The hope of the world, the
salvation of every human being, was the burden of
their interview.
Through being overcome with sleep, the disciples
heard little of what passed between Christ and the
heavenly messengers.
Failing to watch and pray,
they had not received that which God desired to give
them,— a knowledge of the sufferings of Christ, and
the glory that should follow.
They lost the blessing
that might have been theirs through sharing His self-
sacrifice.
Slow of heart to believe were these dis
ciples, little appreciative of the treasure with which
Heaven sought to enrich them.
Yet they received great light.
They were assured
that all heaven knew of the sin of the Jewish nation
in rejecting Christ.
They were given a clearer in
sight into the work of the Redeemer.
They saw with
their eyes and heard with their ears things that were
beyond
the comprehension of man.
They were
“ eye-witnesses of His majesty,” 7 and they realized
that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, to whom patri
archs and prophets had witnessed, and that H e was
recognized as such by the heavenly universe.
While they were still gazing on the scene upon the
mount, “ a bright cloud overshadowed them; and
behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is
My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear
ye Him.”
As
they beheld
the cloud of
glory,
brighter than that which went before the tribes of
Israel in the wilderness; as they heard the voice of
God speak in awful majesty that caused the mountain
7 2 Peter 1:16.
to tremble, the disciples fell smitten to the earth.
They remained
prostrate, their
faces
hidden, till
Jesus came near, and touched them, dispelling their
fears with His well-known voice, “Arise, and be not
afraid.”
Venturing to lift up their eyes, they saw
that the heavenly glory had passed away, the forms
of Moses and Elijah had disappeared.
They were
upon the mount, alone with Jesus.
5°4
t h e d e s i r e o f a g e s .
MINISTRY.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN.
The entire night had been passed in the mountain;
and as the sun arose, Jesus and His disciples de
scended to the plain.
Absorbed in thought, the dis
ciples were awed and silent.
Even Peter had not a
word to say.
Gladly would they have lingered in
that holy place which had been touched with the
light of heaven, and where the Son of God had mani
fested His glory; but there was work to be done for
the people, who were already searching far and near
for Jesus.
At the foot of the mountain a large company had
gathered, led hither by the disciples who had re
mained behind, but who knew whither Jesus had
resorted.
As the Saviour drew near, He charged
His three companions to keep silence concerning
what they had witnessed, saying, “Tell the vision to
no man, until the Son of man be risen again from
the dead.”
The revelation made to the disciples was
to be pondered in their own hearts, not to be pub
lished abroad.
To relate it to the multitudes would
excite only ridicule or idle wonder.
And even the
nine apostles would not understand the scene until
after Christ had risen from the dead.
How slow of
comprehension even the three favored disciples were,
is seen in the fact that notwithstanding all that Christ
This chapter is based on Matt. 17:9-21; Mark 9:9-29;
Luke 9:37-45-
(505)
5°6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
had said of what was before Him, they queried among
themselves what the rising from the dead should
mean.
Yet they asked no explanation from Jesus.
His words in regard to the future had filled them
with sorrow; they sought no further revelation con
cerning that which they were fain to believe might
never come to pass.
As the people on the plain caught sight of Jesus,
they ran to meet Him, greeting Him with expressions
of reverence and joy.
Yet His quick eye discerned
that they were in great perplexity.
The disciples
appeared troubled.
A circumstance had just oc
curred that had caused them bitter disappointment
and humiliation.
While they were waiting at the foot of the moun
tain, a father had brought to them his son, to be de
livered from a dumb spirit that tormented him.
Authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, had
been conferred on the disciples when Jesus sent out
the twelve to preach through Galilee.
As they went
forth strong in faith, the evil spirits had obeyed their
word.
Now in the name of Christ they commanded
the torturing spirit to leave his victim; but the demon
only mocked them by a fresh display of his power.
The disciples, unable to account for their defeat, felt
that they were bringing dishonor upon themselves
and their Master.
And in the crowd there were
scribes who made the most of this opportunity to
humiliate them.
Pressing around the disciples, they
plied them with questions, seeking to prove that they
and their Master were deceivers.
Here, the rabbis
triumphantly declared, was an evil spirit that neither
the disciples nor Christ Himself could conquer.
The
people were inclined to side with the scribes, and a
feeling of contempt and scorn pervaded the crowd.
But suddenly the accusations ceased.
Jesus and
MINISTRY.
507
the three disciples were seen approaching, and with a
quick revulsion of feeling the people turned to meet
them.
The night of communion with the heavenly
glory had left its trace upon the Saviour and His
companions.
Upon their countenances was a light
that awed the beholders.
The scribes drew back in
fear, while the people welcomed Jesus.
As if He had been a witness of all that had oc
curred, the Saviour came to the scene of conflict, and
fixing His gaze on the scribes, inquired, “What ques
tion ye with them?”
But the voices so bold and defiant before, were
now silent.
A hush had fallen upon the entire com
pany.
Now the afflicted father made his way through
the crowd, and falling at the feet of Jesus, poured out
the story of his trouble and disappointment.
“ Master,” he said, “ I have brought unto Thee my
son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he
taketh him, he teareth him:
.
.
.
and I spake to
Thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they
could not.”
Jesus looked about Him upon the awe-stricken
multitude, the caviling scribes, the perplexed disci
ples.
He read the unbelief in every heart; and in a
voice filled with sorrow He exclaimed, “0 faithless
generation, how long shall I be with you? how long
shall I suffer your”
Then He bade the distressed
father, “ Bring thy son hither.”
The boy was brought, and as the Saviour’s eyes
fell upon him, the evil spirit cast him to the ground
in convulsions of agony.
He lay wallowing and
foaming, rending the air with unearthly shrieks.
Again the Prince of life and the prince of the
powers of darkness had met on the field of battle,—
Christ in fulfilment of His mission to “preach de
liverance to the captives,
. . .
to set at liberty
5 °8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
them that are bruised,” 1 Satan seeking to hold his
victim under his control.
Angels of light and the
hosts of evil angels, unseen, were pressing near to
behold the conflict.
For a moment, Jesus permitted
the evil spirit to display his power, that the beholders
might
comprehend
the deliverance about to be
wrought
The multitude looked on with bated breath, the
father in an agony of hope and fear.
Jesus asked,
“ How long is it ago since this came unto him?”
The
father told the story of long years of suffering, and
then, as if he could endure no more, exclaimed, “ If
Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and
help us.”
“ If Thou canst!”
Even now the father
questioned the power of Christ.
Jesus answers, “ If thou canst believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth.”
There is no lack
of power on the part of Christ; the healing of the
son depends upon the father’s faith.
With a burst
of tears, realizing his own weakness, the father casts
himself upon Christ’s mercy, with the cry, “ Lord, I
believe; help Thou mine unbelief.”
Jesus turns to the suffering one, and says, “Thou
dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him,
and enter no more into him.”
There is a cry, an
agonized struggle.
The demon, in passing, seems
about to rend the life from his victim.
Then the boy
lies motionless, and apparently lifeless.
The multi
tude whisper, “ He is dead.”
But Jesus takes him
by the hand, and lifting him up, presents him, in per
fect soundness of mind and body, to his father.
Father and son praise the name of their deliverer.
The multitude are “ amazed at the mighty power of
God,” while the scribes, defeated and crestfallen, turn
sullenly away.
1 Luke 4:18.
MINISTRY.
509
“ If Thou canst do anything, have compassion on
us, and help us.”
How many a sin-burdened soul has
echoed that prayer.
And to all, the pitying Sa
viour’s answer is, “ If thou canst believe, all things are
possible to him that believeth.”
It is faith that con
nects us with heaven, and brings us strength for cop
ing with the powers of darkness.
In Christ, God has
provided means for subduing every sinful trait, and
resisting every temptation, however strong.
But
many feel that they lack faith, and therefore they re
main away from Christ.
Let these souls, in their
helpless unworthiness, cast
themselves upon the
mercy of their compassionate Saviour.
Look not to
self, but to Christ.
He who healed the sick and cast
'
out demons when He walked among men, is the same
mighty Redeemer to-day.
Faith comes by the word
of God.
Then grasp His promise, “ Him that com-
eth to Me I will in no wise cast out.” 2
Cast your
self at His feet with the cry, “ Lord, I believe; help
Thou mine unbelief.”
You can never perish while
you do this— never.
In a brief space of time the favored disciples have
beheld the extreme of glory and of humiliation.
They
have seen humanity as transfigured into the image of
God, and as debased into the likeness of Satan.
From
the mountain where He has talked with the heavenly
messengers, and has been proclaimed the Son of God
by the voice from the radiant glory they have seen
Jesus descend to meet that most distressing and re
volting spectacle, the maniac boy, with distorted
countenance, gnashing his teeth in spasms of agony
that no human power could relieve.
And this mighty
Redeemer, who but a few hours before stood glorified
before His wondering disciples, stoops to lift the vic
tim of Satan from the earth where he is wallowing,
2John 6:37.
5io
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
and in health of mind and body restores him to his
father and his home.
It was an object-lesson of redemption,— the Divine
One from the Father’s glory stooping to save the lost.
It represented also the disciples’ mission.
Not alone
upon the mountain top with Jesus, in hours of spirit
ual illumination, is the life of Christ’s servants to be
spent.
There is work for them down in the plain.
Souls whom Satan has enslaved, are waiting for the
word of faith and prayer to set them free.
The nine disciples were yet pondering upon the
bitter fact of their own failure; and when Jesus was
once more alone with them, they questioned, “ Why
could not we cast him out?”
Jesus answered them,
“ Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you,
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall
say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder
place, and it shall remove; and nothitig shall be im
possible unto you.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out
but by prayer and fasting.”
Their unbelief, that shut
them out from deeper sympathy with Christ, and the
carelessness with which they regarded the sacred work
committed to them, had caused their failure in the
conflict with the powers of darkness.
The words of Christ pointing to His death, had
brought sadness and doubt.
And the selection of the
three disciples to accompany Jesus to the mountain
had excited the jealousy of the nine.
Instead of
strengthening their faith by prayer and meditation on
the words of Christ, they had been dwelling on their
discouragements and personal grievances.
In this
state of darkness they had undertaken the conflict
with Satan.
In order to succeed in such a conflict they must
come to the work in a different spirit.
Their faith
must be strengthened by fervent prayer and fasting,
MINISTRY.
and humiliation of heart.
They must be emptied of
self, and be tilled with the Spirit and power of God.
Earnest, persevering supplication to God in faith,—
faith that leads to entire dependence upon God, and
unreserved consecration to His work,— can alone
avail to bring men the Holy Spirit’s aid in the battle
against principalities and powers, the rulers of the
darkness of this world, and wicked spirits in high
places.
“ If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,” said
Jesus, “ ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove
hence to yonder place; and it shall remove.” Though
the grain of mustard seed is so small, it contains that
same mysterious life-principle which produces growth
in the loftiest tree.
When the mustard seed is cast
into the ground, the tiny germ lays hold of every ele
ment that God has provided for its nutriment, and it
speedily develops a sturdy growth.
If you have faith
like this, you will lay hold upon God’s word, and upon
all the helpful agencies He has appointed.' Thus
your faith will strengthen, and will bring to your aid
the power of heaven.
The obstacles that are piled
by Satan across your path, though apparently as in
surmountable as the eternal hills, shall disappear be
fore the demand of faith.
“ Nothing shall be impos
sible unto you.”
5”
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT.
On returning to Capernaum, Jesus did not repair
to the well-known resorts where He had taught the
people, but with His disciples quietly sought the
house that was to be His temporary home.
During
the remainder of His stay in Galilee it was His object
to instruct the disciples rather than to labor for the
multitudes.
On the journey through Galilee, Christ had again
tried to prepare the minds of His disciples for the
scenes before Him.
He told them that He was to go
up to Jerusalem to be put to death and to rise again.
And He added the strange and solemn announce
ment that He was to be betrayed into the hands of
His enemies.
The disciples did not even now com
prehend His words.
Although the shadow of a great
sorrow fell upon them, a spirit of rivalry found a place
in their hearts.
They disputed among themselves
which should be accounted greatest in the kingdom.
This strife they sought to conceal from Jesus, and
they did not, as usual, press close to His side, but
loitered behind, so that He was in advance of them
as
they
entered
Capernaum.
Jesus
read
their
thoughts, and He longed to counsel and instruct
them.
But for this He awaited a quiet hour, when
their hearts should be open to receive His words.
This chapter is based on Matt. 17:22-27; 18:1-20; Mark 9:30-50;
Luke 9:46-48.
( 5 1 2 )
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
513
Soon after they reached the town, the collector of
the temple revenue came to Peter with the question,
“ Doth not your Master pay tribute?”
This tribute
was not a civil tax, but a religious contribution, which
every Jew was required to pay annually for the sup
port of the temple.
A refusal to pay tribute would
be regarded as disloyalty to the temple,—in the esti
mation of the rabbis a most grievous sin.
The Sa
viour’s attitude toward the rabbinical laws, and His
plain reproofs to the defenders of tradition, afforded
a pretext for the charge that He was seeking to over
throw the temple service.
Now His enemies saw an
opportunity of casting discredit upon Him.
In the
collector of the tribute they found a ready ally.
Peter saw in the collector’s question an insinuation
touching Christ’s loyalty to the temple.
Zealous for
his Master’s honor, he hastily answered, without con
sulting Plim, that Jesus would pay the tribute.
But Peter only partially comprehended the purpose
of his questioner.
There were some classes who were
held to be exempt from the payment of the tribute.
In the time of Moses, when the Levites were set apart
for the service of the sanctuary, they were given no
inheritance among the people.
The Lord said; “ Levi
hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the
Lord is his inheritance.” 1
In the days of Christ the
priests and Levites were still regarded as especially
devoted to the temple, and were not required to
make the annual contribution for its support. Proph
ets also were exempted from this payment.
In requir
ing the tribute from Jesus, the rabbis were setting
aside His claim as a prophet or teacher, and were
dealing with Plim as with any commonplace person.
A refusal on His part to pay the tribute would be
represented as disloyalty to the temple; while, on the
^ e u t . 10:9.
33
5H
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
other hand, the payment of it would be taken as justi
fying their rejection of Him as a prophet.
Only a little before, Peter had acknowledged Jesus
as the Son of God; but he now missed an opportunity
of setting forth the character of his Master.
By his
answer to the collector, that Jesus would pay the
tribute, he had virtually sanctioned the false concep
tion of Him to which the priests and rulers were try
ing to give currency.
When Peter entered the house, the Saviour made
no reference to what had taken place, but inquired,
‘‘What thinkest thou, Simoq? of whom do the kings
of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own chil
dren,
or
of
strangers?”
Peter
answered,
“ Of
strangers. *
And Jesus said, “ Then are the children
free.”
While the people of a country are taxed for the
maintenance of their king, the monarch’s own chil
dren are exempt.
So Israel, the professed people of
God, were required to maintain His service; but Jesus,
the Son of God, was under no such obligation.
If
priests and Levites were exempt because of their con
nection with the temple, how much more He to whom
the temple was His Father’s house.
If Jesus had paid the tribute without a protest, He
would virtually have acknowledged the justice of the
claim, and would thus have denied His divinity.
But
while He saw good to meet the demand, He denied
the claim upon which it was based.
In providing for
the payment of the tribute He gave evidence of His
divine character.
It was made manifest that He was
one with God, and therefore was not under tribute
as a mere subject of the kingdom.
“ Go thou to the sea,” He directed Peter, “ and cast
an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up;
and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find
a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for
Me and thee.”
I hough He had clothed His divinity with human
ity, in this miracle He revealed His glory.
It was
evident that this was He who through David had de
clared, “ Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the
cattle upon a thousand hills.
I know all the fowls of
the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are
Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; for
the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof.”2
While Jesus made it plain that He was under no
obligation to pay the tribute, He entered into no
controversy with the Jews in regard to the matter;
for they would have misinterpreted His words, and
turned them against Him.
Lest He should give of
fense by withholding-the tribute, He did that which
He could not justly be required to do.
This lesson
would be of great value to His disciples.
Marked
changes were soon to take place in their relation to
the temple service, and, Christ taught them not to
place themselves needlessly in antagonism to estab
lished order.
So far as possible, they were to avoid
giving occasion for misinterpretation of their faith.
While Christians are not to sacrifice one principle of
truth, they should avoid controversy whenever it is
possible to do so.
When Christ and the disciples were alone in the
house, while Peter was gone to the sea, Jesus called
the others to Him, and asked, “ What was it that ye
disputed among yourselves by the way?”
The pres
ence of Jesus, and His question, put the matter in an
entirely different light from that in which it had ap
peared to them while they were contending by the
way.
Shame and self-condemnation kept them si
lent.
Jesus had told them that He was to die for
their sake, and their selfish ambition was in painful
contrast to His unselfish love.
*Ps. 50:10-12.
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
5 15
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
When Jesus told them that He was to be put to
death and to rise again, He was trying to draw them
into conversation in regard to the great test of their
faith.
Had they been ready to receive what He de
sired to make known to them, they would have been
saved bitter anguish and despair. " His words would
have brought consolation in the hour of bereavement
and disappointment.
But although He had spoken
so plainly of what awaited Him, His mention of the
fact that Pie was soon to go to Jerusalem, again
kindled their hope that the kingdom was about to be
set up.
This had led to questioning as to who should
fill the highest offices.
On Peter’s return from the
sea, the disciples told him of the Saviour’s question,
and at last one ventured to ask Jesus, “ Who is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
The Saviour gathered His disciples about Him, and
said to them, “ If any man desire to be first, the same
shall be last of all, and servant of all.”
There was in
these words a solemnity and impressiveness which the
disciples w'ere far from comprehending.
That which
Christ discerned, they could not see.
They did not
understand the nature of Christ’s kingdom, and this
ignorance was the apparent cause of their contention.
But the real cause lay deeper.
By explaining the
nature of the kingdom, Christ might for the time
have quelled their strife; but this would not have
touched the underlying cause.
Even after they had
received the fullest knowledge, any question of prec
edence might have renewed the trouble.
Thus dis
aster would have been brought to the church after
Christ’s departure.
The strife for the highest place
was the outworking of that same spirit which was the
beginning of the great controversy in the worlds
above, and which had brought Christ from heaven
to die.
There rose up before Him a vision of Luci
516
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
517
fer, the “son of the morning,” in glory surpassing all
the angels that surround the throne, and united in
closest ties to the Son of God.
Lucifer had said, “ I
will be like the Most High;”3 and the desire for self
exaltation had brought strife into the heavenly courts,
and had banished a multitude of the hosts of God.
Had Lucifer really desired to be like the Most High,
he would never have deserted his appointed place in
heaven; for the spirit of the Most High is manifested
in unselfish ministry.
Lucifer desired God’s power,
but not His character.
He sought for himself the
highest place, and every being who is actuated by his
spirit will do the same.
Thus alienation, discord, and
strife will be inevitable.
Dominion becomes the prize
of the strongest.
The kingdom of Satan is a king
dom of force; every individual regards every other as
an obstacle in the way of his own advancement, or a
stepping-stone on which he himself may climb to a
higher place.
While Lucifer counted it a thing to be grasped to
be equal with God, Christ, the Exalted One, “ made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men.
And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.” 4
Now the cross was
just before Him; and His own disciples were so filled
with self-seeking— the very principle of Satan’s king
dom—that they could not enter into sympathy with
their Lord, or even understand Him as He spoke of
His humiliation for them.
Very tenderly, yet with solemn emphasis, Jesus
tried to correct the evil.
He showed what is the
principle that bears sway in the kingdom of heaven,
and in wEat true greatness consists, as estimated by
3Isa. 14:12, 14.
‘ Phil. 2:7, 8.
5 i 8
T H E DESIRE OF AGES.
the standard of the courts above.
Those who were
actuated by pride and love of distinction, were think
ing of themselves, and of the rewards they were to
have, rather than how they were to render back to
God the gifts they had received.
They would have
no place in the kingdom of heaven, for they were
identified with the ranks of Satan.
Before honor is humility.
To fill a high place be
fore men, Heaven chooses the worker who, like John
the Baptist, takes a lowly place before God.
The
most childlike disciple is the most efficient in labor
for God.
The heavenly intelligences can co-operate
with him who is seeking, not to exalt self, but to save
souls.
He who feels most deeply his need of divine
aid will plead for it; and the Holy Spirit will give unto
him glimpses of Jesus that will strengthen and uplift
the soul.
From communion with Christ he will go
forth to work for those who are perishing in their
sins.
He is anointed for his mission; and he suc
ceeds where many of the learned and intellectually
wise would fail.
But when men exalt themselves, feeling that they
are a necessity for the success of God’s great plan,
the Lord causes them to be set aside.
It is made evi
dent that the Lord is not dependent upon them.
The
work does not stop because of their removal from it,
but goes forward with greater power.
It was not enough for the disciples of Jesus to be
instructed as to the nature of His kingdom.
What
they needed was a change of heart that would bring
them into harmony with its principles.
Calling a
little child to Him, Jesus set him in the midst of them;
then tenderly folding the little one in His arms He said,
“ Except ye be converted, and become as little chil
dren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
The simplicity, the self-forgetfulness, and the confid
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
5 W
ing love of a little child are the attributes that Heaven
values.
These are the characteristics of real great
ness.
Again Jesus explained to the disciples that His
kingdom is not characterized by earthly dignity and
display.
At the feet of Jesus all these distinctions are
forgotten.
The rich and the poor, the learned and
the ignorant, meet together, with no thought of caste
or worldly pre-eminence.
All meet as blood-bought
souls, alike dependent upon One who has redeemed
them to God.
The sincere, contrite soul is precious in the sight of
God.
He places His own signet upon men, not by
their rank, not by their wealth, not by their intellect
ual greatness, but by their oneness with Christ.
The
Lord of glory is satisfied with those who are meek
and lowly in heart.
“Thou hast also given me,” said
David, “ the shield of Thy salvation:
.
.
.
and
Thy gentleness”— as an element in the human char
acter— “ hath made me great.” 5
“Whosoever shall receive one of such children in
My name,” said Jesus, “ receiveth Me.
And whoso
ever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him that
sent Me.”
“ Thus saith the Lord: The heaven is My
throne, and the earth is My footstool;
.
.
.
but
to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and
of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” 0
The Saviour’s words awakened in the disciples a
feeling of self-distrust.
No one had been specially
pointed out in the reply; but John was led to ques
tion whether in one case his action had been right.
With the spirit of a child he laid the matter before
Jesus.
“ Master,” he said, “ we saw one casting out
devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us, and we
forbade him, because he followeth not us.”
5 Ps. 18:35.
6 Isa. 66:1, 2.
520
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
James and John had thought that in checking this
man they had had in view their Lord’s honor; they be
gan to see that they were jealous for their own.
They
acknowledged their error, and accepted the reproof of
Jesus, “ Forbid them not; for there is no man which
shall do a miracle in My name, that can lightly speak
evil of Me.”
None who showed themselves in any
way friendly to Christ were to be repulsed.
There
were many who had been deeply moved by the char
acter and the work of Christ, and whose hearts were
opening to Him in faith; and the disciples, who could
not read motives, must be careful not to discourage
these souls.
When Jesus was no longer personally
among them, and the work was left in their hands,
they must not indulge a narrow, exclusive spirit, but
manifest the same far-reaching sympathy which they
had seen in their Master.
The fact that one does not in all things conform
to our personal ideas or opinions, will not justify us in
forbidding him to labor for God.
Christ is the great
Teacher; we are not to judge or to command, but in
humility each is to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn
of Him.
Every soul whom God has made willing, is
a channel through which Christ will reveal His par
doning love.
How careful we should be lest we dis
courage one of God’s light-bearers, and thus intercept
the rays that He would have shine to the world.
Harshness or coldness shown by a disciple toward
one whom Christ was drawing,— such an act as that
of John forbidding one to work miracles in Christ’s
name,— might result in turning the feet into the path
of the enemy, and causing the loss of a soul.
Rather
than for one to do this, said Jesus, “ It is better for
him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
he were cast into the sea.”
And He added, “ If thy
hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for
W H O IS T H E GREATEST?
521
✓
thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having
thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable
fire.
And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off:
it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than
having tW two feet to be cast into hell.” 7
Why this earnest language, than which none can
be stronger?— Because "the Son of man is come to
save that which was lost.”
Shall His disciples show
less regard for the souls of their fellow-men than the
Majesty of heaven has shown?
Every soul has cost
an infinite price, and how terrible is the sin of turn
ing one soul away from Christ, so that for him the
Saviour’s love and humiliation and agony shall have
been in vain.
“ W oe unto the world because of occasions of
stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions
come.” 7
The world, inspired by Satan, will surely
oppose the followers of Christ, and seek to destroy
their faith; but woe to him who has taken Christ’s
name, and yet is found doing this work.
Our Lord
is put to shame by those who claim to serve Him, but
who misrepresent His character; and multitudes are
deceived, and led into false paths.
Any habit or practise that would lead into sin, and
bring dishonor upon Christ, would better be put away,
whatever the sacrifice.
That which dishonors God
cannot benefit the soul.
The blessing of heaven can
not attend any man in violating the eternal principles
of right.
And one sin cherished is sufficient to work
the degradation of the character, and to mislead
others.
If the foot or the hand would be cut off, or
even the eye would be plucked out, to save the body
from death, how much more earnest should we be to
put away sin, that brings death to the soul.
In the ritual service, salt was added to every sacri-
7 R . V .
5 22
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
fice.
This, like the offering of incense, signified that
only the righteousness of Christ could make the serv
ice acceptable to God.
Referring to this practise,
Jesus said, “ Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.”
“ Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with
another.”
All who would present themselves “ a liv
ing sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,” 8 must re
ceive the saving salt, the righteousness of our Saviour,
ihen they become “the salt of the earth,” 9 restrain
ing evil among men, as salt preserves from corrup
tion.
But if the salt has lost its savor; if there is only
a profession of godliness, without the love of Christ,
there is no power for good.
The life can exert no
saving influence upon the world.
Your energy and
efficiency in the upbuilding of My kingdom, Jesus
says, depend upon your receiving of My Spirit.
You
must be partakers of My grace, in order to be a savor
of life unto life.
Then there will be no rivalry, no
self-seeking, no desire for the highest place.
You
will have that love which seeks not her own, but
another's wealth.
Let the repenting sinner fix his eyes upon “the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world;” and by beholding, he becomes changed.
His
fear is turned to joy, his doubts to hope.
Gratitude
springs up.
The stony heart is broken.
A tide of
love sweeps into the soul.
Christ is in him a well of
water springing up unto everlasting life.
When we
see Jesus, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief, working to save the lost, slighted, scorned, de
rided, driven from city to city till His mission was
accomplished; when we behold Him in Gethsemane,
sweating great drops of blood, and on the cross dy
ing in agony,—when we see this, self will no longer
clamor to be recognized.
Looking unto Jesus, we
8 Rom. 12:1.
9 Matt. 5:13.
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
523
shall be ashamed of our coldness, our lethargy, our
self-seeking.
We shall be willing to be anything or
nothing, so that we may do heart-service for the Mas
ter.
W e shall rejoice to bear the cross after Jesus, to
endure trial, shame, or persecution for His dear sake.
“W e then that are strong ought to bear the infirm
ities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” 10
No
soul who believes in Christ, though his faith may be
weak, and his steps wavering as those of a little child,
is to be lightly esteemed.
By all that has given us
advantage over another,— be it education and refine
ment, nobility of character, Christian training, reli
gious experience,— we are in debt to those less fa
vored ; and, so far as lies in our power, we are to min-
1
ister unto them.
If we are strong, we are to stay up
the hands of the weak.
Angels of glory, that do al
ways behold the face of the Father in heaven, joy in
ministering to His little ones.
Trembling souls, who
have many objectionable traits of character, are their
special charge.
Angels are ever-present where they
are most needed, with those who have the hardest
battle with self to fight, and whose surroundings are
the most discouraging.
And in this ministry Christ’s
true followers will co-operate.
If one of these little ones shall be overcome, and
commit a wrong against you, then it is your work to
seek his restoration.
D o not wait for him to make
the first effort for reconciliation.
“ How think ye?”
said Jesus; “ if a man have an hundred sheep, and one
of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety
and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh
that which is gone astray?
And if so be that he find
it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that
sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not
astray.
Even so it is not the will of your Father
,9Rom. 15:1.
524
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
which is in heaven that one of these little ones should
perish.”
In the spirit of meekness, “ considering thyself, lest
thou also be tempted/’11 go to the erring one, and
“ tell him his fault between thee and him alone.”
Do
not put him to shame by exposing his fault to others,
nor bring dishonor upon Christ by making public the
sin or error of one who bears His name.
Often the
truth must be plainly spoken to the erring; he must
be led to see his error, that he may reform.
But you
are not to judge or to condemn.
Make no attempt
at self-justification.
Let all your effort be for his re
covery.
In treating the wounds of the soul, there is
need of the most delicate touch, the finest sensibility.
Only the love that flows from the suffering One of
Calvary can avail here.
With pitying tenderness, let
brother deal with brother, knowing that if you suc
ceed, you will “'save a soul from death,” and “hide a
multitude of sins.” 12
But even this effort may be unavailing.
Then,
said Jesus, “take with thee one or two more.”
It
may be that their united influence will prevail where
that of the first was unsuccessful.
Not being parties
to the trouble, they will he more likely to act impar
tially, and this fact will give their counsel greater
weight with the erring one.
If he will not hear them, then, and not till then, the
matter is to be brought before the whole body of be
lievers.
Let the members of the church, as the repre
sentatives of Christ, unite in prayer and loving en
treaty that the offender may be restored.
The Holy
Spirit will speak through His servants, pleading with
the wanderer to return to God.
Paul the apostle,
speaking by inspiration, says, “As though God did
beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s stead, be
11 Gal. 6:1.
12James 5:20.
WHO IS THE GREATEST?
525
ye reconciled to God.” 13
He who rejects this united
overture, has broken the tie that binds him to Christ,
and thus has severed himself from the fellowship of
the church.
Henceforth, said Jesus, “ let him be unto
thee as an heathen man and a publican.”
But he is
not to be regarded as cut off from the mercy of God.
Let him not be despised or neglected by his former
brethren, but be treated with tenderness and com
passion, as one of the lost sheep that Christ is still
seeking to bring to His fold.
Christ’s instruction as to the treatment of the err
ing repeats in more specific form the teaching given
to Israel through Moses: “Thou shalt not hate thy
brother in thine heart; thou shalt in any wise rebuke
thy neighbor, that thou bear not sin for him.” 14
That
is, if one neglects the duty Christ has enjoined, of
trying to restore those who are in error and sin, he
becomes a partaker in the sin.
For evils that we
might have checked, we are just as responsible as if
we were guilty of the acts ourselves.
But it is to the wrong-doer himself that we are to
present the wrong.
We are not to make it a matter
of comment and criticism among ourselves; nor even
after it is told to the church, are we at liberty to re
peat it to others.
A knowledge of the faults of Chris
tians will be only a cause of stumbling to the unbe
lieving world; and by dwelling upon these things, we
ourselves can receive only harm; for it is by behold
ing that we become changed.
While we seek to cor
rect the errors of a brother, the Spirit of Christ will
lead us to shield him, as far as possible, from the
criticism of even his own brethren, and how much
more from the censure of the unbelieving world.
We
ourselves are erring, and need Christ’s pity and for
giveness, and just as we wish Him to deal with us,
He bids us deal with one another.
13 2 Cor. 5:20.
14 Lev. 19:17, margin.
526
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.”
You are acting as the
ambassadors of heaven, and the issues of your work
are for eternity.
But we are not to bear this great responsibility alon .
Wherever His word is obeyed with a sincere heart,
there Christ abides.
Not only is He present in the
assemblies of the church, but wherever disciples, how
ever few, meet in His name, there also He will be.
And He says, “ If two of you shall agree on earth as
touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done
for them of My Father wdiich is in heaven.”
Jesus says, “ My Father which is in heaven,” as
reminding His disciples that while by His humanity
He is linked with them, a sharer in their trials, and
sympathizing with them in their sufferings, by His
divinity He is connected with the throne of the Infi
nite.
Wonderful assurance!
The heavenly intelli
gences unite with men in sympathy and labor for the
saving of that which was lost.
And all the power of
heaven is brought to combine with human ability in
drawing souls to Christ.
THE REJECTED ONE.
From the Feast of Tabernacles to the Retreat
to Ephraim after the Resurrection
of Lazarus.
“ Mine enemies speak against Me, .
.
.
saying, God
hath forsaken Him; persecute and take Him; for there is none
to deliver.”
Ps. 71:10, n.
AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE.
Three times a year the Jews were required to
assemble at Jerusalem for religious purposes.
En
shrouded in the pillar of cloud, Israel’s invisible
Leader had given the directions in regard to these
gatherings.
During the captivity of the Jews, they
could not be observed; but when the people were re
stored to their own land, the observance of these
memorials was once more begun.
It was God’s de
sign that these anniversaries should call Him to the
minds of the people.
But with few exceptions, the
priests and leaders of the nation had lost sight of this
purpose.
He who had ordained these national as
semblies and understood their significance, witnessed
their perversion.
_ The F east of T abernacles was the closing gathering
of the year.
It was God’s design that at this time
the people should reflect on His goodness and mercy.
The whole land had been under His guidance, re
ceiving His blessing.
Day and night His watchcare
had continued.
The sun and rain had caused the
earth to produce her fruits.
From the valleys and
plains of Palestine the harvest had been gathered.
The olive berries had been picked, and the precious
oil stored in bottles.
The palm had yielded her store.
he purple clusters of the vine had been trodden in
the wine-press-.
This chapter is based on John 7:1-15, 37-39.
34
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530
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The feast continued for seven days, and for its cel
ebration the inhabitants of Palestine, with many from
other lands, left their homes, and came to Jerusalem.
From far and near the people came, bringing in their
hands a token of rejoicing.
Old and young, rich and
pool, all brought some gift as a tribute of thanksgiv
ing to Him who had crowned the year with His good
ness, and made His paths drop fatness.
Everything
that could please the eye, and give expression to the
universal joy, was brought from the woods; the city
bore the appearance of a beautiful forest.
This feast was not only the harvest thanksgiving,
but the memorial of God’s protecting care over Israel
in the wilderness.
In commemoration of their tent
life, the Israelites during the feast dwelt in booths or
tabernacles of green boughs.
These were erected in
the streets, in the courts of the temple, or on the house
tops.
The hills and valleys surrounding Jerusalem
were also dotted with these leafy dwellings, and
seemed to be alive with people.
With sacred song and thanksgiving the worshipers
celebrated this occasion.
A little before the feast was
the day of atonement, when, after confession of their
sins, the people were declared to be at peace with
Heaven.
Thus the way was prepared for the rejoic
ing of the feast.
“ O. give thanks unto the Lord; for
He is good; for His mercy endureth forever,” 1 rose
triumphantly, while all kinds of music, mingled with
shouts of hosanna, accompanied the united singing.
The temple was the center of the universal joy.
Here
was the pomp of the sacrificial ceremonies.
Here,
ranged on either side of the white marble steps of
the sacred building, the choir of Levites led the serv
ice of song.
The multitude of worshipers, waving
their branches of palm and myrtle, took up the strain,
1 Ps. 106:1,
and echoed the chorus; and again the melody was
caught up by voices near and afar off, till the encir
cling hills were vocal with praise.
At night the temple and its court blazed with arti
ficial light.
The music, the waving of palm branches,
the glad hosannas, the great concourse of people,
over whom the light streamed from the hanging
lamps, the array of the priests, and the majesty of
the ceremonies, combined to make a scene that deeply
impressed the beholders.
But the most impressive
ceremony of the feast, one that called forth greatest
rejoicing, was one commemorating an event in the
wilderness sojourn.
Wt the first dawn of day, the priests sounded a long,
shrill blast upon their silver trumpets, and the answer
ing trumpets, and the glad shouts of the people from
their booths, echoing over hill and valley, welcomed
the festal day.
Then the priest dipped from the
flowing waters of the Kedron a flagon of water, and,
lifting it on high, while the trumpets were sounding,
he ascended the broad steps of the temple, keeping
time with the music with slow and measured tread,
chanting meanwhile, “ Our feet shall stand within Thy
gates, *0 Jerusalem.” 2
He bore the flagon to the altar, which occupied a
central position in the court of the priests.
Here
were two silver basins, with a priest standing at each
one.
The flagon of water was poured into one, and
a flagon of wine into the other; and the contents of
both flowed into a pipe which communicated with
the Kedron, and was conducted to the Dead Sea.
This display of the consecrated water represented the
fountain that at the command of God had gushed
from the rock to quench the thirst of the children of
Israel. . Then the jubilant strains rang forth, “The
2Ps. I22I2.
AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
5 3 1
532
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song;” “ there
fore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation.”3^
As the sons of Joseph made preparation to attend
the Feast of Tabernacles, they saw that Christ made
no movement signifying His intention of attending.
They watched Him with anxiety.
Since the healing
at Bethesda He had not attended the national gather
ings.
To avoid useless conflict with the leaders at
Jerusalem, He had restricted His labors to Galilee.
His apparent neglect of the great religious assemblies,
and the enmity manifested toward Him by the priests
and rabbis, were a cause of perplexity to the people
about Him, and even to His own disciples and His
kindred.
In ITis teachings He had dwelt upon the
blessings of obedience to the law of God, and yet He
Himself seemed to be indifferent to the service which
had been divinely established.
His mingling with
publicans and others of ill repute, His disregard of
the rabbinical observances, and the freedom with
which He set aside the traditional requirements con
cerning the Sabbath, all seeming to place Him in
antagonism to the religious authorities, excited much
questioning.
His brothers thought it a mistake for
Him to alienate the great and learned men of the
nation.
They felt that these men must be in the
right, and that Jesus was at fault in placing Himself
in antagonism to them.
But they had witnessed His
blameless life, and though they did not rank them
selves with His disciples, they had been deeply im
pressed by His works.
Flis popularity in Galilee
was gratifying to their ambition; they still hoped that
He would give an evidence of His power which would
lead the Pharisees to see that He was what He
claimed to be.
What if He were the Messiah, the
3Isa. 12:2, 3.
AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
533
Prince of Israel!
They cherished this thought with
proud satisfaction.
So anxious were they about this, that they urged
Christ to go to Jerusalem.
“ Depart hence,” they
said, “and go into Judea, that Thy disciples also may
see the works that Thou doest
For there is no man
that doeth anything in secret, and he himself seek-
eth to be known openly.
If Thou do these things,
show Thyself to the world.”
The “if” expressed
doubt and unbelief.
They attributed cowardice and
weakness to Him.
If He knew that He was the
Messiah, why this strange reserve and inaction?
If
He really possessed such power, why not go boldly
to Jerusalem, and assert His claims?
Why not per
form in Jerusalem the wonderful works reported of
Him in Galilee?
Do not hide in secluded provinces,
they said, and perform your mighty works for the
benefit of ignorant peasants and fishermen.
Present
yourself at the capital, win the support of the priests
and rulers, and unite the nation in establishing the
new kingdom.
These brothers of Jesus reasoned from the selfish
motive so often found in the hearts of those ambitious
for display.
This spirit was the ruling spirit of the
world.
They were offended because, instead of seek
ing a temporal throne, Christ had declared Himself
to be the bread of life.
They were greatly dis
appointed when so many of His disciples forsook
Him.
They themselves turned from Him to escape
the cross of acknowledging what His works re
vealed— that Fie was the Sent of God.
“ Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet
come: but your time is alway ready.
The world
cannot hate you; but Me it hateth, because I testify
of it, that the works thereof are evil.
Go ye up unto
this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for My
534
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
time is not yet full come.
When He had said these
words unto them, He abode still in Galilee.”
His
brothers had spoken to Him in a tone of authority,
prescribing the course He should pursue.
He cast
their rebuke back to them, classing them not with
His self-denying disciples, but with the world.
“ The
world cannot hate you,” He said, “ but Me it hateth,
because I testify of it, that the works thereof are
evil.”
The world does not hate those who are like
it in spirit; it loves them as its own.
The world for Christ was not a place of ease and
self-aggrandizement.
He was not watching for an
opportunity to seize its power and its glory.
It held
out no such prize for Him.
It was a place into
which His Father had sent Him.
He had been
given for the life of the world, to work out the great
plan of redemption.
He was accomplishing His
work for the fallen race.
But He was not to be pre
sumptuous, not to rush into danger, not to hasten a
crisis.
Each event in His work had its appointed
hour.
He must wait patiently.
He knew that He
was to receive the world’s hatred; He knew that His
work would result in His death; but to prematurely
expose Himself would not be the will of His Father.
From Jerusalem the report of Christ’s miracles had
spread wherever the Jews were dispersed; and al
though for many months He had been absent from
the feasts, the interest in Him had not abated.
Many from all parts of the world had come up to the
Beast of Tabernacles in the hope of seeing Him.
At
the beginning of the feast many inquiries were made
for Him.
The B’harisees and rulers looked for Him
to come, hoping for an opportunity to condemn Him.
They anxiously inquired, “Where is He?” but no one
knew.
The thought of Him was uppermost in all
minds.
Through fear of the priests and rulers, none
AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
535
dared acknowledge Him as the Messiah, but every
where there was quiet yet earnest discussion con
cerning Him.
Many defended Him as one sent from
God, wljile others denounced him as a deceiver of the
people.
Meanwhile Jesus had quietly arrived at Jerusalem.
Fie had chosen an unfrequented route by which to
go, in order to avoid the travelers who were making
their way to the city from all quarters.
Had He
joined any of the caravans that went up to the feast,
public attention would have been attracted to Him
on His entrance into the city, and a popular demon
stration in His favor would have aroused the authori
ties against Him.
It was to avoid this that H e chose
to make the journey alone.
In the midst of the feast, when the excitement con
cerning Him was at its height, He entered the court
of the temple in the presence of the multitude.
Be
cause of His absence from the feast, it had been urged
that He dared not place Himself in the power of the
priests and rulers.
All were surprised at His pres
ence.
Every voice was hushed.
All wondered at
the dignity and courage of His bearing in the midst
of powerful enemies who were thirsting for His life.
Standing thus, the center of attraction to that vast
throng, Jesus addressed them as no man had ever
done.
His words showed a knowledge of the laws
and institutions of Israel, of the sacrificial service and
the teachings of the prophets, far exceeding that of
the priests and rabbis.
He broke through the bar
riers of formalism and tradition.
The scenes of the
future life seemed outspread before Him.
As one
who beheld the Unseen, He spoke of the earthly and
the heavenly, the human and the divine, with positive
authority.
His words were most clear and convinc
ing; and again, as at Capernaum, the people were
536
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
astonished at His teaching; “ for His word was with
power. 4
Under a variety of representations He
warned His hearers of the calamity that would follow
all who rejected the blessings He came to bring
them.
He had given them every possible proof that
He came forth from God, and made every possible
effort to bring them to repentance.
He would not
be rejected and murdered by His own nation if He
could save them from the guilt of such a deed.
All wondered at His knowledge of the law and the
prophecies; and the question passed from one to
another, “ How knoweth this man letters, having
never learned?”
No one was regarded as qualified
to be a religious teacher unless he had studied in the
rabbinical schools, and both Jesus and John the
Baptist had been represented as ignorant because
they had not received this training.
Those who
heard them were astonished at their knowledge of
the
Scriptures, “ having never learned.”
Of men
they had not, truly; but the God of heaven was their
teacher, and from Him they had received the highest
kind of wisdom.
As Jesus spoke in the temple court, the people
were held spell-bound.
The very men who were the
most violent against Him felt themselves powerless
to do Him harm.
For the time, all other interests
were forgotten.
Day after day He taught the people, until the last,
“ that great day of the feast.”
The morning of this
day found the people wearied from the long season
of festivity.
Suddenly Jesus lifted up His voice, in
tones that rang through the courts of the temple:—
“ If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and
drink.
He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture
hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living
4 Luke 4:32.
water.”
The condition of the people made this ap
peal very forcible.
They had been engaged in a con
tinued scene of pomp and festivity, their eyes had
been dazzled with light and color, and their ears
regaled with the richest music; but there had been
nothing in all this round of ceremonies to meet the
wants of the spirit, nothing to satisfy the thirst of the
soul for that which perishes not.
Jesus invited them
to come and drink of the fountain of life, of that which
would be in them a well of water, springing up unto
everlasting life.
The priest had that morning performed the cere
mony which commemorated the smiting of the rock
in the wilderness.
That rock was a symbol of Him
who by His death would cause living streams of sal
vation to flow to all who are athirst.
Christ’s words
were the water of life.
There in the presence of the
assembled multitude tfe set Himself apart to be
smitten, that the water of life might flow to the world.
In smiting Christ, Satan thought to destroy the
Prince of life; but from the smitten rock there flowed
living water.
As Jesus thus spoke to the people,
their hearts thrilled with a strange awe, and many
were ready to exclaim, with the woman of Samaria,
“ Give me of this water, that I thirst not.”
Jesus knew the wants of the soul.
Pomp, riches,
and honor cannot satisfy the heart.
“ If any man
thirst, let him come unto Me.”
The rich, the poor,
the high, the low, are alike welcome.
He promises
to relieve the burdened mind, to comfort the sorrow
ing, and to give hope to the despondent.
Many of
those who heard Jesus were mourners over dis
appointed hopes, many were nourishing a secret
grief, many were seeking to satisfy their restless
longing with the things of the world and the praise
of men; but when all was gained, they found that they
\
AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES.
537
538
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
had toiled only to reach a broken cistern, from which
they could not quench their thirst.
Amid the glitter
of the joyous scene they stood dissatisfied and sad.
That sudden cry, “ If any man thirst,” startled them
from their sorrowful meditation, and as they listened
to the words that followed, their minds kindled with
a new hope.
The Holy Spirit presented the symbol
before them until they saw in it the offer of the price
less gift of salvation.
The cry of Christ to the thirsty soul is still going
forth, and it appeals to us with even greater power
than to those who heard it in the temple on that last
day of the feast.
The fountain is open for all.
The
weary and exhausted ones are offered the refreshing
draught of eternal life.
Jesus is still crying, “ If any
man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.”
“ Let
him that is athirst come.
And whosoever will, let
him take of the water of life freely.”
“ Whosoever
drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water, springing up into everlasting
life.” 5
6 Rev. 22:17; John 4:14.
AMONG SNARES.
CHAPTER FIFTY.
All the while Jesus was at Jerusalem during the
feast, He was shadowed by spies.
Day after day new
schemes to silence Him were tried.
The priests and
rulers were watching to entrap Him.
They were
planning to stop Him by violence.
But this was not
all.
They wanted to humble this Galilean rabbi be
fore the people.
On the first day of His presence at the feast, the
rulers had come to Him, Remanding by what author
ity He taught.
They wished to divert attention from
Him to the question of His right to teach, and thus
to their own importance and authority.
“ My teaching is not Mine,” said Jesus, “but His
that sent Me.
If any man willeth to do His will,
he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God,
or whether I speak from Myself.” 1
The question of
these cavilers Jesus met, not by answering the cavil,
but by opening up truth vital to the salvation of the
soul.
The perception and appreciation of truth, He
said, depends less upon the mind than upon the heart.
Truth must be received into the soul; it claims the
homage of the will.
If truth could be submitted to
the reason alone, pride would be no hindrance in the
way of its reception.
But it is to be received through
the work of grace in'the heart; and its reception de-
This chapter is based on John 7:16-36, 40-53; 8:1-11.
1 R. V.
'i
( 539)
5 4 °
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
pends upon the renunciation of every sin that the
Spirit of God reveals.
Man’s advantages for obtain
ing a knowledge of the truth, however great these
may be, will prove of no benefit to him unless the
heart is open to receive the truth, and there is a con
scientious surrender of every habit and practise that
is opposed to its principles.
To those who thus yield
themselves to God, having an honest desire to know
and to do His will, the truth is revealed as the power
of God for their salvation.
These will be able to dis
tinguish between him who speaks for God, and him
who speaks merely from himself.
The Pharisees had
not put their will on the side of God’s will.
They
were not seeking to know the truth, but to find some
excuse for evading it; Christ showed that this was
why they did not understand His teaching.
He now gave a test by which the true teacher might
be distinguished from the deceiver: “ He that speak-
eth from himself, seeketh his own glory, but he that
seeketh the glory of Him that sent him, the same is
true, and no unrighteousness is in him.”2
He that
seeketh his own glory is speaking only from himself.
1 he spirit of self-seeking betrays its origin.
But
Christ was seeking the glory of God.
He spoke the
words of God.
This was the evidence of His author
ity as a teacher of the truth.
Jesus gave the rabbis an evidence of His divinity
by showing that He read their hearts.
Ever since
the healing at Bethesda they had been plotting His
death.
Thus they were themselves breaking the law
which they professed to be defending.
“ Did not
Moses give you the law,” He said, “and yet none of
you keepeth the law?
Why go ye about to kill Me?”
Like a swift flash of light these words revealed to
the rabbis the pit of ruin into which they were about
1R. V.
AMONG SNARES.
541
to plunge.
For an instant they were filled with ter
ror.
They saw that they were in conflict with infinite
power.
But they would not be warned.
In order
to maintain their influence with the people, their mur
derous designs must be concealed.
Evading the
question of Jesus, they exclaimed, “Thou hast a devil;
who goeth about to kill Thee?”
They insinuated
that the wonderful works of Jesus were instigated by
an evil spirit.
To this insinuation Christ gave no heed.
He went
on to show that His work of healing at Bethesda was
in harmony with the Sabbath law, and that it was
justified by the interpretation which the Jews them
selves put upon the law.
He said, “ Moses therefore
gave unto you circumcision;
.
.
.
and ye on the
Sabbath day circumcise a man.”
According to the
law, every child must be circumcised on the eighth
day.
Should the appointed time fall upon the Sab
bath, the rite must then be performed.
How much
more must it be in harmony with the spirit of the
law to make a man “ every whit whole on the Sabbath
day.”
And He warned them to “judge not accord
ing to the appearance, but judge righteous judg
ment.”
The rulers were silenced: and many of the people
exclaimed, “ Is not this He whom they seek to kill?
But lo, He speaketh boldly, and they say nothing
unto Him.
Do the rulers know indeed that this is
the very Christ?”
Many among Christ’s hearers who were dwellers
at Jerusalem, and who were not ignorant of the plots
of the rulers against Him, felt themselves drawn
to Him by an irresistible power.
The conviction
pressed upon them that He was the Son of God.
But Satan was ready to suggest doubt; and for this
the way was prepared by their own erroneous ideas
542
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of the Messiah and His coming.
It was generally
believed that Christ would be born at Bethlehem,
but that after a time He would disappear, and at His
second appearance none would know whence He
came.
There were not a few who held that the Mes
siah would have no natural relationship to humanity.
And because the popular conception of the glory of
the Messiah was not met by Jesus of Nazareth, many
gave heed to the suggestion, “ Howbeit, we know
this man whence he is; but when Christ cometh, no
man knoweth whence He is.”
While they were thus wavering between doubt and
faith, Jesus took up their thoughts and answered
them: “ Ae both know Me, and ye know whence I
am; and I am not come of Myself, but He that sent
Me is true, whom ye know not.”
They claimed a
knowledge of what the origin of Christ should be,
but they were in utter ignorance of it.
If they had
lived in accordance with the will of God, they would
have known His Son when He was manifested to
them.
The hearers could not but understand
Christ’s
words.
Clearly they were a repetition of the claim
He had made in the presence of the Sanhedrim many
months before, when He declared Himself the Son
of God.
As the rulers then tried to compass His
death, so now they sought to take Him; but they
were prevented by an unseen power, which put a
limit to their rage, saying to them, Thus far shalt thou
go, and no farther.
Among the people many believed on Him, and
they said, “When Christ cometh, will He do more
miracles than these which this man hath done?”
The leaders of the Pharisees, who were anxiously
watching the course of events, caught the expressions
of sympathy among the throng.
Hurrying away to
AMONG SNARES.
543
the chief priests, they laid their plans to arrest Him.
They arranged, however, to take Him when He was
alone; for they dared not seize Him in the presence
of the people.
Again Jesus made it manifest that
He reaa their purpose.
“ Yet a little while am I with
you,” He said, “ and then I go unto Him that sent
Me.
Ye shall seek Me, and shall not find M e; and
where I am, thither ye cannot come.”
Soon He
would find a refuge beyond the reach of their scorn
and hate.
He would ascend to the Father, to be
again the Adored of the angels; and thither His mur
derers could never come.
Sneeringly the rabbis said, “ Whither will He go,
that we shall not find Him?
Will He go unto the
'
dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gen
tiles?”
Little did these cavilers dream that in their
mocking words they were picturing the mission of
the Christ!
All day long He had stretched forth His
hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people; yet
He would be found of them that sought Him not;
among a people that had not called upon His name
He would be manifest.3
Many who were convinced that Jesus was the Son
of God were misled by the false reasoning of the
priests and rabbis.
These teachers had repeated
with great effect the prophecies concerning the Mes
siah, that He would “reign in Mount Zion, and in
Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously;” that
He would “have dominion also from sea to sea, and
from the river unto the ends of the earth.”4
Then
they made contemptuous comparisons between the
glory here pictured and the humble appearance of
Jesus.
The very words of prophecy were so per
verted as to sanction error.
Had the people in sin
cerity studied the word for themselves, they would
3 Rom. 10:20, 2i.
* Isa. 24:23; Ps. 72:8.
544
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
not have been misled.
The sixty-first chapter of
Isaiah testifies that Christ was to do the very work
He did.
Chapter fifty-three sets forth His rejection
and sufferings in the world, and chapter fifty-nine de
scribes the character of the priests and rabbis.
God does not compel men to give up their un
belief.
Before them are light and darkness, truth
and error.
It is for them to decide which they will
accept.
The human mind is endowed with power to
discriminate between right and wrong.
God de
signs that men shall not decide from impulse, but
from weight of evidence, carefully comparing scrip
ture with scripture.
Had the Jews laid by their
prejudice and compared written prophecy with the
facts characterizing the life of Jesus, they would have
perceived a beautiful harmony between the prophecies
and their fulfilment in the life and ministry of the
lowly Galilean.
Many are deceived to-day in the same way as were
the Jews.
Religious teachers read the Bible in the
light of their own understanding and traditions; and
the people do not search the Scriptures for them
selves, and judge for themselves as to what is truth;
but they yield up their judgment, and commit their
souls to their leaders.
The preaching and teaching
of His word is one of the means that God has ordained
for diffusing light; but we must bring every man's
teaching to the test of Scripture.
Whoever will
prayerfully study the Bible, desiring to know the
truth, that he may obey it, will receive divine en
lightenment.
He will understand
the Scriptures.
“ If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of
the teaching.” 5
On the last day of the feast, the officers sent out by
the priests and rulers to arrest Jesus, returned with-
6John 7:17, R. V.
AMONG SNARES.
545
out Him.
They were angrily questioned, “Why
have ye not brought Him?”
With solemn counte
nance they answered, “ Never man spake like this
man.”
Hardened as were their hearts, they were melted
by His words.
While He was speaking in the tem
ple court, they had lingered near, to catch something
that might be turned against Him.
But as they lis
tened, the purpose for which they had been sent was
forgotten.
They stood as men entranced.
Christ
revealed Himself to their souls.
They saw that
which priests and rulers would not see,— humanity
flooded with the glory of divinity.
They returned,
so filled with this thought, so impressed by His words,
that to the inquiry, “ Why have ye not brought Him?”
they could only reply, “ Never man spake like this
man.”
The priests and rulers, on first coming into the
presence of Christ, had felt the same conviction.
Their hearts were deeply moved, and the thought
was forced upon them, “ Never man spake like this
man.”
But they had stifled the conviction of the
Holy Spirit.
Now, enraged that even the instru
ments of the law should be influenced by the hated
Galilean, they cried, “ Are ye also deceived?
Have
any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?
But this people who knoweth not the law are
cursed.”
Those to whom the message of truth is spoken,
seldom ask, “ Is it true?” but, “ By whom is it ad
vocated?”
Multitudes estimate it by the numbers
who accept it; and the question is still asked, “ Have
any of the learned men or religious leaders believed"”
Men are no more favorable to real godliness now than
in the days of Christ.
They are just as intently seek
ing earthly good, to the neglect of eternal riches;
35
546
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
and it is not an argument against the truth, that large
numbers are not ready to accept it, or that it is not
received by the world’s great men, or even by the re
ligious leaders.
Again the priests and rulers proceeded to lay plans
for arresting Jesus.
It was urged that if He were
longer left at liberty, He would draw the people away
from the established leaders, and the only safe course
was to silence Him without delay.
In the full tide
of their discussion, they were suddenly checked.
Nicodemus questioned, “ Doth our law judge any
man before it hear him, and know what he doeth?”
Silence fell on the assembly.
The words of Nico
demus came home to their consciences.
They could
not condemn a man unheard.
But it was not for this
reason alone that the haughty rulers remained silent,
gazing at him who had dared to speak in favor of
justice.
They were startled and chagrined that one
of their own number had been so far impressed by
the character of Jesus as to speak a word in His de
fense.
Recovering from their astonishment, they
addressed Nicodemus with cutting sarcasm, “ A rt
thou also of Galilee?
Search, and look: for out of
Galilee ariseth no prophet.”
Yet the protest resulted in staying the proceedings
of the council.
The rulers were unable to carry out
their purpose and condemn Jesus without a hearing.
Defeated for the time, “ every man went unto his own
house.
Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.”
From the excitement and confusion of the cfty,
from the eager crowds and the treacherous rabbis,
Jesus turned away to the quiet of the olive groves,
where H e could be alone with God.
But in the early
morning He returned to the temple, and as the peo
ple gathered about Him, He sat down and taught
them.
AMONG SNARES.
547
He was soon interrupted.
A group of Pharisees
and scribes approached Him, dragging with them a
terror-stricken woman, whom with hard, eager voices
they accused of having violated the seventh com
mandment.
H aving pushed her into the presence of
Jesus, they said to Him, with a hypocritical show of
respect, “ Moses in the law commanded us, that such
should be stoned; but what sayest Thou?”
Their pretended reverence veiled a deep-laid plot
for His ruin.
They had seized upon this opportunity
to secure His condemnation, thinking that whatever
decision He might make, they would find occasion to
accuse Him.
Should H e acquit the woman, He
might be charged with despising the law of Moses.
Should He declare her worthy of death, He could be
accused to the Romans as one who was assuming
authority that belonged only to them.
Jesus looked for a moment upon the scene,—the
trembling victim in her shame, the hard-faced dig
nitaries, devoid of even human pity.
His spirit of
stainless purity shrunk from the spectacle.
Well
He knew for what purpose this case had been brought
to Him.
He read the heart, and knew the character
and life-history of every one in His presence.
These
would-be guardians of justice had themselves led
their victim into sin, that they might lay a snare for
Jesus.
Giving no sign that He had heard their ques
tion, He stooped, and fixing His eyes upon the
ground, began to write in the dust.
Impatient at H is delay and apparent indifference,
the accusers drew nearer, urging the matter upon
His attention.
But as their eyes, following those of
Jesus, fell upon the pavement at His feet, their coun
tenances changed.
There, traced before them, were
the guilty secrets of their own lives.
The people,
looking on, saw the sudden change of expression,
548
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
and pressed forward to discover what it was that they
were regarding with such astonishment and shame.
With all their professions of reverence for the law,
these rabbis, in bringing the charge against the
woman, were disregarding its provisions.
It was the
husband’s duty to take action against her, and the
guilty parties were to be punished equally.
The ac
tion of the accusers was wholly unauthorized. Jesus,
however, met them on their own ground.
The law
specified that in punishment by stoning, the witnesses
in the case should be the first to cast a stone.
Now
rising, and fixing His eyes upon the plotting elders,
Jesus said, “ He that is without sin among you, let
him first cast a stone at her.”
And stooping down,
He continued writing on the ground.
He had not set aside the law given through Moses,
nor infringed upon the authority of Rome.
The ac
cusers had been defeated.
Now, their robe of pre
tended holiness torn from them, they stood, guilty
and condemned, in the presence of infinite purity.
They trembled lest the hidden iniquity of their lives
should be laid open to the multitude; and one by
one, with bowed heads and downcast eyes, they stole
away, leaving their victim with the pitying Saviour.
Jesus arose, and looking at the woman said,
“ Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no
man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord.
And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee.
Go, and sin no more.”
The woman had stood before Jesus, cowering with
fear.
His words, “ He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone,” had come to her as a death
sentence.
She dared not lift her eyes to the Sa
viour’s face, but silently awaited her doom.
In as
tonishment she saw her accusers depart speechless
and confounded; then those words of hope fell upon
AMONG SNARES.
549
her ear, “ Neither do I condemn thee.
Go, and sin
no more.”
H er heart was melted, and she cast her
self at the feet of Jesus, sobbing out her grateful love,
and wjih bitter tears confessing her sins.
This was to her the beginning of a new life, a life
of purity and peace, devoted to the service of God.
In the uplifting of this fallen soul, Jesus performed a
greater miracle than in healing the most grievous
physical disease; He cured the spiritual malady which
is unto death everlasting.
This penitent woman be
came one of H is most steadfast followers.
With self-
sacrificing love and devotion she repaid H is forgiving
mercy.
In His act of pardoning this woman and encourag
ing her to live a better life, the character of Jesus
shines forth in the beauty of perfect righteousness.
While He does not palliate sin. nor lessen the sense
of guilt, He seeks not to condemn, but to save.
The
world had for this erring woman only contempt and
scorn; but Jesus speaks words of comfort and hope.
The Sinless One pities the weakness of the sinner,
and reaches to her a helping hand.
While the hypo
critical Pharisees denounce, Jesus bids her, “ Go, and
sin no more.”
It is not ( hrist’s follower that with averted eyes,
turns from the erring, leaving them unhindered to
pursue their downward course.
Those who are for
ward in accusing others, and zealous in bringing
them to justice, are often in their own lives more
guilty than they.
Men hate the sinner, while they
love the sin.
Christ hates the sin, but loves the sin
ner.
This will be the spirit of all who follow Him.
Christian love is slow to censure, quick to discern
penitence, ready to forgive, to encourage, to set the
wanderer in the path of holiness, and to stay his feet
therein.
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am
the light of the world; he that folioweth Me shall' not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
When H e spoke these words, Jesus was in the
court of the temple specially connected with the serv
ices of the Feast of Tabernacles.
In the center of
this court rose two lofty standards, supporting lamp-
stands of great size.
After the evening sacrifice, all
the lamps were kindled, shedding their light over
Jerusalem.
This ceremony was in commemoration
of the pillar of light that guided Israel in the desert,
and was also regarded as pointing to the coming of
the Messiah.
At evening when the lamps were
lighted, the court was a scene of great rejoicing.
Gray-haired men, the priests, of the temple and the
rulers of the people, united in the festive dances to
the sound of instrumental music and the chants of the
Ievites.
In the illumination of Jerusalem, the people ex
pressed their hope of the Messiah’s coming to shed
His light upon Israel.
But to Jesus the scene had a
wider meaning.
As the radiant lamps of the temple
lighted up all about them, so Christ, the source of
spiritual light, illumines the darkness of the world.
Yet the symbol was imperfect.
That great light
This chapter is based on John 8:12-59; 9.
( 550)
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
551
which H is own hand had set in the heavens was a
truer representation of the glory of His mission.
It was morning; the sun had just risen above the
Mount of Olives, and its rays fell with dazzling bright
ness on the marble palaces, and lighted up the gold
of the temple walls, when Jesus, pointing to it, said,
“ I am the light of the world.”
By one who listened to these words, they were long
afterward re-echoed in that sublime passage, “ In Him
was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the
light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness ap
prehended it not.”
“ That was the true light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” 1
And long after Jesus had ascended to heaven, Peter
also, writing under the illumination of the divine
Spirit, recalled the symbol Christ had used: “ W e have
also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye
do well that ye take heed (as unto a light that shin
eth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day
star arise) in your hearts.” 2
In the manifestation of God to His people, light
had ever been a symbol of H is presence.
A t the
creative word in the beginning, light had shone out
of darkness.
Light had been enshrouded in the pil
lar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night,
leading the vast armies of Israel.
Light blazed with
awful grandeur about the Lord on Mount Sinai.
Light rested over the mercy-seat in the tabernacle.
Light filled the temple of Solomon at its dedication.
Light shone on the hills of Bethlehem when the an
gels brought the message of redemption to the watch
ing shepherds.
God is light; and in the words, “ I am the light of
the world,” Christ declared His oneness with God,
and His relation to the whole human family.
It was
‘ John 1:4, 5, R. V., 9.
2 2 Peter 1:19.
552
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
He who at the beginning had caused “ the light to
shine out of darkness.” 3
He is the light of sun and
moon and star.
He was the spiritual light that in
symbol and type and prophecy had shone upon Is
rael.
But not to the Jewish nation alone was the
light given.
As the sunbeams penetrate to the re
motest corners of the earth, so does the light of the
Sun of Righteousness shine upon every soul.
“ That was the true light, which lighteth every man
that cometh into the world.”
The world has had its
great teachers, men of giant intellect and wonderful
research, men whose utterances
have
stimulated
thought, and opened to view vast fields of knowledge;
and these men have been honored as guides and ben
efactors of their race.
But there is One who stands
higher than they.
“A s many as received Him, to
them gave He power to become the sons of God.”
“ No man hath seen God at any time; the only be
gotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He
hath declared Him.” 4
We can trace the line of the
world’s great teachers as far back as human records
extend; but the Light was before them.
As the
moon and the stars of the solar system shine by the
reflected light of the sun, so, as far as their teaching
is true, do the world’s great thinkers reflect the rays
of the Sun of Righteousness.
Every gem of thought,
every flash of the intellect, is from the Light of the
world.
In these days we hear much about “ higher
education.”
The true “ higher education” is that im
parted by Him “ in whom are hid all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge.”
“ In Him was life, and the
life was the light of men.” 5
“ He that followeth Me,”
said Jesus, “ shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life.”
In the words, “ I am the light of the world,” Jesus
32 Cor. 4:6.
*J°hn 1:12, 18.
5Col. 2:3; John 1 14
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
553
declared Himself the Messiah.
The aged Simeon, in
the temple where Christ was now teaching, had
spoken of Him as “ a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of Thy people Israel.” 6
In these words he
was applying to Him a prophecy familiar to all Israel.
By the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Spirit had declared,
“ It is too light a thing that Thou shouldst be My
servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to re
store the preserved of Israel; I will also give Thee
for a light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My
salvation unto the end of the earth.” 7
This prophecy
was generally understood as spoken of the Messiah,
and when Jesus said, “ I am the light of the world,”
the people could not fail to recognize His claim to
be the Promised One.
To the Pharisees and rulers this claim seemed an
arrogant assumption.
That a man like themselves
should make such pretensions they could not tolerate.
Seeming to ignore His words, they demanded, “ Who
art Thou? ’
They were bent upon forcing Him to
declare Himself the Christ.
H is appearance and His
work were so at variance with the expectations of the
people, that, as H is wily enemies believed, a direct
announcement of Himself as the Messiah would cause
Him to be rejected as an impostor.
But to their question, “ Who art Thou?” Jesus re
plied, “ Even that which I have also spoken unto you
from the beginning.” 8
That which had been revealed
in His words, was revealed also in His character.
He was the embodiment of the truths He taught.
“ I do nothing of Myself,” He continued; “ but as M y
Father hath taught Me, I speak these things.
And
He that sent Me is with Me; the Father hath not left
Me alone; for I do always those things that please
Him .”
He did not attempt to prove His Messianic
6 Luke 2:32.
7 Isa. 49:6, R. V.
« R. V.
554
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
claim, but showed H is unity with God.
If their
minds had been open to God’s love, they would have
received Jesus.
Am ong His hearers many were drawn to Him in
faith, and to them H e said, “ If ye continue in M y
words, then are ye M y disciples indeed; and ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
These words offended the Pharisees.
The nation’s
long subjection to a foreign yoke, they disregarded,
and angrily exclaimed, “ W e be Abraham’s seed, and
were never in bondage to any man; how sayest Thou,
Y e shall be made free?
Jesus looked upon these
men, the slaves of malice, whose thoughts were bent
upon revenge, and sadly answered, “ Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin.”
They were in the worst kind of
bondage,— ruled by the spirit of evil.
Every soul that refuses to give himself to God, is
under the control of another power.
He is not his
own.
H e may talk of freedom, but he is in the most
abject slavery.
He is not allowed to see the beauty
of truth, for his mind is under the control of Satan.
While he flatters himself that he is following the
dictates of his own judgment, he obeys the will of the
prince of
darkness.
Christ
came to break
the
shackles of sin-slavery from the soul.
“ If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free in
deed.”
“ The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus”
sets us “ free from the law of sin and death.” 9
In the work of redemption there is no compulsion.
No external force is employed.
Under the influence
of the Spirit of God, man is left free to choose whom
he will serve.
In the change that takes place when
the soul surrenders to Christ, there is the highest
sense of freedom.
The expulsion of sin is the act of
9 Rom. 8:2.
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
555
the soul itself.
True, we have no power to free our
selves from Satan’s control; but when we desire to
be set free from sin, and in our great need cry out for
a power out of and above ourselves, the powers of
the soul are imbued with the divine energy of the
Holy Spirit, and they obey the dictates of the will in
fulfilling the will of God.
The only condition upon which the freedom of man
is possible, is that of becoming one with Christ.
“ The truth shall make you free;” and Christ is the
truth.
Sin can triumph only by enfeebling
the
mind, and destroying the liberty of the soul.
Sub
jection to God is restoration to one’s self,— to the
true glory and dignity of man.
The divine law, to
which we are brought into subjection, is “the law of
liberty.” 10
The Pharisees had declared themselves the chil
dren of Abraham.
Jesus told them that this claim
could be established only by doing the works of
Abraham.
The true children of Abraham would live,
as he did, a life of obedience to God.
They would
not try to kill One who was speaking the truth that
was given Him from God.
In plotting against
Christ, the rabbis were not doing the work of Abra
ham.
A mere lineal descent from Abraham was of
no value.
Without a spiritual connection with him,
which would be manifested in possessing the same
spirit, and doing the same works, they were not his
children.
This principle bears with equal weight upon a
question that has long agitated the Christian world,—
the question of apostolic succession.
Descent from
Abraham was proved, not by name and lineage, but
b\ likeness of character.
So the apostolic succession
rests not upon the transmission of ecclesiastical
18 lames 2:12.
556
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
authority, but upon spiritual relationship.
A life
actuated by the apostles’ spirit, the belief and teach
ing of the truth they taught, this is the true evidence
of apostolic succession.
This is what constitutes
men the successors of the first teachers of the gospel.
Jesus denied that the Jews were children of Abra
ham.
He said, “ Y e do the deeds of your father.”
In mockery they answered, “ We be not born of forni
cation; we have one Father, even God.”
These
words, in allusion to the circumstances of His birth,
were intended as a thrust against Christ in the pres
ence of those who were beginning to believe on Him.
Jesus gave no heed to the base insinuation, but said,
“ If God were your Father, ye would love M e; for
I proceeded forth and came from God.”
Their works testified of their relationship to him
who was a liar and a murderer.
“ Y e are of your
father the devil,” said Jesus, “ and the lusts of your
father it is your will to do.
He was a murderer from
the beginning, and stood not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him.
.
.
.
Because I say the
truth, ye believe Me not.” 11
The fact that Jesus
spoke the truth, and that with certainty, was why He
was not received by the Jewish leaders.
It was the
truth that offended these self-righteous men.
The
truth exposed the fallacy of error; it condemned their
teaching and practise, and it was unwelcome.
They
would rather close their eyes to the truth than hum
ble themselves to confess that they had been in error.
They did not love the truth.
They did not desire it,
even though it was truth.
“ Which of you convicteth11 Me of sin?
And if I
say the truth, why do ye not believe M e?”
Day by
day for three years H is enemies had been following
Christ, trying to find some stain in H is character.
11R. V.
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
557
Satan and all the confederacy of evil had been seek
ing to overcome H im ; but they had found nothing in
Him by which to gain an advantage.
Even the
devils were forced to confess, “ Thou art the Holy One
of God.” 12
Jesus lived the law in the sight of heaven,
in the sight of unfallen worlds, and in the sight of
sinful men.
Before angels, men, and demons, He
had spoken, unchallenged, words that from any other
lips would have been blasphemy: “ I do always those
things that please Flim.”
The fact that although they could find no sin in
Christ, the Jew s would not receive Him, proved that
they themselves had no connection with God.
They
did not recognize Flis voice in the message of His
Son.
They thought themselves passing judgment
on Christ; but in rejecting Him they were pronounc
ing sentence upon themselves.
“ He that is of God,”
said Jesus, “ heareth God’s words; ye therefore hear
them not, because ye are not of God.”
The lesson is true for all time.
Many a man who
delights to quibble, to criticize, seeking for some
thing to question in the word of God, thinks that he
is
thereby giving
evidence of
independence of
thought, and mental acuteness.
He supposes that
he is sitting in judgment on the Bible, when in truth
he is judging himself.
He makes it manifest that he
is incapable of appreciating truths that originate in
heaven, and that compass eternity.
In presence of
the great mountain of God’s righteousness, his spirit
is not awed.
H e busies himself with hunting for
sticks and straws, and in this betrays a narrow and
earthly nature, a heart that is fast losing its capacity
to appreciate God.
He whose heart has responded
to the divine touch will be seeking for that which
will increase his knowledge of God, and will refine
12 Mark 1:24.
558
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
and elevate the character.
As a flower turns to the
sun, that the bright rays may touch it with tints of
beauty, so will the soul turn to the Sun of Righteous
ness, that heaven’s light may beautify the character
with the graces of the character of Christ.
Jesus continued, drawing a sharp contrast between
the position of the Jews and that of Abraham: “ Your
father Abraham rejoiced to see M y day: and he saw
it, and was glad.”
Abraham had greatly desired to see the promised
Saviour.
He offered up the most earnest prayer that
before his death he might behold the Messiah.
And
he saw Christ.
A supernatural light was given him,
and he acknowledged Christ’s divine character.
He
saw H is day, and was glad.
He was given a view of
the divine sacrifice for sin.
Of this sacrifice he had
an illustration in his own experience.
The command
came to him, “Take now thy son, thine only son
Isaac, whom thou lovest,
.
.
.
and offer him
.
.
.
for a burnt-offering.” 13
Upon the altar of
sacrifice he laid the son of promise, the son in whom
his hopes were centered.
Then as he waited beside
the altar with knife upraised to obey God, he heard
a voice from heaven saying, “ Lay not thine hand upon
the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now
I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.” 14
This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that
he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great
love of God for the world, so great that to raise ff
from its degradation, He gave His only begotten
Son to a most shameful death.
Abraham learned of God the greatest lesson ever
given to mortal.
H is prayer that he might see Christ
before he should die was answered.
H e saw Christ;
13 Gen. 22:2.
u Gen. 22:12.
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
559
he saw all that mortal can see, and live.
By making
an entire surrender, he was able to understand the
vision of Christ, which had been given him.
H e was
shown that in giving His only begotten Son to save
sinners from eternal ruin, God was making a greater
and more wonderful sacrifice than ever man coufd
make.
Abraham’s
experience
answered
the
question:
“Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow
myself before the high God? shall I come before Him
with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old?
Will
the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with
ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give m y first
born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for
the sin of my soul?” 15
In the words of Abraham,
“ My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a
burnt-offering,” 16 and in God’s provision of a sacri
fice instead of Isaac, it was declared that no man
could make expiation for himself.
The pagan sys
tem of sacrifice was wholly unacceptable to God.
No father was to offer up his son or his daughter for
a sin-offering.
The Son of God alone can bear the
guilt of the world.
Through his own suffering, Abraham was enabled
to behold the Saviour’s mission of sacrifice.
But
Israel would not understand that which was so un
welcome to their proud hearts.
Christ’s words con
cerning Abraham conveyed to His hearers no deep
significance.
The Pharisees saw in them only fresh
ground for caviling.
They retorted with a sneer, as
if they would prove Jesus to be a madman, “Thou are
not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?”
With solemn dignity Jesus answered, “ Verily, ver
ily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I A M .”
Silence fell upon the vast assembly.
The name of
15Micah6:6, 7.
16 Gen. 22:8.
560
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eter
nal presence, had been claimed as His own by this
Galilean rabbi.
He had announced Himself to be
the self-existent One, He who had been promised to
Israel, ‘‘whose goings forth have been from of old,
from the days of eternity.” 17
Again the priests and rabbis cried out against
Jesus as a blasphemer.
His claim to be one with
God had before stirred them to take H is life, and a
few months later they plainly declared, “ For a good
work we stone Thee not, but for blasphemy; and be
cause that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself
God.” 18
Because He was, and avowed Himself to
be, the Son of God, they were bent on destroying
Him.
Now many of the people, siding with the
priests and rabbis, took up stones to cast at Him.
“ But Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple,
going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”
The Light was shining in darkness; but “ the dark
ness apprehended it not.” 10
“As Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was
blind from his birth.
And His disciples asked Him,
saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents,
that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither
hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the
works of God should be made manifest in him.
.
.
When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the
eyes of the blind man with the clay, and He said unto
him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by
interpretation, Sent).
He went his way therefore,
and washed, and came seeing.”
It was generally believed by the Jew s that sin is
punished in this life.
Every affliction was regarded
as the penalty of some wrong-doing, either of the
n Micah 5:?, margin.
18 John 10:33.
19 John 1:5, R. V.
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
561
sufferer himself or of his parents.
It is true that all
suffering results from the transgression of God’s law,
but this truth had become perverted.
Satan, the
author of sin and all its results, had led men to look
upon disease and death as proceeding from God,— as
punishment arbitrarily inflicted on account of sin.
Hence one upon whom some great affliction or
calamity had fallen, had the additional burden of
being regarded as a great sinner.
Thus the way was prepared for the Jew s to reject
Jesus.
He who “ hath borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows,” was looked upon by the Jew s as
“ stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted;” and they
hid their faces from Him.20
God had given a lesson designed to prevent this.
The history of Job had shown that suffering is in
flicted by Satan, and is overruled by God for purposes
of mercy.
But Israel did not understand the lesson.
The same error for which God had reproved the
friends of Job was repeated by the Jews in their re
jection of Christ.
The belief of the Jews in regard to the relation of
sin and
suffering was held by Christ’s disciples.
While Jesus corrected their error, He did not explain
the cause of the man’s affliction, but told them what
would be the result.
Because of it the works of God
would be made manifest.
“ As long as I am in the
world,” He said, “ I am the light of the world.”
Then having anointed the eyes of the blind man, He
sent him to wash in the pool of Siloam, and the man’s
sight was restored.
Thus Jesus answered the ques
tion of the disciples in a practical way, as He usually
answered questions put to Him from curiosity.
The
disciples were not called upon to discuss the question
as to who had sinned or had not sinned, but to under-
39 Isa. 53:4, 3.
36
562
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
stand the power and mercy of God in giving sight to
the blind.
It was evident that there was no healing
virtue in the clay, or in the pool wherein the blind
man was sent to wash, but that the virtue was in
Christ.
The Pharisees could not but be astonished at the
cure.
Yet they were more than ever filled with
hatred; for the miracle had been performed on the
Sabbath day.
The neighbors of the young man, and those who
knew him before in his blindness, said, “ Is not this
he that sat and begged?”
They looked upon him
with doubt; for when his eyes were opened, his
countenance was changed and brightened, and he
appeared like another man.
From one to another
the question passed.
Some said, “This is he;” others,
“ He is like him.”
But he who had received the great
blessing settled the question by saying, “ I am he.”
He then told them of Jesus, and by what means he
had been healed, and they inquired, “ Where is He?
Fie said, I know not.”
Then they brought him before a council of the
Pharisees.
Again the man was asked how he had
received his sight.
“ He said unto them, He put clay
upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
There
fore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of
God, because He keepeth not the Sabbath day.”
The Pharisees hoped to make Jesus out to be a sin
ner, and therefore not the Messiah.
They knew not
that it was He who had made the Sabbath and knew
all its obligation, who had healed the blind man.
They appeared wonderfully zealous for the observ
ance of the Sabbath, yet were planning murder on
that very day.
But many were greatly moved at
hearing of this miracle, and were convicted that He
who had opened the eyes of the blind was more than
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
563
a common man.
In answer to the charge that Jesus
was a sinner because He kept not the Sabbath day,
they said, “ How can a man that is a sinner do such
miracles?”
Again the rabbis appealed to the blind man, “ What
sayest thou of Him, that He hath opened thine eyes?
He said, He is a prophet.”
The Pharisees then as
serted that he had not been born blind and received
his sight
They called for his parents, and asked
them, saying, “ Is this your son, who ye say was born
blind?”
There was the man himself, declaring that he had
been blind, and had had his sight restored; but the
Pharisees would rather deny the evidence of their
own senses than admit that they were in error.
So
powerful is prejudice, so distorting is Pharisaical
righteousness.
The Pharisees had one hope left, and that was to
intimidate the man’s parents.
With apparent sin
cerity they asked, “ How then doth he now see?”
The parents feared to compromise themselves; for it
had been declared that whoever should acknowledge
Jesus as the Christ should be “put out of the syna
gogue; ’ that is, should be excluded from the syna
gogue for thirty days.
During this time no child
could be circumcised nor dead be lamented in the
offender’s home.
The sentence was regarded as a
great calamity; and if it failed to produce repentance,
a far heavier penalty followed.
The great work
wrought for their son had brought conviction to the
parents, yet they answered, “We know that this is
our son, and that he was born blind; but by what
means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath
opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him:
he shall speak for himself.”
Thus they shifted all re
sponsibility from themselves to their son; for they
dared not confess Christ.
564
t h e
d e s i r e o f
a g e s .
1 he dilemma in which the Pharisees were placed,
their questioning and prejudice, their unbelief in the
facts of the case, were opening the eyes of the multi
tude, especially of the common people.
Jesus had
frequently wrought His miracles in the open street,
and His work was always of a character to relieve
suffering.
The question in many minds was, Would
God do such mighty works through an impos
tor, as the Pharisees insisted that Jesus was?
The
controversy was becoming very earnest on both
sides.
The Pharisees saw that they were giving publicity
to the work done by Jesus.
They could not deny
the miracle.
The blind man was filled with joy and
gratitude; he beheld the wondrous things of nature,
and was filled with delight at the beauty of earth and
sky.
He freely related his experience, *and again
they tried to silence him, saying, “ Give God the
praise; we know that-this man is a sinner.”
That is,
Do not say again that this man gave you sight; it is
God who has done this.
The blind man answered, “Whether He be a sinner
or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas
I was blind, now I see.”
-Then they questioned again, “ What did He to
thee? how opened He thine eyes?”
With many
words they tried to confuse him, so that he might
think himself deluded.
Satan and his evil angels
were on the side of the Pharisees, and united their
energies and subtlety with man’s reasoning in order
to counteract the influence of Christ.
They blunted
the convictions that were deepening in many minds.
Angels of God were also on the ground to strengthen
the man who had had his sight restored.
The Pharisees did not realize that they had to deal
with any other than the uneducated man who had
T H E L IG H T O F L IF E .
565
been born blind; they knew not Him with whom they
were in controversy.
Divine light shone into the
chambers of the blind man’s soul.
As these hypo
crites tried to make him disbelieve, God helped him
to showr, by the vigor and pointedness of his replies,
that he was not to be ensnared.
He answered,'I(*I
have told you already, and ye did not hear; wherefore
would ye hear it again? will ye also be His disciples?
Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art His disci
ple; but we are Moses’ disciples.
We know that God
spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not
from whence He is.”
The Lord Jesus knew the ordeal through which the
man was passing, and He gave him grace and utter
ance, so that he became a witness for Christ.
He
answered the Pharisees in words that were a cutting
rebuke to his questioners.
They claimed to be the
expositors of Scripture, the religious guides of the
nation; and yet here was One performing miracles,
and they were confessedly ignorant as to the source
of His power, and as to His character and claims.
“ Why herein is a marvelous thing,” said the man,
that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He
hath opened mine eyes.
Now we know that God
heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshiper of
God, and doeth His will, him He heareth.
Since the
world began was it not heard that any man opened
the eyes of one that was born blind.
If this man
were not of God, He could do nothing.”
The man had met his inquisitors on their own
ground.
His reasoning was unanswerable.
The
Pharisees were astonished, and they held their peace,
spellbound before his pointed, determined words.
For a few moments there was silence.
Then the
frowning priests and rabbis gathered about them
their robes, as though they feared contamination from
566
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
contact with him; they shook off the dust from their
feet, and hurled denunciations against him,— “Thou
wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?”
And they excommunicated him.
Jesus heard what had been done; and finding him
sodh after, He said, “ Dost thou believe on the Son of
God?”
For the first time the blind man looked upon the
face of his Restorer.
Before the council he had seen
his parents troubled and perplexed; he had looked
upon the frowning faces of the rabbis; now his eyes
rested upon the loving, peaceful countenance of Jesus.
Already, at great cost to himself he had acknowledged
Him as a delegate of divine power; now a higher
revelation was granted him.
To the Saviour’s question, “ Dost thou believe on
the Son of God?” the blind man replied by asking,
“ Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him?
And Jesus said, “ Thou hast both seen Him, and it is
Fie that talketh with thee.”
The man cast himself at
the Saviour’s feet in worship.
Not only had his nat
ural sight been restored, but the eyes of his under
standing had been opened.
Christ had been revealed
to his soul, and he received Him as the Sent of God.
A group of Pharisees had gathered near, and the
sight of them brought to the mind of Jesus the con
trast ever manifest in the effect of His words and
works.
He said, “ For judgment I am come into this
world, that they which see not might see; and that
they which see might be made blind.”
Christ had
come to open the blind eyes, to give light to them
that sit in darkness.
He had declared Himself to be
the light of the world, and the miracle just performed
was in attestation of His mission.
The people who
beheld the Saviour at His advent were favored with
a fuller manifestation of the divine presence than the
THE LIGHT OF LIFE.
5 6 7
world had ever enjoyed before.
The knowledge of
God was revealed more perfectly.
But in this very
revelation, judgment was passing upon men.
Their
character was tested, their destiny determined.
The manifestation of divine power that had given
to the blind man both natural and spiritual sight, had
left the Pharisees in yet deeper darkness.
Some of
His hearers, feeling that Christ’s words applied to
them, inquired, “Are we blind also?”
Jesus an
swered, “ If ye were blind, ye should have no sin.”
If God had made it impossible for you to see the
truth, your ignorance would involve no guilt.
“But
now ye say, W e see.”
You believe yourselves able
to see, and reject the means through which alone you
could receive sight.
To all who realized their need,
Christ came with infinite help.
But the Pharisees
would confess no need; they refused to come to
Christ, and hence they were left in blindness,—a
blindness for which they were themselves guilty.
Jesus said, “Your sin remaineth.”
THE DIVINE SHEPHERD.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO.
“ I am the good Shepherd: the good shepherd giv-
eth his life for the sheep.”
“ I am the good Shep
herd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine.
As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the
Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
Again Jesus found access to the minds of His
hearers by the pathway of their familiar associations.
He had likened the Spirit’s influence to the cool, re
freshing water.
He had represented Himself as the
light, the source of life and gladness to nature and
to man.
Now in a beautiful pastoral picture He
represents His relation to those that believe on Him.
No picture was more familiar to His hearers than
this, and Christ’s words linked it forever with Him
self.
Never could the disciples look on the shep
herds tending their flocks without recalling the Sa
viour’s lesson.
They would
see Christ in each
faithful shepherd.
They would see themselves in
each helpless and dependent flock.
This figure the prophet Isaiah had applied to the
Messiah’s mission, in the comforting words, “ O
Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the
high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tid
ings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not
afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God.
.
.
.
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He
This chapter is based on John 10:1-30.
(568)
T H E
D IV IN E S H E P H E R D .
569
shall gather the lambs with His arms, and carry them
in His bosom.” 1
David had sung, “ The Lord is my
shepherd: I shall not want.”
And the Holy Spirit
through Ezekiel had declared: “ I will set up one
Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them;” “ I
will seek that which was lost, and bring again that
which was driven away, and will bind up that which
was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.”
“ And 1 will make with them a covenant of peace.”
“ And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen;
.
.
.
but they shall dwell safely, and none shall
make them afraid.” 2
Christ applied these prophecies to Himself, and
He showed the contrast between His own character
and that of the leaders in Israel.
The Pharisees had
just driven one from the fold, because he dared to
bear witness to the power of Christ.
They had cut
off a soul whom the true Shepherd was drawing to
Himself.
In this they had shown themselves igno
rant of the work committed to them, and unworthy of
their trust as shepherds of the flock.
Jesus now set
before them the contrast between them and the good
Shepherd, and He pointed to Himself as the real
keeper of the Lord’s flock.
Before doing this, how-
e\er, He speaks of Himself under another figure.
He said, “ He that entereth not by the door into
the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber.
But he that enter
eth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.”
The Pharisees did not discern that these words were
spoken against them.
When they reasoned in their
hearts as to the meaning, Jesus told them plainly, “ I
am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and
1 Isa. 40:9-1 v.
2 Ps. 23;r. Eze 34;23i l6j 25) 2S
570
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly."
Christ is the door to the fold of God.
Through
this door all His children, from the earliest times,
have found entrance.
In Jesus, as shown in types,
as shadowed in symbols, as manifested in the revela
tion of the prophets, as unveiled in the lessons given
to His disciples, and in the miracles wrought for the
sons of men, they have beheld ‘‘the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world,” 3 and through
Him they are brought within the fold of His grace.
Many have come presenting other objects for the
faith of the world; ceremonies and systems have been
devised by which men hope to receive justification
and peace with God, and thus find entrance to His
fold.
But the only door is Christ, and all who have
interposed something to take the place of Christ, all
who have tried to enter the fold in some other way,
are thieves and robbers.
The Pharisees had not entered by the door.
They
had climbed into the fold by another way than Christ,
and they were not fulfilling the work of the true shep
herd.
The priests and rulers, the scribes and Phar
isees, destroyed the living pastures, and defiled the
well-springs of the water of life.
Faithfully do the
words of inspiration describe those false shepherds:
“ The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have
ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound
up that which was broken, neither have ye brought
again that which was driven away,
.
.
.
but with
force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.”4
In all ages, philosophers and teachers have been
presenting to the world theories by which to satisfy
the soul’s need.
Every heathen nation has had its
great teachers and religious systems offering some
3 John 1:29.
*Eze. 34:4.
THE DIVINE SHEPHERD.
571
other means of redemption than Christ, turning the
eyes of men away from the Father’s face, and filling
their hearts with fear of Him who has given them
only blessing.
The trend of their work is to rob
God of that which is His own, both by creation and
by redemption.
And these false teachers rob man as
well.
Millions of human beings are bound down
under false religions, in the bondage of slavish fear,
of stolid indifference, toiling like beasts of burden,
bereft of hope or joy or aspiration here, and with only
a dull tear of the hereafter.
It is the gospel of the
grace of God alone that can uplift the soul.
The
contemplation of the love of God manifested in His
Son, will stir the heart and arouse the powers of the
soul as nothing else can.
Christ came that He might
recreate the image of God in man; and whoever turns
men away from Christ, is turning them away from the
source of true development; he is defrauding them of
the hope and purpose and glory of life.
He is a thief
and a robber.
“ He that entereth in by the door is the shepherd
of the sheep.”
Christ is both the door and the shep
herd.
He enters in by Himself.
It is through His
own sacrifice that He becomes the shepherd of the
sheep.
“ To Him the porter openeth; and the sheep
hear His voice; and He calleth His own sheep by
name, and leadeth them out.
And when He putteth
forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and
the sheep follow Flim ; for they know His voice.”
Of all creatures the sheep is one of the most timid
and helpless, and in the East the shepherd’s care for
his flock is untiring and incessant.
Anciently as
now there was little security outside of the walled
towns.
Marauders from the roving border tribes,
or beasts of prey from their hiding-places in the
rocks, lay in wait to plunder the flocks.
The shep-
572
THE DIVINE SHEPHERD.
5 7 3
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
herd watched his charge, knowing that it was at the
peril of his own life.
Jacob, who kept the flocks of
Laban in the pasture grounds of Haran, describing
his own unwearied labor, said, “ In the day the
drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and
my sleep departed from mine eyes.” 5
And it was
while guarding his father’s sheep, that the boy David,
single-handed, encountered the lion and the bear,
and rescued from their teeth the stolen lamb.
As the shepherd leads his flock over the rocky
hills, through forest and wild ravines, to grassy nooks
by the river-side; as he watches them on the moun
tains through the lonely night, shielding from rob
bers, caring tenderly for the sickly and feeble, his
life comes to be one with theirs.
A strong and ten
der attachment unites him to the objects of his care.
However large the flock, the shepherd knows every
sheep.
Every one has its name, and responds to the
name at the shepherd’s call.
As an earthly shepherd knows his sheep, so does
the divine Shepherd know His flock that are scat
tered throughout the world.
“ Ye My flock, the flock
of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the
Lord God.”
Jesus says, “ I have called thee by thy
name; thou art Mine.”
“ I have graven thee upon
the palms of My hands.” 6
Jesus knows us individually, and is touched with
the feeling of our infirmities.
He knows us all by
name.
He knows the very house in which we live,
the name of each occupant.
He has at times given
directions to His servants to go to a certain street in
a certain city, to such a house, to find one of His
sheep.
Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were
the only one for whom the Saviour died.
The dis-
5Gen. 31:40.
6Eze. 34:31; Isa. 43:I; 49:i6-
tress of every one touches His heart.
The cry for
aid reaches His ear.
He came to draw all men unto
Himself.
He bids them, “ Follow Me,” and His
Spirit moves upon their hearts to draw them to come
to Him.
Many refuse to be drawn.
Jesus knows
who they are.
He also knows who gladly hear His
call, and are ready to come under His pastoral care.
He says, “ My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them, and they follow Me.”
He cares for each one
as if there were not another on the face of the earth.
“ He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth
them out,
.
.
.
and the sheep follow Him; for
they know His voice.”
The Eastern shepherd does
not drive his sheep.
He depends not upon force or
fear; but going before, he calls them.
They know his
voice, and obey the call.
So does the Saviour-Shep
herd with His sheep.
The Scripture says, “Thou
leddest Thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses
and Aaron.”
Through the prophet, Jesus declares,
“ I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore
with loving-kindness have I drawn thee.”
He com
pels none to follow Him.
“ I drew them,” He says,
“ with cords of a man, with bands of love.”T
It is not the fear of punishment, or the hope of
everlasting reward, that leads the disciples of Christ
to follow Him.
They behold the Saviour’s match
less love, revealed throughout His pilgrimage on
earth, from the manger of Bethlehem to Calvary’s
cross, and the sight of Him attracts, it softens and
subdues the soul.
Love awakens in the heart of the
beholders.
They hear His voice, and they follow
Him.
As the shepherd goes before his sheep, himself first
encountering the perils of the way, so does Jesus with
His people.
“ When He putteth forth His own
7 Ps. 77:20; Jer. 31:3; Hosea 11:4.
574
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
sheep, He goeth before them.”
The way to heaven
is consecrated by the Saviour’s footprints.
The path
may be steep and rugged, but Jesus has traveled that
way; His feet have pressed down the cruel thorns,
to make the pathway easier for us.
Every burden
that we are called to bear, He Himself has borne.
Though now He has ascended to the presence of
God, and shares the throne of the universe, Jesus has
lost none of His compassionate nature.
To-day the
same tender, sympathizing heart is open to all the
woes of humanity.
To-day the hand that was pierced
is reached forth to bless more abundantly His people
that are in the world.
“And they shall never perish;
neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. ’
The soul that has given himself to Christ is more
precious in His sight than the whole world.
The
Saviour would have passed through the agony of
Calvary, that one might be saved in His kingdom.
He will never abandon one for whom He has died.
Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will
hold them fast.
Through all our trials we have a never-failing
Helper.
He does not leave us alone to struggle with
temptation, to battle with evil, and be finally crushed
with burdens and sorrow.
Though now He is hid
den from mortal sight, the ear of faith can hear His
voice saying, Fear not; I am with you.
“ I am He
that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore.” 8
I have endured your sorrows, experi
enced your struggles, encountered your temptations.
I know your tears; I also have wept.
The griefs that
lie too deep to be breathed into any human ear, I
know.
Think not that you are desolate and for
saken.
Though your pain touch no responsive chord
in any heart on earth, look unto Me, and live.
“The
8 Rev. 1:18.
THE DIVINE SHEPHERD.
575
mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed;
but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither
shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the
Lord that hath mercy on thee.” 9
However much a shepherd may love his sheep, he
loves his sons and daughters more.
Jesus is not only
our shepherd; He is our “ everlasting Father.” And
He says, “ I know Mine own, and Mine own know
Me, even as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the
bather.” 10
What a statement is this!— the only be
gotten Son, He who is in the bosom of the Father,
He whom^ God has declared to be “the Man that is
my fellow,” ” —the communion between Him and the
eternal God is taken to represent the communion be
tween Christ and His children on the earth!
Because we are the gift of His Father, and the re
ward of Ilis work, Jesus loves us.
He loves us as
His children.
Reader, He loves you.
Heaven itself
can bestow nothing greater, nothing better.
There
fore trust.
Jesus thought upon the souls all over the earth
who were misled by false shepherds.
Those whom
He longed to gather as the sheep of His pasture
were scattered among wolves, and he said, “ Other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I
must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and they
shall become one flock, one shepherd.” 10
“Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay
down My life, that I might take it again.”
That is,
My Father has so loved you, that He even loves Me
more for giving My life to redeem you.
In becom-
ing your substitute and surety, by surrendering My
life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I
am endeared to My Father.
I lay down My life, that I might take it again.
'Isa . 54:I0.
10R. V.
11 Zech. 13:7.
576
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of My
self.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power
to take it again.”
While as a member of the human
family He was mortal, as God He was the fountain of
life for the world.
He could have withstood the ad
vances of death, and refused to come under its do
minion; but voluntarily He laid down His life, that
He might bring life and immortality to light.
He
bore the sin of. the world, endured its curse, yielded
up His life as a sacrifice, that men might not eternally
die.
“ Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows.
.
.
.
He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
with His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep
have gone astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity
of us all.” 12
12 Isa. 53:4-6.
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM
GALILEE.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE.
As the close of His ministry drew near, there was
a change in Christ’s manner of labor.
Heretofore
He had sought to shun excitement and publicity.
He had refused the homage of the people, and had
passed quickly from place to place when the popular
enthusiasm in His favor seemed kindling beyond con
trol.
Again and again He had commanded that
none should declare Him to be the Christ.
At the time of the Feast of Tabernacles His jour-
ney to Jerusalem was made swiftly and secretlv.
When urged by His brothers to present Himself
publicly as the Messiah, His answer was, “ My time
is not yet come.” 1
He made His way to Jerusalem
unobserved, and entered the city unannounced, and
unhonored by the multitude.
But not so with His
ast journey.
He had left Jerusalem for a season
because of the malice of the priests and rabbis.
But
e now set out to return, traveling in the most pub
lic manner, by a circuitous route, and preceded by
such an announcement of His coming as He had
never made before.
He was going forward to the
scene of His great sacrifice, and to this the attention
ot the people must be directed.
This chapter is based on Luke 9:51-56; 10:1-24.
‘ John 7:6.
37
(577 )
578
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” 2
As the
eyes of all Israel had been directed to the uplifted
serpent, the symbol appointed for their healing, so all
eyes must be drawn to Christ, the sacrifice that
brought salvation to the lost world.
It was a false conception of the Messiah’s work,
and a lack of faith in the divine character of Jesus,
that had led His brothers to urge Him to present
Himself publicly to the people at the Feast of Taber
nacles.
Now, in a spirit akin to this, the disciples
would have prevented Him from making the journey
to Jerusalem.
They remembered His words con
cerning what was to befall Him there, they knew the
deadly hostility of the religious leaders, and they
would fain have dissuaded their Master from going
thither.
To the heart of Christ it was a bitter task to press
His way against the fears, disappointment, and un
belief of His beloved disciples.
It was hard to lead
them forward to the anguish and despair that awaited
them at Jerusalem.
And Satan was at hand to press
his temptations upon the Son of man.
Why should
He now go to Jerusalem, to certain death?
All
around Him were souls hungering for the bread of
life.
On every hand were suffering ones waiting for
His word of healing.
The work to be wrought by
the gospel of His grace was but just begun.
And
He was full of the vigor of manhood’s prime.
Why
not go forward to the vast fields of the world with the
words of His grace, the touch of His healing power?
Why not take to Himself the joy of giving light and
gladness to those darkened and sorrowing millions?
Why leave the harvest-gathering to His disciples, so
weak in faith, so dull of understanding, so slow to
’ John 3:14.
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM GALILEE.
579
act?
Why face death now, and leave the work in its
infancy?
I he foe who in the wilderness had con
fronted Christ, assailed Him now with fierce and sub
tle temptations.
Had Jesus yielded for a moment,
had He changed His course in the least particular to
save Himself, Satan’s agencies would have triumphed,
and the world would have been lost.
But Jesus had “ steadfastly set His face to go to
Jerusalem.”
The one law of His life was the Father’s
will.
In the visit to the temple in His boyhood, He
had said to Mary, “ Wist ye not that I must be about
My Father’s business?” 3
At Cana, when Mary de
sired Him to reveal His miraculous power, His an
swer was, “ Mine hour is not yet come.” 4
With the
same words He replied to His brothers when they
urged Him to go to the feast.
But in God’s great
plan the hour had been appointed for the offering of
Himself for the sins of men, and that hour was soon
to strike.
He would not fail nor falter.
His steps
are turned toward Jerusalem, where His foes have
long plotted to take Flis life; now He will lay it
down.
He set His face steadfastly to go to persecu
tion, denial, rejection, condemnation, and death.
And He “ sent messengers before His face; and
they went, and entered into a village of the Samari
tans, to make ready for Him.”
But the people re
fused to receive Him, because He was on His way
to Jerusalem.
This they interpreted as meaning that
Christ showed a preference for the Jews, whom they
hated with intense bitterness.
Had He come to
restore the temple and worship upon Mount Gerizim,
they would gladly have received Him; but He was
going to Jerusalem, and they would show Him no
hospitality.
Little did they realize that they were
turning from their doors the best gift of heaven.
3 Luke 2:49
4 John 2:4.
58 o
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Jesus invited men to receive Him, He asked favors at
their hands, that He might come near to them, to
bestow the richest blessings.
For every favor mani
fested toward Him, He requited a more precious
grace.
But all was lost to the Samaritans because of
their prejudice and bigotry.
Janies and John, Christ’s messengers, were greatly
annoyed at the insult shown to their Lord.
They
were filled with indignation because He had been so
rudely treated by t.he Samaritans whom He was
honoring by His presence.
They had recently been
with Him on the mount of transfiguration, and had
seen Him glorified by God, and honored by Moses
and Elijah.
This manifest dishonor on the part of
the Samaritans, should not, they thought, be passed
over without marked punishment.
Coming to Christ, they reported to Him the words
of the people, telling Him that they had even refused
to give Him a night’s lodging.
They thought that
a grievous wrong had been done Him, and seeing
Mount Carmel in the distance, where Elijah had slain
the false prophets, they said, “ Wilt Thou that we
command fire to come down from heaven, and con
sume them, even as Elias did?”
They were surprised
to see that Jesus was pained by their words, and still
more surprised as His rebuke fell upon their ears,
“ Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
For
the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives,
but to save them.”
And He went to another village.
It is no part of Christ’s mission to compel men to
receive Him.
It is Satan, and men actuated by his
spirit, that seek to compel the conscience.
Under a
pretense of zeal for righteousness, men who are con
federate with evil angels bring suffering upon their
fellow-men, in order to convert them to their ideas of
religion; but Christ is ever showing mercy, ever
seeking to win by the revealing of His love.
He can
admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial serv
ice,* but He desires only voluntary service, the will
ing surrender of the heart under the constraint of
love.
There can be no more conclusive evidence that
we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to
hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our
work, or who act contrary to our ideas.
Every human being, in body, soul, and spirit, is
the property of God.
Christ died to redeem all.
Nothing can be more offensive to God than for men,
through religious bigotry, to bring suffering upon
those who are the purchase of the Saviour’s blood.
“ And He arose from thence, and cometh into the
coasts of Judea by the farther side of Jordan; and the
people resort unto Him again; and, as He was wont,
He taught them again.”5
A considerable part of the
closing months of
Christ’s ministry was spent in Perea, the province on
“the farther side of Jordan” from Judea.
Here the
multitude thronged His steps, as in His early min
istry in Galilee, and much of His former teaching was
repeated.
As He had sent out the twelve, so He “ appointed
seventy others, and sent them two snd two before
His face into every city and place, whither He Him
self was about to come.” 6
These disciples had been
for some time with Him, in training for their work.
When the twelve were sent out on their first separate
mission, other disciples accompanied Jesus in His
journey through Galilee.
Thus they had the privi
lege of intimate association with Him, and direct
personal instruction.
Now this larger number also
were to go forth on a separate mission.
The directions to the seventy were similar to those
s Mark 10:1.
“R. V.
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM GALILEE.
5 8 1
that had been given to the twelve; but the command
to the twelve, not to enter into any city of the Gen
tiles or of the Samaritans, was not given to the sev
enty.
Though Christ had just been repulsed by the
Samaritans, His love toward them was unchanged.
When the seventy went forth in His name, they
visited, first of all, the cities of Samaria.
The Saviour’s own visit to Samaria, and, later, the
commendation of the good Samaritan, and the grate
ful joy of that leper, a Samaritan, who alone of the
ten returned to give thanks to Christ, were full of
significance to the disciples.
The lesson sunk deep
into their hearts.
In His commission to them, just
before His ascension, Jesus mentioned Samaria with
Jerusalem and Judea as the places where they were
first to preach the gospel.
This commission His
teaching had prepared them to fulfil.
When in their
Master’s name they went to Samaria, they found the
people ready to receive them.
The Samaritans had
heard of Christ’s words of commendation and His
works of mercy for men of their nation.
They saw
that notwithstanding their rude treatment of Him,
He had only thoughts of love toward them, and their
hearts were won.
After His ascension they wel
comed the Saviour’s messengers, and the disciples
gathered a precious harvest from among those who
had once been their bitterest enemies.
“A bruised
reed shall He not break, and the dimly burning flax
shall He not quench; He shall bring forth judgment
unto truth.”
“And in His name shall the Gentiles
trust.” 7
In sending out the seventy, Jesus bade them, as
He had bidden the twelve, not to urge their presence
where they were unwelcome.
“ Into whatsoever city
ye enter, and they receive you not,” He said, “ go
7 Isa. 42:3, margin; Matt. 12:21.
582
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
.
your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on
us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be
ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh
unto you.”
They were not to do this from motives
of resentment or through wounded dignity, but to
show how grievous a thing it is to refuse the Lord’s
message or His messengers.
To reject the Lord’s
servants is to reject Christ Himself.
“ I say unto you,” Jesus added, “that it shall be
more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that
city.”
Then His mind reverted to the Galilean
towns where so much of His ministry had been spent.
In deeply sorrowful accents He exclaimed, “W oe unto
thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the
mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
which have been done in you, they had a great while
ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it
shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the
judgment, than for you.
And thou, Capernaum,
which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to
hell.”
To those busy towns about the Sea of Galilee,
heaven’s richest blessings had been freely offered.
Day after day the Prince of life had gone in and out
among them.
The glory of God, which prophets and
kings had longed to see, had shone upon the multi
tudes that thronged the Saviour’s steps.
Yet they
had refused the heavenly Gift.
With a great show of prudence the rabbis had
warned the people against receiving the new doc
trines taught by this new teacher; for His theories
and practises wrere contrary to the teachings of the
Fathers.
The people gave credence to what the
priests and Pharisees taught, in place of seeking to
understand the word of God for themselves.
They
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM GALILEE.
583
584
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
honored the priests and rulers instead of honoring
God, and rejected the truth that they might keep their
own traditions.
Many had been impressed and al
most persuaded; but they did not act upon their con
victions, and were not reckoned on the side of Christ.
Satan presented his temptations, until the light ap
peared as darkness.
Thus many rejected the truth
that would have proved the saving of the soul.
The True Witness says. “ Behold, I stand at the
door, and knock.” 8
Every warning, reproof, and
entreaty in the word of God or through His messen
gers is a knock at the door of the heart.
It is the
voice of Jesus asking for entrance.
With every
knock unheeded, the disposition to open becomes
weaker.
The impressions of the Holy Spirit, if dis
regarded to-day, will not be as strong to-morrow.
The heart becomes less impressible, and lapses into
a perilous unconsciousness of the shortness of life,
and of the great eternity beyond.
Our condemna
tion in the Judgment will not result from the fact
that we have been in error, but from the fact that we
have neglected heaven-sent opportunities for learn
ing what is truth.
Like the apostles, the seventy had received super
natural endowments as a seal of their mission.
When
their work was completed, they returned with joy,
saying, “ Lord, even the devils are subject unto us
through Thy name.”
Jesus answered, “I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”
The scenes of the past and the future were pre
sented to the mind of Jesus.
He beheld Lucifer as
he was first cast out from the heavenly places.
He
looked forward to the scenes of His own agony, when
before all the worlds the character of the deceiver
should be unveiled.
He heard the cry, “It is fin-
8 Rev. 3:20.
ished,” 9 announcing that the redemption of the lost
race was forever made certain, that heaven was made
eternally secure against the accusations, the decep
tions, the pretensions, that Satan would instigate.
Beyond the cross of Calvary, with its agony and
shame, Jesus looked forward to the great final day,
when the prince of the power of the air will meet his
destruction in the earth so long marred by his rebel-
lion.
Jesus beheld the work of evil forever ended,
and the peace of God filling heaven and earth.
Henceforward
Christ’s
followers
were to look
upon Satan as a conquered foe.
Upon the cross,
Jesus was to gain the victory for them; that victory
He desired them .to accept as their own.
“ Behold,”
Lie said, “ I give unto you power to tread on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy;
and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
The omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit is the de
fense of every contrite soul.
Not onq that in peni
tence. and faith has claimed His protection will Christ
permit to pass under the enemy’s power.
The Sa,-
viour is by the side of His tempted and tried ones.
With Him there can be no such thing as failure, loss,
impossibility, or defeat; we can do all things through
Him who strengthens us.
When temptations and
trials come, do not wait to adjust all the difficulties,
but look to Jesus, your helper.
There are Christians who think and speak alto
gether too much about the power of Satan.
They
think of their adversary, they pray about him, they
talk about him, and he looms up greater and greater
in their imagination.
It is true that Satan is a power
ful being; but thank God, we have a mighty Saviour,
who cast out the evil one from heaven.
Satan is
pleased when we magnify his power.
Why not talk
9John 19:3a
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM GALILEE.
585
586
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of Jesus?
Wby not magnify His power and His love?
The rainbow of promise encircling the throne on
high is an everlasting testimony that “ God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” 10
It testifies to the universe
that God will never forsake His people in their
struggle with evil.
It is an assurance to us of
strength and protection as long as the throne itself
shall endure.
Jesus added, “ Notwithstanding in this rejoice not,
that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven.”
Re
joice not in the possession of power, lest you lose
sight of your dependence upon God.
Be careful lest
self-sufficiency come in, and you work in your own
strength, rather than in the spirit and strength of
your Master.
Self is ever ready to take the credit if
any measure pf success attends the work.
Self is
flattered and exalted, and the impression is not made
upon other minds that God is all and in all.
The
apostle Paul says, “ When I am weak, then am I
strong.” 11
When we have a realization of our weak
ness, we learn to depend upon a power not inherent.
Nothing can take so strong a hold on the heart as
the abiding sense of our responsibility to God.
Noth
ing reaches so fully down to the deepest motives of
conduct as a sense of the pardoning love of Christ.
We are to come in touch with God, then we shall be
imbued with His Holy Spirit, that enables us to come
in touch with our fellow-men.
Then rejoice that
through Christ you have become connected with God,
members of the heavenly family.
While you look
higher than yourself, you will have a continual sense
of the weakness of humanity.
The less you cherish
1# John 3:16.
112 Cor. 12:10.
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM GALILEE.
587
self, the more distinct and full will be your compre
hension of the excellence of your Saviour.
The more
closely you connect yourself with the source of light
and power, the greater light will be shed upon you,
and the greater power will be yours to work for God.
Rejoice that you are one with God, one with Christ,
and with the whole family of heaven.
As the seventy listened to the words of Christ, the
Holy Spirit was impressing their minds with living
realities, and writing truth upon the tablets of the
soul.
Though multitudes surrounded them, they
were as though shut in with God.
Knowing that they had caught the inspiration of
the hour, Jesus “ rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank
Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou
hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and
hast revealed them unto babes.
Even so, Father, for
so it seemed good in Thy sight.
All things are deliv
ered to Me of My Father, and no man knoweth who
the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but
the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him.”
The honored men of the world, the so-called great
and wise men, with all their boasted wisdom, could
not comprehend the character of
Christ.
They
judged Him from outward appearance, from the hu
miliation that came upon Him as a human being.
But to fishermen and publicans it had been given to
see the Invisible.
Even the disciples failed of under
standing all that Jesus desired to reveal to them; but
from time to time, as they surrendered themselves to
the Holy Spirit’s power, their minds were illuminated.
They realized that the mighty God, clad in the garb
of humanity, was among them.
Jesus rejoiced that
though this knowledge was not possessed by the wise
and prudent, it had been revealed to these humble
men.
Often as He had presented the Old Testament
588
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Scriptures, and showed their application to Himself
and His work of atonement, they had been awakened
by Iiis Spirit, and lifted into a heavenly atmosphere.
Of the spiritual truths spoken by the prophets they
had a clearer understanding than had the original
writers themselves.
Hereafter they would read the
Old Testament Scriptures, not as the doctrines of the
scribes and Pharisees, not as the utterances of wise
men who were dead, but as a new revelation from
God.
They beheld Him “whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth
Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.” 12
The only way in which we can gain a more perfect
apprehension of truth is by keeping the heart tender
and subdued by the Spirit of Christ.
The soul must
be cleansed from vanity and pride, and vacated of
all that has held it in possession, and Christ must be
enthroned within.
Human science is too limited to
comprehend the atonement.
The plan of redemption
is so far-reaching that philosophy cannot explain it.
It will ever remain a mystery that the most profound
reasoning cannot fathom.
The science of salvation
cannot be explained; but it can be known by experi
ence.
Only he who sees his own sinfulness can dis
cern the preciousness of the Saviour.
Full of instruction were the lessons which Christ
taught as He slowly made His way from Galilee
toward Jerusalem.
Eagerly the people listened to
His words.
In Perea as in Galilee the people were
less under the control of Jewish bigotry than in
Judea, and His teaching found a response in their
hearts.
During these last months of His ministry, many of
Christ’s parables
were spoken.
The priests and
uJohn 14:17.
rabbis pursued Him with ever-increasing bitterness,
and His warnings to them He veiled in symbols.
They could not mistake His meaning, yet they could
find in His words nothing on which to ground an
accusation against Him.
In the parable of the Phar
isee and the publican, the self-sufficient prayer, “ God,
I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men,” stood
out in sharp contrast to the penitent’s plea, “ Be
merciful to me the sinner.” 13
Thus Christ rebuked
the hypocrisy of the Jews.
And under the figures of
the barren fig-tree and the great supper He foretold
the doom about to fall upon the impenitent nation.
Those who had scornfully rejected the invitation to
the gospel feast heard His warning words: “ I say
unto you, That none of those men which were bidden
shall taste of My supper.” 14
Very precious was the instruction given to the dis
ciples.
The parable of the importunate widow and
the friend asking for bread at midnight, gave new
force to His words, “ Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you.”15
And often their wavering faith was
strengthened by the memory that Christ had said,
“ Shall not God do justice for His elect, which cry to
Him day and night, and He is longsuffering over
them?
I say unto you, that He will do them justice
speedily.” 16
The beautiful parable of the lost sheep Christ re
peated.
And He carried its lesson still farther, as
He told of the lost piece of silver and the prodigal
son.
The force of these lessons the disciples could
not then fully appreciate; but after the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, as they saw the ingathering of
the Gentiles and the envious anger of the Jews, they
u Luke 18:11, 13, R. V., margin.
14 Luke 14:24.
15 Luke 11:9
16 Luke 18:7, 8, R. V., margin.
THE LAST JOURNEY FROM GALILEE.
589
590
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
better understood the lesson of the prodigal son, and
could enter into the joy of Christ’s words, “ It was
meet that we should make merry, and be glad;” “ for
this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost,
and is found.” 17
And as they went out in their Mas
ter's name, facing reproach and poverty and perse
cution, they often strengthened their hearts by re
peating His injunction, spoken on this last journey,
“ Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell that ye have,
and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax
not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not,
where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also.” 18
17 Luke 15:32, 24.
18 Luke 12:32-34.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR.
In the story of the good Samaritan, Christ illus
trates the nature of true religion.
He shows that it
consists not in systems, creeds, or rites, but in the
performance of loving deeds, in bringing the greatest
good to others, in genuine goodness.
As Christ was teaching the people, “a certain law
yer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
With breathless
attention the large congregation awaited the answer.
The priests and rabbis had thought to entangle Christ
by having the lawyer ask this question.
But the Sa
viour entered into no controversy.
He required the
answer from the questioner himself.
“ What is writ
ten in the law?” He said; “ how readest thou?”
The
Jews still accused Jesus of lightly regarding the law
given from Sinai; but He turned the question of sal
vation upon the keeping of God’s commandments.
The lawyer said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy strength, and with all thy mind;
and thy
neighbor as thyself.”
Jesus said, “Thou
hast an
swered right; this do, and thou shalt live.”
The lawyer was not satisfied with the position and
works of the Pharisees.
He had been studying the
Scriptures with a desire to learn their real meaning.
He had a vital interest in the matter, and had asked
This chapter is based on Luke 10:25-37.
( 5 9 0
592
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
in sincerity, “What shall I do?”
In his answer as to
the requirements of the law, he passed by all the mass
of ceremonial and ritualistic precepts.
For these he
claimed no value, but presented the two great prin
ciples on which hang all the law and the prophets.
This answer, being commended by Christ, placed the
Saviour on vantage-ground with the rabbis.
They
could not condemn Him for sanctioning that which
had been advanced by an expositor of the law.
“ This do, and thou shalt live,” Jesus said.
He pre
sented the law as a divine unity, and in this lesson
taught that it is not possible to keep one precept, and
break another; for the same principle runs through
them all.
Man’s destiny will be determined by his
obedience to the whole law.
Supreme love to God
and impartial love to man are the principles to be
wrought out in the life.
The lawyer found himself a law-breaker.
He was
convicted
under Christ’s searching
words.
The
righteousness of the law, which he claimed to under
stand, he had not practised.
He had not manifested
love toward his fellow-man.
Repentance was de
manded; but instead of repenting, he tried to justify
himself.
Rather than acknowledge the truth, he
sought to show how difficult of fulfilment the com
mandment is.
Thus he hoped both to parry convic
tion and to vindicate himself in the eyes of the peo
ple.
The Saviour’s words had shown that
his
question was needless, since he had been able to
answer it himself.
Yet he put another question, say
ing, “Who is my neighbor?”
Among the Jews this question caused endless dis
pute.
They had no doubt as to the heathen and the
Samaritans; these were strangers and enemies.
But
where should the distinction be made among the
people of their own nation, and among the different
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
593
classes of society?
Whom should the priest, the
rabbi, the elder, regard as neighbor?
They spent
their lives in a round of ceremonies to make them
selves pure.
Contact with the ignorant and careless
multitude, they taught, would cause defilement that
would require wearisome effort to remove.
Were
they to regard the “unclean” as neighbors?
Again Jesus refused to be drawn into controversy.
He did not denounce the bigotry of those who were
wratching to condemn Him.
But by a simple story
He held up before His hearers such a picture of the
outflowing of heaven-born love as touched all hearts,
and drew from the lawyer a confession of the truth.
The way to dispel darkness is to admit light.
The
best way to deal with error is to present truth.
It is
the revelation of God’s love that makes manifest the
deformity and sin of the heart centered in self.
“ A certain man,” said Jesus, “was going down
from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among rob
bers, which both stripped him and beat him, and de
parted, leaving him half dead.
And by chance a
certain priest was going down that way; and when he
saw him, he passed by on the other side.
And in like
manner a Levite also, when he came to the place,
and saw him, passed by on the other side.” 1
This
was no imaginary scene, but an actual occurrence,
which was known to be exactly as represented.
The
priest and the Levite who had passed by on the other
side were in the company that listened to Christ’s
words.
In journeying from Jerusalem to Jericho, the trav
eler had to pass through a portion of the wilderness
of Judea.
The road led down a wild, rocky ravine,
which was infested by robbers, and was often the
scene of violence.
It was here that the traveler was
1R. V.
38
\
594
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
attacked, stripped of all that was valuable, wounded
and bruised, and left half dead by the wayside.
As
he lay thus, the priest came that way; but he merely
glanced toward the wounded man.
Then the Levite
appeared.
Curious to know what had happened, he
stopped and looked at the sufferer.
He was con
victed of what he ought to do; but it was not an
agreeable duty.
He wished that he had not come
that way, so that he need not have seen the wounded
man.
He persuaded himself that the case was no
concern of his.
Both these men were in sacred office, and professed
to expound the Scriptures.
They were of the class
specially chosen to be representatives of God to the
people.
They were to “ have compassion on the
ignorant, and on them that are out of the way,”2 that
they might lead men to understand God’s great love
toward humanity.
The work they were called to do
was the same that Jesus had described as His own
when He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken
hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised.” 3
The angels of heaven look upon the distress of
God’s family upon the earth, and they are prepared
to co-operate with men in relieving oppression and
suffering.
God in His providence had brought the
priest and the Levite along the road where the
wounded sufferer lay, that they might see his need of
mercy and help.
All heaven watched to see if the
hearts of these men would be touched with pity for
human woe.
The Saviour was the One who had in-
structed the Hebrews in the wilderness; from the
5Heb. 5:2.
8 Luke 4:18.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
595
pillar of cloud and of fire He had taught a very dif-
fei ent lesson from that wrhich the people were now
receiving from their priests and
teachers.
The
merciful provisions of the law extended even to the
lower animals, which cannot express in words their
want and suffering.
Directions had been given to
Moses for the children of Israel to this effect: “ If
thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray,
thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
If thou
see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his
burden, and wouldst forbear to help him, thou shalt
surely help with him.” 4
But in the man wounded
by robbers, Jesus presented the case of a brother in
suffering.
How much more should their hearts have
been moved with pity for him than for a beast of bur
den!
The message had been given them through
Moses that the Lord their God, “a great God, a
mighty, and a terrible,” “ doth execute the judgment
of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger.”
\\ herefore He commanded, “ Love ye therefore the
stranger.’
“Thou shalt love him as thyself.” 5
Job had said, “ The stranger did not lodge in the
street; but I opened my doors to the traveler.” And
when the two angels in the guise of men came to
Sodom, Lot bowed himself with his face toward the
ground, and said, “ Behold now, my lords, turn in, I
pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all
night.” 6
With all these lessons the priest and the
Levite were familiar, but they had not brought them
into practical life.
Trained in the school of national
bigotry, they had become selfish, narrow, and exclu
sive.
When they looked upon the wounded man,
they could not tell whether he was of their nation or
not.
They thought he might be of the Samaritans,
and they turned away.
4 Ex. 23:4, 5.
5Deut. 10:17-19; Lev. 19:34.
6 Job 31:32; Gen. 19:2.
596
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
In their action, as Christ had described it, the law
yer saw nothing contrary to what he had been taught
concerning the requirements of the law.
But now
another scene was presented:—
A certain Samaritan, in his journey, came where
the sufferer was, and when he saw him, he had com
passion on him.
Pie did not question whether the
stranger was a Jew or a Gentile.
If a Jew, the
Samaritan well knew that, were their condition re
versed, the man would spit in his face, and pass him
by with contempt.
But he did not hesitate on ac
count of this.
He did not consider that he himself
might be in danger of violence by tarrying in the
place.
It was enough that there was before him a
human being in need and suffering.
He took off his
own garment with which to cover him.
The oil and
wine provided for his own journey he used to heal
and refresh the wounded man.
He lifted him on his
own beast, and moved slowly along with even pace,
so that the stranger might not be jarred, and made
to suffer increased pain.
He brought him to an inn,
and cared for him through the night, watching him
tenderly.
In the morning, as the sick man had im
proved, the Samaritan ventured to go on his way.
But before doing this, he placed him in the care of the
inn-keeper, paid the charges, and left a deposit for his
benefit; and not satisfied even with this, he made
provision for any further need, saying to the host,
“Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest
more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”
The story ended, Jesus fixed His eyes upon the
lawyer, in a glance that seemed to read his soul, and
said, “ Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved
neighbor unto him that fell among the robbers?” 7
The lawyer would not, even now, take the name
7 R. V.
T H E G OO D S A M A R IT A N .
597
Samaritan upon his lips, and he made answer, “ He
that showed mercy on him.”
Jesus said, “ Go, and
do thou likewise.”
Thus the question, “ Who is my neighbor?” is for
ever answered.
Christ has shown that our neighbor
does not mean merely one of the church or faith to
which we belong.
It has no reference to race, color,
or class distinction.
Our neighbor is every person
who needs our help.
Our neighbor is every soul
who is wounded and bruised by the adversary.
Our
neighbor is every one who is the property of God.
In the story of the good Samaritan, Jesus gave a
picture of Himself and His mission.
Man had been
deceived, bruised, robbed, and ruined by Satan, and
left to perish; but the Saviour had compassion on our
helpless condition.
He left His glory, to come to
our rescue.
He found us ready to die, and He under
took our case.
He healed our wounds.
He covered
us with His robe of righteousness.
He opened to us
a refuge of safety, and made complete provision for
us at His own charges.
He died to redeem us.
Pointing to His own example, He says to His fol
lowers, “ These things I command you, that ye love
one another.”
“ As I have loved you, that ye also
love one another.” 8
The lawyer’s question to Jesus had been, “ What
shall I do?”
And Jesus, recognizing love to God
and man as the sum of righteousness, had said, “This
do, and thou shalt live.”
The Samaritan had obeyed
the dictates of a kind and loving heart, and in this
had proved himself a doer of the law.
Christ bade
the lawyer, “ Go, and do thou likewise.”
Doing, and
not saying merely, is expected of the children of God.
“ He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also
so to walk, even as He walked.” 9
8John 15:17; 13:34.
* 1 John 2:6.
598
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The lesson is no less needed in the world to-day
than when it fell from the lips of Jesus.
Selfishness
and cold formality have well-nigh extinguished the
fire of love, and dispelled the graces that should make
fragrant the character.
Many who profess His name
have lost sight of the fact that Christians are to repre
sent Christ.
Unless there is practical self-sacrifice
for the good of others, in the family circle, in the
neighborhood, in the church, and wherever we may
be, then whatever our profession, we are not Chris
tians.
Christ has linked His interest with that of human
ity, and He asks us to become one with Him for the
saving of humanity.
“ Freely ye have received,” He
says, “ freely give.” 10
Sin is the greatest of all evils,
and it is ours to pity and help the sinner.
There are
many who err, and who feel their shame and their
folly.
They are hungry for words of encouragement.
They look upon their mistakes and errors, until they
are driven almost to desperation.
These souls we
are not to neglect.
If we are Christians, we shall
not pass by on the other side, keeping as far as pos
sible from the very ones who most need our help.
When we see human beings in distress, whether
through affliction or through sin, we shall never
say, This does not concern me.
“ Ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the
spirit of meekness.” 11
By faith and prayer press
back the power of the enemy.
Speak words of faith
and courage that will be as a healing balsam to the
bruised
and
wounded one.
Many, many, have
fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle
of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have
strengthened them to overcome.
Never should we
pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart
10 Matt. 10:8.
c Gal. 6:1.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
599
to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of
God.
All this is but a fulfilment of the principle of the
law,— the principle that is illustrated in the story of
the good Samaritan, and made manifest in the life of
Jesus.
His character reveals the true significance of
the law, and shows what is meant by loving our
neighbor as ourselves.
And when the children of
God manifest mercy, kindness, and love toward all
men, they also are witnessing to the character of the
statutes of heaven.
They are bearing testimony to
the fact that “the law of the Lord is perfect, convert
ing the soul.” 12
And whoever fails to manifest this
love is breaking the law which he professes to revere.
For the spirit we manifest toward our brethren, de
clares what is our spirit toward God.
The love of
God in the heart is the only spring of love toward
our neighbor.
“ If a man say, I love God, and hateth
his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his
brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God
whom he hath not seen?”
Beloved, “if we love one
another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected
in us.” 18
liPs. 19:7.
“ 1 John 4:20, 12.
NOT WITH OUTWARD SHOW.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE.
Some of the Pharisees had come to Jesus demand
ing “when the kingdom of God should come.”
More than three years had passed since John the
Baptist gave the message that like a trumpet call
had sounded through the land, “The kingdom of
heaven is at hand."1
And as yet these Pharisees
saw no indication of the establishment of the king
dom.
Many of those who rejected John, and at
every step had opposed Jesus, were insinuating that
His mission had failed.
Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God cometh not
with outward show;2 neither shall they say, Lo here!
or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within
you.”
The kingdom of God begins in the heart.
Look not here or there for manifestations of earthly
power to mark its coming.
“The days will come,” He said, turning to His dis
ciples, “when ye shall desire to see one of the days
of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.”
Because
it is not attended by worldly pomp, you are in dan
ger of failing to discern the glory of My mission.
You do not realize how great is your present privi
lege in having among you, though veiled in human
ity, Him who is the life and the light of men.
The
This chapter is based on Luke 17:20-22.
(600)
1 Matt. 3:2.
2 Margin.
NOT WITH OUTWARD SHOW.
601
days will come when you will look back with long-
ing upon the opportunities you now enjoy to walk
and talk with the Son of God.
Because of their selfishness and earthliness, even
the disciples of Jesus could not comprehend the
spiritual glory which He sought to reveal unto them.
It was not until after Christ's ascension to His Father,
and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the be
lievers, that the disciples fully appreciated the Sa
viour’s character and mission.
After they had re
ceived the baptism of the Spirit, they began to realize
that they had been in the very presence of the Lord
of glory.
As the sayings of Christ were brought to
their remembrance, their minds were opened to com
prehend the prophecies, and to understand the mir
acles which He had wrought.
The wonders of His
life passed before them, and they were as men
awakened from a dream.
They realized that “ the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” 3
Christ had
actually come from God to a sinful world to save the
fallen sons and daughters of Adam.
The disciples
now seemed, to themselves, of much less importance
than before they realized this.
They never wearied
of rehearsing His words and works.
His lessons,
which they had but dimly understood, now came to
them as a fresh revelation.
The Scriptures became to
them a new book.
As the disciples searched the prophecies that testi
fied of Christ, they were brought into fellowship
with the Deity, and learned of Him who had ascended
to heaven to complete the work He had begun on
earth.
They recognized the fact that in Him dwelt
knowledge which no human being, unaided by di-
3 John 1:14.
602
THE DESIRE OF AGES-
vine agency, could comprehend.
They needed the
help of Him whom kings, prophets, and righteous
men had foretold.
With amazement they read and
reread the prophetic delineations of His character
and work.
How dimly had they comprehended the
prophetic scriptures; how slow they had been in tak
ing in the great truths which testified of Christ.
Looking upon Him in His humiliation, as He walked
a man among men, they had not understood the
mystery of His incarnation, the dual character of
His nature.
Their eyes were holden, so that they
did not fully recognize divinity in humanity.
But
after they were illuminated by the Holy Spirit, how
they longed to see Him again, and to place them
selves at His feet.
How they wished that they might
come to Him, and have Him explain the scriptures
which they could not comprehend.
How attentively
would they listen to His words.
What had Christ
meant when He said, “I have yet many things to say
unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” ?4
How
eager they were to know it all.
They grieved that
their faith
had been so feeble, that their ideas
had been so wide of the mark, that they had so failed
of comprehending the reality.
A herald had been sent from God to proclaim the
coming of Christ, and to call the attention of the
Jewish nation and of the world to His mission, that
men might prepare for His reception.
The wonder
ful personage whom John had announced had been
among them for more than thirty years, and they had
not really known Him as the One sent from God.
Remorse took hold of the disciples because they had
allowed
the prevailing
unbelief
to leaven
their
opinions and becloud their understanding.
The
Light of this dark world had been shining amid its
‘ John 16:12.
NOT WITH OUTWARD SHOW.
603
gloom, and they had failed to comprehend whence
were its beams.
They asked themselves why they
had pursued a course that made it necessary for
Christ to reprove them.
They often repeated" His
conveisations, and said, Why did we allow earthly
considerations and the opposition of priests and
rabbis to confuse our senses, so that we did not com
prehend that a greater than Moses was among us,
that One wiser than Solomon was instructing us?
How dull were our ears! how feeble was our under
standing!
Thomas would not believe until he had thrust his
finger into the wound made by the Roman soldiers.
Peter had denied Him in His humiliation and rejec
tion.
These painful
remembrances came before
them in distinct lines.
They had been with Him,
but they had not known or appreciated Him.
But
how these things now stirred their hearts as they
recognized their unbelief!
As priests and rulers combined against them, and
they were brought before councils and thrust into
prison, the followers of Christ rejoiced “ that they
\vere counted worthy to sufTer shame for His name.” 5
They rejoiced to prove, before men and angels, that
they recognized the glory of Christ, and chose to fol
low Him at the loss of all things.
It is as true now as in apostolic days, that without
the illumination of the divine Spirit, humanity can
not discern the glory of Christ.
The truth and the
work of God are unappreciated by a world-loving
and compromising Christianity.
Not in the ways of
ease, of earthly honor or worldly conformity, are
the followers of the Master found.
They are far in
advance, in the paths of toil, and humiliation, and
reproach, in the front of the battle “ against the prin-
5 Acts 5:41.
cipalities, against the powers, against the world-
rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places.” 6
And now, as
in Christ’s day, they are misunderstood and re
proached and oppressed by the priests and Pharisees
of their time.
The kingdom of God comes not with outward
show.
The gospel of the grace of God, with its
spirit of self-abnegation, can never be in harmony
with the spirit of the world.
The two principles are
antagonistic.
“ The natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness
unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned.” 1
But to-day in the religious world there are multi
tudes who, as they believe, are working for the estab
lishment of the kingdom of Christ as an earthly and
temporal kingdom.
They desire to make our Lord
the ruler of the kingdoms of this world, the ruler in
its courts and camps, its legislative halls, its palaces,
and
market-places.
They expect
Him
to rule
through
legal
enactments,
enforced
by
human
authority.
Since Christ is not now here in person,
they themselves will undertake to act in His stead,
to execute the laws of His kingdom.
The estab
lishment of such a kingdom is what the Jews desired
in the days of Christ.
They would have received
Jesus, had He been willing to establish a temporal
dominion, to enforce what they regarded as the laws
of God, and to make them the expositors of His will
and the agents of His authority.
But He said, “ My
kingdom is not of this world.”8
He would not ac
cept the earthly throne.
The government under which Jesus lived was cor
rupt and oppressive: on every hand were crying
6Eph. 6:12, R. V.
71 Cor. 2:14.
8 John 18:36.
604
t h e
d e s i r e o f a g e s .
NOT WITH OUTWARD SHOW.
605
abuses,
extortion, intolerance, and grinding cruelty.
Yet the Saviour attempted no civil reforms.
He at
tacked no national
abuses, nor
condemned
the
national enemies.
He did not interfere with the
authority or administration of those in power.
He
who was our example kept aloof from earthly gov
ernments.
Not because He was indifferent to the
woes of men, but because the remedy did not lie in
merely human
and
external
measures.
To be
efficient, the cure must reach men individually, and
must regenerate the heart.
Not by the decisions of courts or councils or legis
lative assemblies, not by the patronage of worldly
great men, is the kingdom of Christ established, but
by the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity
through the work of the Holy Spirit.
“ As many as
received Him, to them gave He power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His
name; which were born, not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” 9
Here is the only power that can work the uplifting
of mankind.
And the human agency for the accom
plishment of this work is the teaching and practising
of the word of God.
When the apostle Paul began his ministry in Cor
inth, that populous, wealthy, and wicked city, pol
luted by the nameless vices of heathenism, he said,
“ I determined not to know anything among you,
save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” 10
Writing
afterward to some of those who had been corrupted
by the foulest sins, he could say, “ But ye are washed,
but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
“ I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace
of God which is given you by Jesus Christ.” 11
9John 1:12, 13.
101 Cor. 2:2.
111 Cor. 6:11; 1:4.
Now, as in Christ’s day, the work of God’s king
dom lies not with those who are clamoring for recog
nition and support by earthly rulers and human
laws, but with those who are declaring to the people
in His name those spiritual truths that will work in
the receivers the experience of Paul: “ I am cruci
fied with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me.” 12
Then they will labor as did
Paul for the benefit of men.
He said, “ Now then
we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you bv us; we pray you in Christs stead,
be ye reconciled to God.” ia
“ Gal. 2:20.
606
t h e d e s i r e o f a g e s .
“ 2 Cor. 5:20.
BLESSING THE CHILDREN.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX.
Jesus was ever a lover of children.
H e accepted
their childish sympathy and their open, unaffected love.
The grateful praise from their pure lips was music
in His ears, and refreshed His spirit when oppressed
by contact with crafty and hypocritical men.
Wher
ever the Saviour went, the benignity of His coun
tenance, and His gentle, kindly manner won the love
and confidence of children.
Among the Jews it was customary for children to
be brought to some rabbi, that he might lay his hands
upon them in blessing; but the Saviour’s disciples
thought His work too important to be interrupted
in this way.
When the mothers came to Him with
their little ones, the disciples looked on them with
disfavor.
They thought these children too young
to be benefited by a visit to Jesus, and concluded
that He would be displeased at their presence. • But
it was the disciples with whom He was displeased.
The Saviour understood the care and burden of the
mothers who were seeking to train their children ac
cording to the word of God.
He had heard their
prayers.
He Himself had drawn them into His
presence.
One mother with her child had left her home to
find Jesus.
On the way she told a neighbor her
This chapter is based on Matt. 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16;
Luke 18:15-17.
( 6 0 7 )
6o8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
errand, and the neighbor wanted to have Jesus bless
her children.
Thus several mothers came together,
with their little ones.
Some of the children had
passed beyond the years of infancy to childhood and
youth.
When the mothers made known their desire,
Jesus heard with sympathy the timid, tearful request.
But He waited to see how the disciples would treat
them.
When He saw them send the mothers away,
thinking to do Him a favor, He showed them their
error, saying, “ Suffer the little children to come unto
Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom
of God.”
He took the children in His arms, He
laid His hands upon them, and gave them the bless
ing for which they came.
The mothers were comforted.
They returned to
their homes strengthened and blessed by the words
of Christ.
They were encouraged to take up their
burden with new cheerfulness, and to work hopefully
for their children.
The mothers of to-day are to re
ceive His words with the same faith.
Christ is as
verily a personal Saviour to-day as when He lived a
man among men.
He is as verily the helper of
mothers to-day as when He gathered the little ones
to His arms in Judea.
The children of our hearths
are as much the purchase of His blood as were the
children of long ago.
Jesus knows the burden of every mother’s heart.
He who had a mother that struggled with poverty
and privation, sympathizes with every mother in her
labors.
He who made a long journey in order to
relieve the anxious heart of a Canaanite woman, will
do as much for the mothers of to-day.
He who gave
back to the widow of Nain her only son, and who in
His agony upon the cross remembered His own
mother, is touched to-day by the mother’s sorrow.
In every grief and every need He will give comfort
and help.
Let mothers come to Jesus with their perplexities.
They will find grace sufficient to aid them in the
management of their children.
The gates are open
for every mother who would lay her burdens at the
Saviour’s feet.
He who said, “ Suffer the little chil
dren to come unto Me, and forbid them not,” still
invites the mothers to lead up their little ones to be
blessed by Him.
Even the babe in its mother’s
arms may dwell as under the shadow of the Almighty
through the faith of the praying mother.
John the
Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from his
birth.
If we will live in communion with God, we
too may expect the divine Spirit to mould our little
ones, even from their earliest moments.
In the children who were brought in contact with
Him, Jesus saw the men and women who should be
heirs of .His grace and subjects of His kingdom, and
some of whom would become martyrs for His sake.
He knew that these children would listen to Him and
accept Him as their Redeemer far more readily than
would grown-up people, many of whom were the
worldly-wise and hard-hearted.
In His teaching He
came down to their level.
He, the Majesty of
heaven, did not disdain to answer their questions,
and simplify His important lessons to meet their
childish understanding.
He planted in their minds
the seeds of truth, which in after-years would spring
up, and bear fruit unto eternal life.
It is still true that children are the most suscep
tible to the teachings of the gospel; their hearts are
open to divine influences, and strong to retain the
lessons received.
The little children may be Chris
tians, having an experience in accordance with their
years.
They need to be educated in spiritual things,
and parents should give them every advantage, that
they may form characters after the similitude of the
character of Christ.
BLESSING T H E CHILDREN.
609
6 io
THE DESIRE QF AGES.
Fathers and mothers should look upon their chil
dren as younger members of the Lord’s family, com
mitted to them to educate for heaven.
The lessons
that we ourselves learn from Christ we should give
to our children, as the young minds can receive them,
little by little opening to them the beauty of the prin
ciples of heaven.
Thus the Christian home becomes
a school, where the parents serve as under-teachers,
while Christ Himself is the chief instructor.
In working for the conversion of our children, we
should not look for violent emotion as the essential
evidence of conviction of sin.
Nor is it necessary to
know the exact time when they are converted.
We
should teach them to bring their sins to Jesus, asking
His forgiveness, and believing that He pardons and
receives them as He received the children when He
was personally on earth.
As the mother teaches her children to obey her
because they love her, she is teaching them the first
lessons in the Christian life.
The mother’s love
represents to the child the love of Christ, and the lit
tle ones who trust and obey their mother, are learn
ing to trust and obey the Saviour.
Jesus was the pattern for children, and He was also
the father’s example.
Fie spoke as one having
authority, and His word was with power; yet in all
His intercourse with rude and violent men He did
not use one unkind or discourteous expression.
The
grace of Christ in the heart will impart a heaven-
born dignity and sense of propriety.
It will soften
whatever is harsh, and subdue all that is coarse and
unkind.
It will lead fathers and mothers to treat
their children as intelligent beings, as they them
selves would like to be treated.
Parents, in the training of your children, study
the lessons that God has given in nature.
If you
BLESSING THE CHILDREN.
6 l l
would train a pink, or rose, or lily, how would you
do it?
Ask the gardener by what process he makes
every branch and leaf to flourish so beautifully, and
to develop in symmetry and loveliness.
He will tell
you that it was by no rude touch, no violent effort;
for this would only break the delicate stems.
It was
by little attentions, often repeated.
He moistened
the soil, and protected the growing plants from the
fierce blasts and from the scorching sun, and God
caused them to flourish and to blossom into loveli
ness.
In dealing with your children, follow the
method of the gardener.
By gentle touches, by lov
ing ministrations, seek to fashion their characters
after the pattern of the character of Christ. ;
Encourage the expression of love toward God and
toward one another.
The reason why there are so
many hard-hearted men and women in the world is
that true affection has been regarded as weakness,
and has been discouraged and repressed.
The bet
ter nature of these persons was stifled in childhood;
and unless the light of divine love shall melt away
their cold selfishness, their happiness will be forever
ruined.
If we wish our children to possess the ten
der spirit of Jesus, and the sympathy that angels
manifest for us, we must encourage the generous,
loving impulses of childhood.
Teach the children to see Christ in nature.
Take
them out into the open air, under the noble trees,
into the garden; and in all the wonderful works of
creation teach them to see an expression of His love.
Teach them that He made the laws which govern all
living things, that He has made laws for us, and that
these laws are for our happiness and joy.
Do not
weary them with long prayers and tedious exhorta
tions, but through nature’s object-lessons teach them
obedience to the law of God.
6 l2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
As you win their confidence in you as followers of
Christ, it will be easy to teach them of the great love
wherewith He has loved us.
As you try to make
plain the truths of salvation, and point the children
to Christ, as a personal Saviour, angels will be by
your side.
The Lord will give to fathers and mothers
grace to interest their little ones in the precious story
of the Babe of Bethlehem, who is indeed the hope of
the world.
When Jesus told the disciples not to forbid the
children to come to Him, He was speaking to His
followers in all ages,—to officers of the church, to
ministers, helpers, and all Christians.
Jesus is draw
ing the children, and He bids us, “ Suffer them to
come;” as if He would say, They will come if you do
not hinder them.
Let not your unchristlike character misrepresent
Jesus.
Do not keep the little ones away from Him by
your coldness and harshness.
Never give them cause
to feel that heaven will not be a pleasant place to them
if you are there.
Do not speak of religion as some
thing that children cannot understand, or act as if they
were not expected to accept Christ in their child
hood.
Do not give them the false impression that
the religion of Christ is a religion of gloom, and that
in coming to the Saviour they must give up all that
makes life joyful.
As the Holy Spirit moves upon the hearts of the
children, co-operate with His work.
Teach them
that the Saviour is calling them, that nothing can
give Him greater joy than for them to give them
selves to Him in the bloom and freshness of their
years.
The Saviour regards with infinite tenderness the
souls whom He has purchased with His own blood.
They are the claim of His love.
He looks upon
B L E SSIN G T H E C H IL D R E N .
613
them with unutterable longing.
His heart is drawn
out, not only to the best-behaved children, but to
those who have by inheritance objectionable traits of
character.
Many parents do not understand how
much they are responsible for these traits in their
children.
They have not the tenderness and wisdom
to deal with the erring ones whom they have made
what they are.
But Jesus looks upon these children
with pity.
He traces from cause to effect.
The Christian worker may be Christ’s agent in
drawing these children to the Saviour.
By wisdom
and tact he may bind them to his heart, he may give
them courage and hope, and through the grace of
Christ may see them transformed in character, so
that of them it may be said, “ Of such is the kingdom
of God.”
ONE THING THOU LACKEST.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN.
“And when He was gone forth into the way, there
came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked
Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit
eternal life?”
The young man who asked this question was a
ruler.
He had great possessions, and occupied a
position of responsibility.
He saw the love that
Christ manifested toward the children brought to
Him; he saw how tenderly He received them, and
took them up in His arms, and
his heart
kin
dled with love for the Saviour.
He felt a de
sire to be His disciple.
He was so deeply moved
that as Christ was going on His way, he ran after
Him, and kneeling at His feet, asked with sincerity
and earnestness the question so important to his
soul and to the soul of every human being, “ Good
Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life?”
“W hy callest thou Me good?” said Christ, “ there
is none good but one, that is, God.”
Jesus desired
to test the ruler’s sincerity, and to draw from him
the way in which he regarded Him as good.
Did
he realize that the one to whom he was speaking was
the Son of God?
What was the true sentiment of
his heart?
This chapter is based on Matt. 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22;
Luke 18:18-23.
( 614 >
This ruler had a high estimate of his own right
eousness.
He did not really suppose that he was
defective in anything, yet he was not altogether
satisfied.
He felt the want of something that he did
not possess.
Could not Jesus bless him as He
blessed the little children, and satisfy his soul-want?
In reply to this question Jesus told him that obedi
ence to the commandments of God was necessary if
he would obtain eternal life; and He quoted several
of the commandments which show man’s duty to
his fellow-men.
The ruler’s answer was positive:
“ All these things have I kept from my youth up.
What lack I yet?”
Christ looked into the face of the young man, as
if reading his life and searching his character.
He
loved him, and He hungered to give him that peace
and grace and joy which would materially change
his character.
“ One thing thou lackest,” He said;
“go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven;
and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
Christ was drawn to this young man.
He knew
him to be sincere in his assertion. “ All these things
have I kept from my youth.”
The Redeemer longed
to create in him that discernment which would en
able him to see the necessity of heart devotion and
Christian goodness.
He longed to see in him a
humble and contrite heart, conscious of the supreme
love to be given to God, and hiding its lack in the
perfection of Christ.
Jesus saw in this ruler just the help He needed if
the young man wrould become a co-laborer with Him
in the work of salvation.
If he would place himself
under Christ’s guidance, he would be a power for
good.
In a marked degree the ruler could have
represented Christ; for he possessed qualifications,
ONE THING THOU LACKEST.
615
6 1 6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
which, if he were united with the Saviour, would en
able him to become a divine force among men.
Christ, seeing into his character, loved him.
Love
for Christ was awakening in the ruler’s heart; for
love begets love.
Jesus longed to see him a co
worker with Him.
He longed to make him like
Himself, a mirror in which the likeness of God
would be reflected.
He longed to develop the ex
cellence of his character, and sanctify it to the Mas
ter’s use.
If the ruler had then given himself to Christ,
he would have grown in the atmosphere of His pres
ence.
If he had made this choice, how different
would have been his future.
“ One thing thou lackest,” Jesus said.
“ If thou
wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven,
and come and follow Me.”
Christ read the ruler’s
heart.
Only one thing he lacked, but that was a
vital principle.
He needed the love of God in the
soul.
This lack, unless supplied, would prove fatal
to him; his whole nature would become corrupted.
By indulgence, selfishness would strengthen.
That
he might receive the love of God, his supreme love
of self must be surrendered.
Christ gave this man a test.
He called upon him
to choose between the heavenly treasure and worldly
greatness.
The heavenly treasure was assured him
if he would follow Christ.
But self must yield; his
will must be given into Christ’s control.
The very
holiness of God was offered to the young ruler.
He
had the privilege of becoming a son of God, and a
co-heir with Christ to the heavenly treasure.
But
he must take up the cross, and follow the Saviour in
the path of self-denial.
Christ’s words were verily to the ruler the invita
tion, “ Choose you this day whom ye will serve.”1
1 Joshua 24:15.
The choice was left with him.
Jesus was yearning
for his conversion.
He had shown him the plague
spot in his character, and with what deep interest He
watched the issue as the young man weighed the
question.
If he decided to follow Christ, he must
obey His words in
everything.
He
must
turn
from
his
ambitious
projects.
With
what
ear
nest, anxious longing, what soul-hunger, did the
Saviour look at the young man, hoping that he would
yield to the invitation of the Spirit of God.
Christ made the only terms which could place the
ruler where he would perfect a Christian character.
His words were words of wisdom, though they ap
peared severe and exacting.
In accepting and obey
ing them was the ruler’s only hope of salvation.
His
exalted position and his possessions were exerting a
subtle influence for evil upon his character.
If
cherished, they would supplant God in his affections.
To keep back little or much from God was to retain
that which would lessen his moral strength and
efficiency; for if the things of this world are cher
ished, however uncertain and unworthy they may be,
they will become all-absorbing.
The ruler was quick to discern all that Christ’s
words involved, and he became sad.
If he had real
ized the value of the offered gift, quickly would he
have enrolled himself as one of Christ’s followers.
He was a member of the honored council of the Jews,
and Satan was tempting him with flattering prospects
of the future.
He wanted the heavenly treasure, but
he wanted also the temporal advantages his riches
would bring him.
He was sorry that such conditions
existed; he desired eternal life; but he was not willing
to make the sacrifice.
The cost of eternal life seemed
too great, and he went away sorrowful; “ for he had
great possessions.”
ONE THING THOU LACKEST.
6 17
6 i8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
His claim that he had kept the law of God was a
deception.
He showed that riches were his idol.
He could not keep the commandments of God while
the world was first in his affections.
He loved the
gifts of God more than he loved the Giver.
Christ
had offered the young man fellowship with Himself.
“ Follow Me,” He said.
But the Saviour was not so
much to him as his own name among men or his
possessions.
To give up his earthly treasure, that
was seen, for the heavenly treasure, that was unseen,
was too great a risk.
He refused the offer of eternal
life, and went away, and ever after the world was to
receive his worship.
Thousands are passing through this ordeal, weigh
ing Christ against the world; and many choose the
world.
Like the young ruler, they turn from the
Saviour, saying in their hearts, I will not have this
man as my leader.
Christ’s dealing with the young man is presented
as an object-lesson.
God has given us the rule of
conduct v/hich every one of His servants must fol
low.
It is obedience to His law, not merely a legal
obedience, but an obedience which enters into the
life, and is exemplified in the character.
God has
set His own standard of character for all who would
become subjects of His kingdom.
Only those who
will become co-workers with Christ, only those who
will say, Lord, all I have and all I am is Thine, will
be acknowledged as sons and daughters of God.
All should consider what it means to desire heaven,
and yet to turn away because of the conditions laid
down.
Think of
what it means to say, “ No” to
Christ.
The ruler
said, No, I cannot give you all.
Do we say the same?
The Saviour offers to share
with us the work
God has given us to
do.
He
offers to use the means God
has given us, to carry
forward His work in the world.
Only in this way
can He save us.
The ruler’s possessions were entrusted to him that
he might prove himself a faithful steward; he was to
dispense these goods for the blessing of those in need.
So God now entrusts men with means, with talents
and opportunities, that they may be His agents in
helping the poor and the suffering.
He who uses his
entrusted gifts as God designs, becopies a co-worker
with the Saviour.
He wins souls to Christ, because
he is a representative of His character.
To those who, like the young ruler, are in high
positions of trust and have great possessions, it may
seem too great a sacrifice to give up all in order to
follow Christ.
But this is the rule of conduct for all
who would become His disciples.
Nothing short
of obedience can be accepted.
Self-surrender is the
substance of the teachings of Christ.
Often it is pre
sented and enjoined in language that seems authori
tative, because there is no other way to save man
than to cut away those things which, if entertained,
will demoralize the whole being.
When Christ’s followers give back to the Lord
His own, thy are accumulating treasure which will
be given to them when they shall hear the words,
“Well
done,
good
and
faithful
servant;
.
.
.
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
“W ho for the
joy that was set before Him endured the cross, de
spising the shame, and is set down at the right hand
of the throne of God.’’2
The joy of seeing souls re
deemed, souls eternally saved, is the reward of all
that put their feet in the footprints of Him who said,
“ Follow Me.”
ONE THING THOU LACKEST.
619
'■‘Matt. 25:23; Heb. 12:2.
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT.
Among the most steadfast of Christ’s disciples was
Lazarus of Bethany.
From their first meeting his
faith in Christ had been strong; his love for Him was
deep, and he was greatly beloved by the Saviour.
It was for Lazarus that the greatest of Christ’s mir
acles was performed.
The Saviour blessed all who
sought His help; He loves all the human family; but
to some He is bound by peculiarly tender associations.
His heart was knit by a strong bond of affection to
the family at Bethany, and for one of them His most
wonderful work was wrought.
At the home of Lazarus, Jesus had often found
rest.
The Saviour had no home of His own; He
was dependent on the hospitality of His friends and
disciples; and often, when weary, thirsting for human
fellowship, He had been glad to escape to this peace
ful household, away from the suspicion and jealousy
of the angry Pharisees.
Here He found a sincere
welcome, and pure, holy friendship.
Here He could
speak with simplicity and perfect freedom, knowing
that His words would be understood and treasured.
Our Saviour appreciated a quiet home and inter
ested listeners.
He longed for human tenderness,
courtesy, and affection.
Those who received the
heavenly instruction He was always ready to impart,
were greatly blessed.
As the multitudes followed
This chapter is based on Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44.
(620)
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
6 2 1
Christ through the open fields, He unfolded to them
the beauties of the natural world.
He sought to
open the eyes of their understanding, that they might
see how the hand of God upholds the world.
In
order to call out an appreciation of God’s goodness
and benevolence, He called the attention of His
hearers to the gently falling dew, to the soft showers
01 rain and the bright sunshine, given alike to good
and evil.
He desired men to realize more fully the
regard that God bestows on the human instrumen
talities He has created.
But the multitudes were
slow of hearing, and in the home at Bethany Christ
found rest from the weary conflict of public life.
Here He opened to an appreciative audience the
volume of Providence.
In these private interviews
He unfolded to His hearers that which He did not
attempt to tell to the mixed multitude.
He needed
not to speak to His friends in parables.
,
As Christ gave His wonderful lessons, Mary sat at
His feet, a reverent and devoted .listener.
On one
occasion, Martha, perplexed with the care of prepar
ing the meal, went to Christ, saying, “ Lord, dost
Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve
alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”
This
was the time of Christ’s first visit to Bethany.
The
Saviour and His disciples had just made the toilsome
journey on foot from Jericho.
Martha was anxious
to provide for their comfort, and in her anxiety she
forgot the courtesy due to her Guest.
Jesus an
swered her with mild and patient words, “ Martha,
Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things; but one thing is needful; and Mary hath
chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away
from her.”
Mary was storing her mind with the
precious words falling from the Saviour’s lips, words
that were more precious to her than earth’s most
costly jewels.
622
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The “one thing” that Martha needed was a calm,
devotional spirit, a deeper anxiety for knowledge
concerning the future, immortal life, and the graces
necessary for spiritual advancement.
She needed
less anxiety for the things which pass away, and more
for those things which endure forever.
Jesus would
teach His children to seize every opportunity of gain
ing that knowledge which will make them wise unto
salvation.
The cause of Christ needs careful, ener
getic workers.
There is a wide field for the Marthas,
with their zeal in active religious work.
But let them
first sit with Mary at the feet of Jesus.
Let diligence,
promptness, and energy be sanctified by the grace of
Christ; then the life will be an unconquerable power
for good.
Sorrow entered the peaceful home where Jesus had
rested.
Lazarus was stricken with sudden illness,
and his sisters sent to the Saviour, saying, “ Lord,
behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick.”
They saw the
violence of the disease that had seized their brother,
but they knew that Christ had shown Himself able
to heal all manner of diseases.
They believed that
He would sympathize with them in their distress;
therefore they made no urgent demand- for His im
mediate presence, but sent only the confiding mes
sage, “ He whom Thou lovest is sick.”
They thought
that He would immediately respond to their message,
and be with them as soon as He could reach Bethany.
Anxiously they waited for a word from Jesus.
As long as the spark of life was yet alive in their
brother, they prayed and watched for Jesus to come.
But the messenger returned without Him.
Yet he
brought the message, “ This sickness is not unto
death,” and they clung to the hope that Lazarus
would live.
Tenderly they tried to speak words of
hope and encouragement to the almost unconscious
sufferei.
W hen Lazarus died, they were bitterly dis
appointed; but they felt the sustaining grace of Christ,
and this kept them from reflecting any blame on the
Saviour.
When Christ heard the message, the disciples
thought He received it coldly.
He did not manifest
the sorrow they expected Him to show.
Looking
up to them, He said, “ This sickness is not unto death,
but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might
be glorified thereby.”
For two days He remained
in the place where He was.
This delay was a mys
tery to the disciples.
What a comfort His presence
would be to the afflicted household, they thought.
His strong affection for the family at Bethany, was
well known to the disciples, and they were surprised
that He did not respond to the sad message, “ He
whom Thou lovest is sick.”
During the two days Christ seemed to have dis
missed the message from His mind; for He did not
speak of Lazarus.
The disciples thought of John
the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus.
They had won
dered why Jesus, with the power to perform wonder-
ul miiacles, had permitted John to languish
in
prison, and to die a violent death.
Possessing such
power, why did not Christ save John’s life?
This
question had often been asked by the Pharisees, who
presented it as an unanswerable argument against
Christ s claim to be the Son of God.
The Saviour
had warned His disciples of trials, losses, and perse
cution.
Would He forsake them in trial?
Some
questioned if they had mistaken His mission.
All
were deeply troubled.
. ^ fter<( waiting for two days, Jesus said to the dis
ciples, “ Let us go into Judea again.”
The disciples
questioned why, if Jesus were going to Judea, He
had waited two days.
But anxiety for Christ and for
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
623
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
themselves was now uppermost in their minds.
They
could see nothing but danger in the course He was
about to pursue.
“ Master,” they said, “the Jews of
late sought to stone Thee; and goest Thou thither
again?
Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours
in the day?”
I am under the guidance of My
Father; as long as I do His will, My life is safe.
My
twelve hours of day are not yet ended.
I have en
tered upon the last remnant of My day; but while any
of this remains, I am safe.
“ If any man walk in the day,” He continued, “ he
stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world.”
He who does the will of God, who walks
in the path that God has marked out, cannot stum
ble and fall.
The light of God’s guiding Spirit gives
Him a clear perception of his duty, and leads him
aright till the close of his work.
“ But if a man walk
in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light
in him.”
He who walks in a path of his own choos
ing, where God has not called him, will stumble.
For him day is turned into night, and wherever he
may be, he is not secure.
“ These things said Fie: and after that He saith
unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go
that I may awake him out of sleep.”
“ Our friend
Lazarus sleepeth.”
How touching the words! how
full of sympathy!
In the thought of the peril their
Master was about to incur by going to Jerusalem,
the disciples had almost forgotten the bereaved fam
ily at Bethany.
But not so Christ.
The disciples
felt rebuked.
They had been disappointed because
Christ did not respond more promptly to the mes
sage.
They had been tempted to think that He had
not the tender love for Lazarus and his sisters that
they had thought He had, or He would have hastened
back with the messenger.
But the words, “ Our friend
62 4
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
625
Lazarus sleepeth,’ awakened right feelings in their
minds.
They were convinced that Christ had not
forgotten Flis suffering friends.
Then said Flis disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall
do well.
Iiowbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they
thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in
sleep.”
Christ represents death as a sleep to His
believing children.
Their life is hid with Christ in
God, and until the last trump shall sound, those who
die will sleep in Him.
Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is
dead.
And 1 am glad for your sakes that I was not
there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let
us go unto him.”
Thomas could see nothing but
death in store for his Master if He went to Judea;
but he girded up his spirit, and said to the other dis
ciples,
Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
He knew the hatred of the Jews toward Christ.
It
was their purpose to compass His death, but this
purpose had not succeeded, because some of His al
lotted time still remained.
During this time Jesus
had the guardianship of heavenly angels; and even in
the regions of Judea, where the rabbis were plotting
how they might take Flim and put Him to death, no
harm could come to Him.
The disciples marveled at Christ’s words when He
said,
Lazarus is dead. And I am glad . . . that I
was not there.
Did the Saviour by His own choice
avoid the home of His suffering friends?
Appar
ently Alary and Alartha and the dying Lazarus were
left alone.
But they were not alone.
Christ be
held the whole scene, and after the death of Lazarus
the bereaved sisters were upheld by His grace.
Jesus
witnessed the sorrow of their rent hearts, as their
brother wrestled with his strong foe, death.
He felt
every pang of anguish, as Fie said to His disciples,
\
40
626
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ Lazarus is dead.”
But Christ had not only the
loved ones at Bethany to think of ; He had the train
ing of His disciples to consider.
They were to be
His representatives to the world, that the Father’s
blessing might embrace all.
For their sake He per
mitted Lazarus to die.
Had He restored him from
illness to health, the miracle that is the most positive
evidence of His divine character, would not have
been performed.
Had Christ been in the sick-room, Lazarus would
not have died; for Satan would have had no power
over him.
Death could not have aimed his. dart at
Lazarus in the presence of the Life-giver.
Therefore
Christ remained away.
He suffered the enemy to
exercise his power, that He might drive him back, a
conquered foe.
He permitted Lazarus to pass under
the dominion of death; and the suffering sisters saw
their brother laid in the grave.
Christ knew that as
they looked on the dead face of their brother their faith
in their Redeemer would be severely tried.
But He
knew that because of the struggle through which they
were now passing, their faith would shine forth with
far greater power.
He suffered every pang of sor
row that they endured.
He loved them no less be
cause He tarried; but He knew that for them, for
Lazarus, for Flimself, and for His disciples, a victory
was to be gained.
“ For your sakes,” “to the intent ye may believe.”
To all who are reaching out to feel the guiding hand
of God, the moment of greatest discouragement is
the time when divine help is nearest.
They will look
back with thankfulness upon the darkest part of
their way.
“ The Lord knoweth how to deliver the
godly.” 1
From every temptation and every trial He
will bring them forth with firmer faith and a richer
experience.
2 Peter 2:9.
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
627
In delaying to come to Lazarus, Christ had a pur
pose of mercy toward those who had not received
Him.
He tarried, that by raising Lazarus from the
dead He might give to His stubborn, unbelieving
people another evidence that He was indeed “the
resurrection and the life.”
He was loth to give up
all hope of the people, the poor, wandering sheep of
the house of Israel.
His heart was breaking because
of their impenitence.
In His mercy He purposed to
give them one more evidence that He was the Re
storer, the One who alone could bring life and im
mortality to light.
This was to be an evidence that
the priests could not misinterpret.
This was the
reason of His delay in going to Bethany.
This
crowning miracle, the raising of Lazarus, was to set
the seal of God on His work and on His claim to
divinity.
On His journey to Bethany, Jesus, according to
His custom, ministered to the sick and the needy.
Upon reaching the town He sent a messenger to the
sisters with the tidings of His arrival.
Christ did
not at once enter the house, but remained in a quiet
place by the wayside.
The great outward display
observed by the Jews at the death of friends or rela
tives was not in harmony with the spirit of Christ.
He heard the sound of wailing
from the hired
mourners, and He did not wish to meet the sisters in
the scene of
confusion.
Among
the
mourning
friends wrere relatives of the family, some of whom
held high positions of responsibility in Jerusalem.
Among these were some of Christ’s bitterest enemies.
Christ knew their purposes, and therefore He did
not at once make Himself known.
The message was given to Martha so quietly that
others in the room did not hear.
Absorbed in her
grief, Mary did not hear the words.
Rising at once^,
628
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Martha went out to meet her Lord, but thinking that
she had gone to the place where Lazarus was buried,
Mary sat still in her sorrow, making no outcry.
Martha hastened to meet Jesus, her heart agitated
by conflicting emotions.
In His expressive face she
read the same tenderness and love that had always
been there.
Her confldence in Him was unbroken,
but she thought of her dearly loved brother, whom
Jesus also had loved.
With grief surging in her
heart because Christ had not come before, yet with
hope that even now He would do something to com
fort them, she said, “ Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died.”
Over and over again, amid
the tumult made by the mourners, the sisters had
repeated these words.
With human and divine pity Jesus looked into her
sorrowful, careworn face.
Martha had no inclina
tion to recount the past; all was expressed by the
pathetic words, “ Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died.”
But looking into that face
of love, she added, “ I know, that even now, whatso
ever Thou wilt ask of God, God will give it Thee.”
Jesus encouraged her faith, saying, “Thy brother
shall rise again.”
His answer was not intended to
inspire hope of an immediate change.
He carried
Martha’s thoughts beyond the present restoration of
her brother, and Axed them upon the resurrection ot
the just.
This He did that she might see in the resur
rection of Lazarus a pledge of the resurrection of all
the righteous dead, and an assurance that it would be
accomplished by the Saviour’s power.
Martha answered, “ I know that he shall rise again
in the resurrection at the last day.”
Still seeking to give a true direction to her faith,
Jesus declared, “ I am the resurrection, and the life.”
In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived.
He that hath the Son hath life.” 2
The divinity of
Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.
He that believeth in Me,” said Jesus, “ though he
were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and
believeth in Me shall never die.
Believest thou
this?”
Christ here looks forward to the time of His
second coming.
Then the righteous dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and the living righteous shall be
translated to heaven without seeing death.
The
miracle which Christ was about to perform, in rais-
ing Lazarus from the dead, would represent the resur
rection of all the righteous dead.
By His word and
His works He declared Himself the Author of the
resurrection.
He who Himself was soon to die upon
the cross, stood with the keys of death, a conqueror
of the grave, and asserted His right and power to give
eternal life.
To the Saviour’s words, “ Believest thou?” Martha
responded, “ Yea, Lord; I believe that Thou art the
Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the
world.”
She did not comprehend in all their signifi
cance the words spoken by Christ, but she confessed
her faith in His divinity, and her confidence that He
was able to perform whatever it pleased Him to do.
And when she had so said, she went her way, and
called Mary her sister, secretly, saying, The Master
is come, and calleth for thee.”
She delivered her
message as quietly as possible; for the priests and
rulers were prepared to arrest Jesus when oppor
tunity offered.
The cries of the mourners prevented
her words from being heard.
On hearing the message, Mary rose hastily, and
with an eager look on her face left the room.
Think
ing that she had gone to the grave to weep, the
mourners followed her.
When she reached the place
31 John 5:12.
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
629
630
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
where Jesus was waiting, she knelt at His feet, and
said with quivering lips, “Lord, if Thou hadst been
here, my brother had not died.”
The cries of the
mourners were painful to her; for she longed for a
few quiet words alone with Jesus.
But she knew of
the envy and jealousy cherished in the hearts of some
present against Christ, and she was restrained from
fully expressing her grief.
“When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the
Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned
in the spirit, and was troubled.”
He read the hearts
of all assembled.
He saw that with many, what
passed as a demonstration of grief was only pretense.
He knew that some in the company, now manifest
ing hypocritical sorrow, would ere long be planning
the death, not only of the mighty miracle-worker,
but of the one to be raised from the dead.
Christ
could have stripped from them their robe of pre
tended sorrow.
But He restrained His righteous
indignation.
The words He could in all truth have
spoken, He did not speak, because of the loved one
kneeling at His feet in sorrow, who truly believed in
Him.
“ Where have ye laid him?” He asked.
“ They said
unto Him, Lord, come and see.”
Together they
proceeded to the grave.
It was a mournful scene.
Lazarus had been much beloved, and his sisters wept
for him with breaking hearts, while those who had
been his friends mingled their tears with those of the
bereaved sisters.
In view of this human distress,
and of the fact that the afflicted friends could mourn
over the dead while the Saviour of the world stood
by,— “ Jesus wept.” Though He was the Son of God,
yet He had taken human nature upon Him, and He
was moved by human sorrow.
His tender, pitying
heart is ever awakened to sympathy by suffering.
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
6 3 I
He weeps with those that weep, and rejoices with
those that rejoice.
But it was not only because of His human sym
pathy with Mary and Martha that Jesus wept.
In
His tears there was a sorrow as high above human
sorrow as the heavens are higher than
the earth.
Christ did not weep for Lazarus; for He was about to
call him from the grave.
He wept because many of
those now mourning for Lazarus would soon plan
the death of Him who was the resurrection and the
life.
But how unable were the unbelieving Jews
rightly to interpret Llis tears!
Some, who could see
nothing more than the outward circumstances of the
scene before Him as a cause for His grief, said softly,
“ Behold how He loved him.”
Others, seeking to
drop the seed of unbelief into the hearts of those
present, said derisively, “ Could not this man, which
opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even
this man should not have died?”
If it were in
Christ’s power to save Lazarus, why then did He
suffer him to die?
With prophetic eye Christ saw the enmity of the
Pharisees and the Sadducees.
He knew that they
were premeditating His death.
He knew that some
of those now apparently so sympathetic would soon
close against themselves the door of hope and the
gates of the city of God.
A scene was about to take
place, in His humiliation and crucifixion, that would
result in the destruction of Jerusalem, and at that
time none would make lamentation for the dead.
The retribution that was coming upon Jerusalem
was plainly portrayed before Him.
He saw Jerusa
lem compassed by the Roman legions.
He knew
that many now weeping for Lazarus would die in the
siege of the city, and in their death there would be
no hope.
632
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
It was not only because of the scene before Him
that Christ wept.
The weight of the grief of ages
was upon Him.
He saw the terrible effects of the
transgression of God’s law.
He saw that in the his
tory of the world, beginning with the death of Abel,
the conflict between good and evil had been un
ceasing.
Looking down the years to come, He saw
the suffering and sorrow, tears and death, that were
to be the lot of men.
His heart was pierced with the
pain of the human family of all ages and in all lands.
The woes of the sinful race were heavy upon His
soul, and the fountain of His tears was broken up as
He longed to relieve all their distress.
“Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself com-
eth to the grave.”
Lazarus had been laid in a cave
in a rock, and a massive stone had been placed be
fore the entrance.
“ Take ye away the stone,” Christ
said.
Thinking that He only wished to look upon
the dead, Martha objected, saying that the body had
been buried four days, and corruption had already
begun its work.
This statement, made before the
raising of Lazarus, left no room for Christ’s enemies
to say that a deception had been practised.
In the
past the Pharisees had circulated false statements
regarding the most wonderful manifestations of the
power of God.
When Christ raised to life the
daughter of Jairus, He had said, “The damsel is not
dead, but sleepeth.” 3
As she had been sick only a
short time, and was raised immediately after death,
the Pharisees declared that the child had not been
dead; that Christ Himself had said she was only
asleep.
They had tried to make it appear that Christ
could not cure disease, that there was foul play about
His miracles.
But in this case, none could deny that
Lazarus was dead.
3Mark 5:39.
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
633
When the Lord is about to do a work, Satan moves
upon some one to object.
“Take ye away the stone,”
Christ said.
As far as possible, prepare the way for
My work.
But Martha’s positive and ambitious
nature asserted itself.
She was unwilling that the
decomposing body should be brought to view.
The
human heart is slow to understand Christ’s words,
and Martha’s faith had not grasped the true meaning
of His promise.
Christ reproved Martha, but His words were
spoken with the utmost gentleness.
“ Said I not
unto thee, that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst
see the glory of God?”
Why should you doubt in
regard to My power?
Why reason in opposition to
My requirements?
You have My word.
If you will
believe, you shall see the glory of God.
Natural
impossibilities cannot prevent the work of the Om
nipotent One.
Skepticism and unbelief are not
humility.
Implicit belief in Christ’s word is true
humility, true self-surrender.
“Take ye away the stone.”
Christ could have
commanded the stone to remove, and it would have
obeyed His voice.
He could have bidden the angels
who were close by His side to do this.
At His bid
ding, invisible hands would have removed the stone.
But it was to be taken away by human hands.
Thus
Christ would show that humanity is to co-operate
with divinity.
What human power can do, divine
power is not summoned to do.
God does not dis
pense with man’s aid.
He strengthens him, co
operating with him as he uses the powers and capa
bilities given him.
The command is obeyed.
The stone is rolled
away.
Everything is done openly and deliberately.
All are given a chance to see that no deception is
practised.
There lies the body of Lazarus in its
634
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
rocky grave, cold and silent in death.
The cries of
the mourners are hushed.
Surprised and expectant,
the company stand around the sepulcher, waiting to
see what is to follow.
Calmly Christ stands before the tomb.
A sacred
solemnity rests upon all present.
Christ steps closer
to the sepulcher.
Lifting His eyes to heaven, He
says, “ Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard
Me.”
Not long before this, Christ’s enemies had
accused Him of blasphemy, and had taken up stones
to cast at Him because He claimed to be the Son of
God.
They accused Him of performing miracles by
the power of Satan.
But here Christ claims God as
His Father, and with perfect confidence declares that
He is the Son of God.
In all that He did, Christ was co-operating with
His Father.
Ever He had been careful to make it
evident that He did not work independently; it was
by faith and prayer that He wrought His miracles.
Christ desired all to know His relationship with His
Father.
“ Father,” He said, “ I thank Thee that
Thou hast heard Me.
And I knew that Thou hear-
est Me always; but because of the people which stand
by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast
sent Me.”
Here the disciples and the people were
to be given the most convincing evidence in regard
to the relationship existing between Christ and God.
They were to be shown that Christ’s claim was not
a deception.
“ And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.”
His voice, clear
and penetrating, pierces the ear of the dead.
As He
speaks, divinity flashes through humanity.
In His
face, which is lighted up by the glory of God, the
people see the assurance of His power.
Every eye
is fastened on the entrance to the cave.
Every ear
LAZARUS, COME FORTH.
635
is bent to catch the slightest sound.
With intense
and painful interest all wait for the test of Christ’s
divinity, the evidence that is to substantiate His claim
to be the Son of God, or to extinguish the hope
forever.
There is a stir in the silent tomb, and he who was
dead stands at the door of the sepulcher.
His move
ments are impeded by the grave clothes in which he
was laid away, and Christ says to the astonished
spectators, “ Loose him, and let him go.”
Again
they are shown that the human worker is to co
operate with God.
Humanity is to work for human
ity.
Lazarus is set free, and stands before the com
pany, not as one emaciated from disease, and with
feeble, tottering limbs, but as a man in the prime of
life, and in the vigor of a noble manhood.
His eyes
beam with intelligence and with love for his Saviour.
He casts himself in adoration at the feet of Jesus.
The beholders are at first speechless with amaze
ment.
Then there follows an inexpressible scene of
rejoicing and thanksgiving.
The sisters receive their
brother back to life as the gift of God, and with joy
ful tears they brokenly express their thanks to the
Saviour.
But while brother, sisters, and friends are
rejoicing in this reunion, Jesus withdraws from the
scene.
When they look for the Life-giver, He is not
to be found.
PRIESTLY PLOTTINGS.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE.
Bethany was so near Jerusalem that the news of
the raising of Lazarus was soon carried to the city.
Fhrough spies who had witnessed the miracle the
Jewish rulers were speedily in possession of the facts.
A meeting of the Sanhedrim was at once called to
decide as to what should be done.
Christ had now
fully made manifest His control of death and the
grave.
That mighty miracle was the crowning evi
dence offered by God to men that He had sent His
Son into the world for their salvation.
It was a
demonstration of divine power sufficient to convince
every mind that was under the control of reason and
enlightened conscience.
Many who witnessed the
resurrection of Lazarus were led to believe on Jesus.
Put the hatred of the priests against Him was in
tensified.
They had rejected all lesser evidence of
His divinity, and they were only enraged at this new
miracle.
The dead had been raised in the full light
of day, and before a crowd of witnesses.
No artifice
could explain away such evidence.
For this very
reason the enmity of the priests grew deadlier.
They
were more than ever determined to put a stop to
Christ’s work.
The Sadducees, though not favorable to Christ,
had not been so full of malignity toward Him as
were the Pharisees.
Their hatred had not been so
This chapter is based on John 11:47-54.
( 6 3 6 )
PRIESTLY PLOTTINGS.
6 3 7
bitter.
But they were now thoroughly alarmed,
lhey did not believe in a resurrection of the dead.
Producing so-called science, they had reasoned that
it would be an impossibility for a dead body to be
brought to life.
But by a few words from Christ
their theory had
been
overthrown.
They were
shown to be ignorant both of the Scriptures and of
the power of God.
They could see no possibility of
removing the impression made on the people by the
miracle.
How could men be turned away from Him
who had prevailed to rob the grave of its dead?
Ly
ing reports were put in circulation, but the miracle
could not be denied, and how to counteract its effect
they knew not.
Thus far the Sadducees had not en
couraged the plan of putting Christ to death.
But
after the resurrection of Lazarus they decided that
only by His death could His fearless denunciations
against them be stopped.
The Pharisees believed in the resurrection, and
they could not but see that this miracle was an evi
dence that the Messiah was among them.
But they
had ever opposed Christ’s work.
From the first
they had hated Him because He had exposed then-
hypocritical pretensions.
He had torn aside the
cloak of rigorous rites under which their moral de
formity was hidden.
The pure religion that He
I aught had condemned their hollow professions of
piety.
They thirsted to be revenged upon Him for
His pointed rebukes.
They had tried to provoke
Him to say or do something that would give them
occasion to condemn Him.
Several times they had
attempted to stone Him, but He had quietly with
drawn, and they lost sight of Him.
The miracles He performed on the Sabbath were
all for the relief of the afflicted, but the Pharisees
had sought to condemn Him as a Sabbath-breaker.
638
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S ,
They had tried to arouse the Herodians against Him.
They represented that He was seeking to set up a
rival kingdom, and consulted with them how to
destroy Him.
To excite the Romans against Him,
they had represented Him as trying to subvert their
authority.
They had tried every pretext to cut Him
off from influencing the people.
But so far their
attempts had been foiled.
The multitudes who wit
nessed His works of mercy and heard His pure
and holy teachings knew that these were not the
deeds and words of a Sabbath-breaker or blasphemer.
Even the officers sent by the Pharisees had been so
influenced by His words that they could not lay
hands on Him.
In desperation the Jews had finally
passed an edict that any man who professed faith in
Jesus, should be cast out of the synagogue.
So, as the priests, the rulers, and the elders gath
ered for consultation, it was their fixed determin
ation to silence Him who did such marvelous works
that all men wondered.
Pharisees and Sadducees
were more nearly united than ever before.
Divided
hitherto, they became one in their opposition to
Christ.
Nicodemus
and
Joseph
had, in
former
councils, prevented the condemnation of Jesus, and
for this reason they were not now summoned.
There
were present at the council other influential men who
believed on Jesus, but their influence prevailed
nothing against that of the malignant Pharisees.
Yet the members of the council were not all agreed.
The Sanhedrim was not at this time a legal assembly.
It existed only by tolerance.
Some of its number
questioned the wisdom of putting Christ to death.
They feared that this would excite an insurrection
among the people, causing the Romans to withhold
further favors from the priesthood, and to take from
them the power they still held.
The Sadducees were
PRIESTLY PLOTTINGS.
639
united in their hatred of Christ, yet they were inclined
to be cautious in their movements, fearing that the
Romans would deprive them of their high standing.
In this council, assembled to plan the death of
Christ, the Witness was present who heard the boast
ful words of Nebuchadnezzar, who witnessed the idol
atrous feast of Belshazzar, who was present when
Christ in Nazareth announced Himself the Anointed
One.
This W itness was now impressing the rulers
with the work they were doing.
Events in the life of
Christ rose up before them with a distinctness that
alarmed them.
They remembered the scene in the
temple, when Jesus, then a child of twelve, stood
before the learned doctors of the law, asking them
questions at which they wondered.
The miracle just
performed bore witness that Jesus was none other
than the Son of God.
In their true significance, the
Old Testament Scriptures regarding Christ flashed
before their minds.
Perplexed and troubled, the
rulers asked, “ What do we?”
There was a division
in the council.
Under the impression of the Holy
Spirit, the priests and rulers could not banish the
conviction that they were fighting against God.
While the council was at the height of its perplex
ity, Caiaphas the high priest arose.
Caiaphas was a
proud and a cruel man, overbearing and intolerant.
Among
his family connections were
Sadducees,
proud, bold, reckless, full of ambition and cruelty,
which they hid under a cloak of pretended right
eousness.
Caiaphas had studied the prophecies, and
although ignorant of their true meaning, he spoke
with^ great
authority and
assurance: “ Ye know
nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us,
that one man should die for the people, and that the
whole nation perish not.”
Even if Jesus were in
nocent, urged the high priest, He must be put out of
640
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
the way.
He was troublesome, drawing the people
to Himself, and lessening the authority of the rulers.
He was only one; it was better that He should die
than that the authority of the rulers should be weak
ened.
If the people were to lose confidence in their
rulers, the national
power would
be destroyed.
Caiaphas urged that after this miracle the followers
of Jesus would likely rise in revolt.
The Romans
will then come, he said, and will close our temple,
and abolish our laws, destroying us as a nation.
What is the life of this Galilean worth in comparison
with the life of the nation.
If He stands in the way
of Israel’s well-being, is it not doing God a service
to remove Him?
Better that one man perish than
that the whole nation be destroyed.
In declaring that one man should die for the nation,
Caiaphas indicated that he had some knowledge of
the prophecies, although it was very limited.
But
John, in his account of this scene, takes up the proph
ecy, and shows its broad and deep significance.
He
says, “ And not for that nation only, but that also
He should gather together in one the children of
God that were scattered abroad.”
How blindly did
the haughty Caiaphas acknowledge the Saviour’s
mission!
On the lips of Caiaphas this most precious truth
was turned into a lie.
The policy he advocated was
based on a principle borrowed from heathenism.
Among the heathen, the dim consciousness that one
was to die for the human race, had led to the offer
ing of human sacrifices.
So Caiaphas proposed by
the sacrifice of Jesus to save the guilty nation, not from
transgression, but in transgression, that they might
continue in sin.
And by his reasoning he thought
to silence the remonstrances of those who might dare
to say that as yet nothing worthy of death had been
found in Jesus.
At this council Christ’s enemies had been deeply
convicted.
The Holy Spirit had impressed their
minds.
But Satan strove to gain control of them.
He urged upon their notice the grievances they had
suffered on account of Christ.
How little He had
honored their righteousness.
He presented a right
eousness far greater, which all who would be children
of God must possess.
Taking no notice of their forms
and ceremonies, He had encouraged sinners to go
directly to God as a merciful Father, and make
known their wants.
Thus, in their opinion, He had
set aside the priesthood.
He had refused to ac
knowledge the theory of the rabbinical schools.
He
had exposed the evil practises of the priests, and had
irreparably hurt their influence.
He had injured the
effect of their maxims and traditions, declaring that
though they strictly enforced the ritual law, they
made void the law of God.
All this Satan now
brought to their minds.
Satan told them that in order to maintain their
authority, they must put Jesus to death.
This coun
sel they followed.
The fact that they might lose the
power they then exercised, was, they thought, suf
ficient reason for coming to some decision.
With
the exception of a few who dared not speak their
minds,
the
Sanhedrim
received
the
words
of
Caiaphas as the words of God.
Relief came to the
council; the discord ceased.
They resolved to put
Christ to death at the first favorable opportunity.
In
rejecting the proof of the divinity of Jesus, these priests
and rulers had locked themselves in impenetrable
darkness.
They had come wholly under the sway
of Satan, to be hurried by him over the brink of
eternal ruin.
Yet such was their deception that they
PRIESTLY PLOTTINGS.
641
41
6 4 2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
were well pleased with themselves.
They regarded
themselves as patriots, who were seeking the nation’s
salvation.
The
Sanhedrim feared, however, to take rash
measures against Jesus, lest the people should be
come incensed, and the violence meditated toward
Him should fall upon themselves.
On this account
the council delayed to execute the sentence they had
pronounced.
The Saviour understood the plotting
of the priests.
He knew that they longed to remove
Him, and that their purpose would soon be accom
plished.
But it was not His place to
hasten the
crisis, and He withdrew from that region, taking His
disciples with Him.
Thus by His own example
Jesus again enforced the instruction He had given
to His disciples, “ When they persecute you in this
city, flee ye into another.” 1
There was a wide field
in which to work for the salvation of souls; and un
less loyalty to Him required it, the Lord’s servants
were not to imperil their lives.
Jesus had now given three years of public labor to
the world.
His example of self-denial and disinter
ested benevolence was before them.
His life of pu
rity, of suffering and devotion, was known to all. Yet
this short period of three years was as long as the
world could endure the presence of its Redeemer.
His life had been one of persecution and insult.
Driven from Bethlehem by a jealous king, rejected
by His own people at Nazareth, condemned to death
without a cause at Jerusalem, Jesus, with His few
faithful followers, found a temporary asylum in a
strange city.
He who was ever touched by human
woe, who healed the sick, restored sight to the blind,
hearing to the deaf, and speech to the dumb, who
fed the hungry and comforted the sorrowful, was
1 Matt. 10:23.
/
/
P R IE S T L Y P L O T T IN G S .
643
driven from the people He had labored to save.
He
who walked upon the heaving billows, and by a
word silenced their angry roaring, who cast out
devils that in departing acknowledged Him to be the
Son of God, who broke the slumbers of the dead,
who held thousands entranced by His words of wis
dom, was unable to reach the hearts of those who
were blinded by prejudice and hatred, and who stub
bornly rejected the light.
NEARING THE END.
From the Visit to Zaccheus at Jericho, to the
Teaching on the Way to
Gethsemane.
“ The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit.”
‘ ‘Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of
this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth,
will draw all men unto Me.”
“ Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father,
save Me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this
hour. Father, glorify Thy name.” John 12:23, 24, 31, 32.
27, 28.
THE LAW OF THE NEW KINGDOM.
CHAPTER SIXTY.
The time of the Passover was drawing near, and
again Jesus turned toward Jerusalem.
In His heart
was the peace of perfect oneness with the Father’s
will, and with eager steps Fie pressed on toward the
place of sacrifice.
But a sense of mystery, of doubt
and
fear, fell upon the disciples.
The
Saviour
“w'ent before them, and they were amazed, and as
they followed, they were afraid.’’
Again Christ called the twelve about Him, and
with greater definiteness than ever before, He opened
to them His betrayal and sufferings.
“ Behold,” He
said, “ we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are
written by the prophets concerning the Son of man
shall be accomplished.
For He shall be delivered
unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spite
fully entreated, and spitted on; and they shall scourge
Flim, and put Him to death; and the third day He
shall rise again.
And they understood none of these
things; and this saying was hid from them, neither
knew they the things which were spoken.”
Had they not just before proclaimed everywhere,
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand” ?
Had not
Christ Himself promised that many should sit down
with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom
of God?
Had He not promised to all who had left
This chapter is based on Matt. 20:20-28; Mark 10:32-45;
Luke 18:31-34.
( 6 4 7 )
648
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
aught for His sake a hundred-fold in this life, and a
part in His kingdom?
And had He not given to the
twelve the special promise of positions of high honor
in His kingdom,— to sit on thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel?
Even now He had said that all
things written in the
prophets concerning
Him
should be fulfilled.
And had not the prophets foretold
the glory of the Messiah’s reign?
In the light of
these thoughts, His words in regard to betrayal, per
secution, and death, seemed vague and shadowy.
Whatever difficulties might intervene, they believed
that the kingdom was soon to be established.
John, the son of Zebedee, had been one of the first
two disciples who had followed Jesus.
He and his
brother James had been among the first group who
had left all for His service.
Gladly they had forsaken
home and friends that they might be with Him; they
had walked and talked with Him; they had been with
Him in the privacy of the home, and in the public
assemblies.
He had quieted their fears, delivered
them from danger, relieved their sufferings, com
forted their grief, and with patience and tenderness
had taught them, till their hearts seemed linked with
His, and in the ardor of their love they longed to be
nearest to Him in His kingdom.
At every possible
opportunity, John took his place next the Saviour,
and James longed to be honored with as close con
nection with Him.
Their mother was a follower of Christ, and had
ministered to Him freely of her substance.
With a
mother’s love and ambition for her sons, she coveted
for them the most honored place in the new kingdom.
For this she encouraged them to make request.
Together the mother and her sons came to Jesus,
asking that He would grant a petition on which their
hearts were set.
“What would ye that I should do for you?” He
questioned.
The mother answered, ‘‘Grant that these my two
sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the
other on the left, in Thy kingdom.”
Jesus bears tenderly with
them, not rebuking
their selfishness in seeking preference above their
brethren.
He reads their hearts, He knows the depth
of their attachment to Him.
Their love is not a
mere humqn affection; though defiled by the earth-
hness of its human channel, it is an outflowing from
the fountain of His own redeeming love.
He will
not rebuke, but deepen and purify.
He said, “Are
ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and
to be^ baptized with the baptism that I am baptized
with?”
They recall His mysterious words, pointing
to trial and suffering, yet answer confidently, “ W e
are able.”
They would count it highest honor to
prove their loyalty by sharing all that is to befall
their Lord.
“ Ye shall drink indeed of My cup, and be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with,” He said;
before Flim a cross instead of a throne, two male
factors His companions at His right hand and His
left.
John and James were to share with their
Master in suffering; the one, first of the brethren to
perish with the sword; the other, longest of
all to
endure toil, and reproach, and persecution.
“ But to sit on My right hand, and on My left,” He
continued, “ is not Mine to give, but it shall be given
to them for whom it is prepared of My Father.”
In
the kingdom of God, position is not gained through
favoritism.
It is not earned, nor is it received
through an arbitrary bestowal.
It is the result of
character.
The crown and the throne are the tokens
of a condition attained; they are the tokens of self
conquest through our Lord Jesus Christ.
THE LAW OF THE NEW KINGDOM.
6 4 9
Long afterward, when
the
disciple had been
brought into sympathy with Christ through the fel
lowship of His sufferings, the Lord revealed to John
what is the condition of nearness in His kingdom.
“To him that overcometh,” Christ said, “ will I grant
to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame,
and am set down with My Father in His throne.”
“ Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the
temple of My God, and he shall go no more out; and
I will write upon Him the name of My God,
.
.
.
and I will write upon Him My new name.” 1
So Paul
the apostle wrote, “ I am now ready to be offered, and
the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought
a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown
of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, shall give me at that day.” 2
The one who stands nearest to Christ will be he
who on earth has drank most deeply of the spirit of
His self-sacrificing love,—love that “ vaunteth not it
self, is not puffed up,
.
.
.
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,” 3—love that
moves the disciple, as it moved our Lord, to give all,
to live and labor and sacrifice, even unto death, for
the saving of humanity.
This spirit was made mani
fest in the life of Paul.
He said, “ For to me to live
is Christ;” for his life revealed Christ to men; “ and
to die is gain,”— gain to Christ; death itself would
make manifest the power of His grace, and gather
souls to Him.
“ Christ shall be magnified in my
body,” he said, “ whether it be by life, or by death.” 4
When the ten heard of the request of James and
John, they were much displeased.
The highest place
in the kingdom was just what every one of them was
* Rev. 3:21, 12.
a 2 Tim. 4; 6-8-
31 Cor. 13:4, 5-
‘ Phil. 1:21, 20.
550
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
seeking for himself, and they were angry that the two
disciples had gained a seeming advantage over them.
Again the strife as to which should be greatest
seemed about to be renewed, when Jesus, calling them
to Him, said to the indignant disciples, “ Ye know that
they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles
exercise lordship over them; and their great ones
exercise authority upon them.
But so shall it not be
among you.”
In the kingdoms of the world, position meant self-
aggrandizement.
The people were supposed to exist
for the benefit of the ruling classes.
Influence,
w'ealth, education, were so many means of gaining
control of the masses for the use of the leaders.
The
higher classes were to think, decide, enjoy, and rule;
the lower were to obey and serve.
Religion, like all
things else, was a matter of authority.
The people
were expected to believe and practise as their su
periors directed.
The right of man as man, to think
and act for himself, was wholly unrecognized.
Christ was establishing, a kingdom on different
principles.
He called men, not to authority, but to
service, the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak.
Power, position, talent, education, placed their pos
sessor under the greater obligation to serve his fel
lows.
To even the lowliest of Christ’s disciples it is
said, “All things are for your sakes.”5
“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for
many.”
Among His disciples Christ was in every
sense a caretaker, a burden-bearer.
He shared their
poverty, He practised self-denial on their account, He
went before them to smooth the more difficult places,
and soon He would consummate His work on earth
by laying down His life.
The principle on which
52 Cor. 4:15.
THE LAW OF THE NEW KINGDOM.
6 5 1
652
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Christ acted is to actuate the members of the church
which is His body,
the plan and ground of salva
tion is love.
In the kingdom of Christ those are
greatest who follow the example He has given, and
act as shepherds of His flock.
The words of Paul reveal the true dignity and
honor of the Christian life: “ Though I be free from
all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all,”
“ not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many,
that they may be saved.” 6
In matters of conscience, the soul must be left un
trammeled.
No one is to control another s mind, to
judge for another, or to prescribe his duty.
God
gives to every soul freedom to think, and to follow
his own convictions.
“ Every one of us shall give
account of himself to God.” 1
No one has a right to
merge his own individuality in that of another.
In
all matters where principle is involved, “ let ^every
man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” 8
In
Christ’s kingdom there is no lordly oppression, no
compulsion of manner.
The angels of heaven do not
come to the earth to rule, and to exact homage, but
as messengers of mercy, to co-operate with men in
uplifting humanity.
The principles and the very words of the Saviour’s
teaching, in their divine beauty, dwelt in the memory
of the beloved disciple.
To his latest days the burden
of John’s testimony to the churches was, “ This is the
message that ye heard from the beginning, that we
should love one another.”
“ Hereby perceive we the
love of God, because He laid down His life for us:
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 9
This was the spirit that pervaded the early church.
After the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, “the multi-
•iCor.9:i9; 10:33.
7 Rom. 14:12.
8 Rom. 14:5.
* 1 John 3:11, 16.
tude of them that believed were of one heart and of
one soul; neither said any of them that aught of the
things which He possessed was his own.”
“ Neither
was there any among them that lacked.”
“And with
great power gave the apostles witness of the resur
rection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon
them all.” 10
THE LAW OF THE NEW KINGDOM.
653
“ Acts 4:32, 34, 33-
ZACCHEUS.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE.
On the way to Jerusalem, “Jesus entered and
passed through Jericho.”
A few miles from the
Jordan, on the western edge of the valley that here
spread out into a plain, the City lay in the midst of
tropic verdure, and luxuriance of beauty.
With its
palm-trees and rich gardens watered by living springs,
it gleamed like an emerald in the setting of lime
stone hills and desolate ravines that interposed be
tween Jerusalem and the city of the plain.
Many caravans on their way to the feast passed
through Jericho.
Their arrival was always a festive
season, but now a deeper interest stirred the people.
It was known that the Galilean rabbi who had so
lately brought Lazarus to life, was in the throng;
and though whispers were rife as to the plottings of
the priests, the multitudes were eager to do Him
homage.
Jericho was one of the cities anciently set apart for
the priests, and at this time large numbers of priests
had their residence there.
But the city had also a
population of a widely different character.
It was a
great center of
traffic, and
Roman officials and
soldiers, with strangers from different quarters, were
found there, while the collection of customs made it
the home of many publicans.
This chapter is based on Luke 19:1-10.
(654) .
ZACCHEUS.
6 5 5
The chief among the publicans,” Zaccheus, was a
Jew, and detested by his countrymen.
His rank and
wealth were the reward of a calling they abhorred,
and which was regarded as another name for in
justice and extortion.
Yet the wealthy customs
officer was not altogether the hardened man of the
world that he seemed.
Beneath the appearance of
worldhness and pride was a heart susceptible to divine
influences.
Zaccheus had heard of Jesus.
The re
port of One who had borne Himself with kindness
and courtesy toward the proscribed classes, had
spread far and wide.
In this chief of the publicans
was awakened a longing for a better life.
Only a few
miles from Jericho, John the Baptist had preached at
the Jordan, and Zaccheus had heard of the call to re
pentance.
The instruction to the publicans, “ Exact
no more than that which is appointed you,”1 though
outwardly disregarded, had impressed his mind.
He
knew the Scriptures, and was convicted that his
practise was wrong.
Now, hearing the words re
ported to have come from the great Teacher, he felt
that he was a sinner in the sight of God.
Yet what
he had heard of Jesus kindled hope in his heart.
Repentance, reformation of life, was possible, even
to him; was not one of the new Teacher’s most
trusted disciples a publican?
Zaccheus began at
once to follow the conviction that had taken hold
upon him, and to make restitution to those whom he
had wronged.
Already he had begun thus to retrace his steps,
when the news sounded through Jericho that Jesus
was entering the town.
Zaccheus determined to see
Him.
He was beginning to realize how bitter are
the fruits of sin, and how difficult the path of him who
tries to return from a course of wrong.
T o be mis-
1 Luke 3:13.
6 5 6
THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
understood, to be met with suspicion and distrust in
the effort to correct his errors, was hard to bear.
The
chief publican longed to look upon the face of Him
whose words had brought hope to his heart.
The streets were crowded, and Zaccheus, who was
small of stature, could see nothing over the heads of
the people.
None would give way for him; so, run
ning a little in advance of the multitude, to where a
wide-branching fig-tree hung over the way, the rich
tax-collector climbed to a seat among the boughs,
whence he could survey the procession as it passed
below.
The crowd comes near, it is going by, and
Zaccheus scans with eager eyes to discern the one
figure he longs to see.
Above the clamor of priests and rabbis and the
shouts of welcome from the multitude, that unuttered
desire of the chief publican spoke to the heart of
Jesus.
Suddenly, just beneath the fig-tree, a group
halts, the company before and behind come to a
standstill, and One looks upward whose glance seems
to read the soul.
Almost doubting his senses, the
man in the tree hears the words, “ Zaccheus, make
haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at
thy house.”
The multitude give way, and Zaccheus, walking as
in a dream, leads the way toward his own home.
But the rabbis look on with scowling faces, and mur
mur in discontent and scorn, “ that He was gone to
be a guest with a man that is a sinner.”
Zaccheus had been overwhelmed, amazed, and
silenced, at the love and condescension of Christ in
stooping to him, so unworthy.
Now love and loy
alty to his new-found Master unseal his lips.
He
will make public his confession and his repentance.
In the presence of the multitude, “ Zaccheus stood,
and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my
ZACCHEUS.
6 5 7
goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any
thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him
fourfold.
“ And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation
come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of
Abraham.”
When the rich young ruler had turned away from
Jesus, the disciples had marveled at their Master’s
saying, “ H ow hard is it for them that trust in riches
to enter into the kingdom of God.”
They had ex
claimed one to another, “ Who then can be saved?”
Now they had a demonstration of the truth of
Christ’s words, “ The things which are impossible
with men are possible with God.” 2
They saw how,
through the grace of God, a rich man could enter
into the kingdom.
Before Zaccheus had looked upon the face of Christ,
he had begun the work that made him manifest as a
true penitent.
Before being accused by man, he had
confessed his sin.
He had yielded to the conviction
of the H oly Spirit, and had begun to carry out the
teaching of the words written for ancient Israel as well
as for ourselves.
The Lord had said long before,
“ Jf thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay
with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though
he be a stranger or a sojourner; that he may live
with thee.
Take thou no usury of him, or increase:
but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with
thee.
Thou shalt not give him thy money upon
usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.”
“ Y e
shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou
shalt fear thy God.” 3
These words had been spoken
by Christ Himself when H e was enshrouded in the
pillar of cloud, and the very first response of Zaccheus
2 Mark 10:24, 26; Luke 18:27.
3 Lev. 25:35-37, 17.
6 5 8
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
to the love of Christ was in manifesting compassion
toward the poor and suffering.
Among the publicans there was a confederacy, so
that they could oppress the people, and sustain one
another in their fraudulent practises.
In their ex
tortion they were but carrying out what had become
an almost universal custom.
Even the priests and
rabbis who despised them were guilty of enriching
themselves by dishonest practises under cover of
their sacred calling.
But no sooner did Zaccheus
yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit than he cast
aside every practise contrary to integrity.
No repentance is genuine that does not work ref
ormation.
The righteousness of Christ is not a cloak
to cover unconfessed and unforsaken sin; it is a prin
ciple of life that transforms the character and controls
the conduct.
Holiness is wholeness for God; it is
the entire surrender of heart and life to the indwell
ing of the principles of heaven.
The Christian in his business life is to represent to
the world the manner in which our Lord would con
duct business enterprises.
In every transaction he
is to make it manifest that God is his teacher.
“ Holi
ness unto the Lord,” is to be written upon day books
and ledgers, on deeds, receipts, and bills of exchange.
Those who profess to be followers of Christ, and who
deal in an unrighteous manner, are bearing false wit
ness against the character of a holy, just, and merci
ful God.
Every converted soul will, like Zaccheus,
signalize the entrance of Christ into his heart by an
abandonment of the unrighteous practises that have
marked his life.
Like the chief publican, he will give
proof of his sincerity by making restitution.
The
Lord says, “ If the wicked restore the pledge, give
again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life,
without committing iniquity;
.
.
.
none of his
sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto
him.
. . .
He shall surely live.” 4
If we have injured others through any unjust busi
ness transaction, if we have overreached in trade,
or defrauded any man, even though it be within the
pale of the law, we should confess our wrong, and
make restitution as far as lies in our power.
It is
right for us to restore not only that which we have
taken, but all that it would have accumulated if put
to a right and wise use during the time it has been in
our possession.
To Zaccheus the Saviour said, “ This day is salva
tion come to this house.”
Not only was Zaccheus
himself blessed, but all his household with him.
Christ Avent to his home to give him lessons of truth,
and to instruct his household in the things of the
kingdom.
They had been shut out from the syna
gogues by the contempt of rabbis and worshipers;
but now, the most favored household in all Jericho,
they gathered in their own home about the divine
Teacher, and heard for themselves the words of life.
It is when Christ is received as a personal Sa
viour that salvation comes to the soul.
Zaccheus had
received Jesus, not merely as a passing guest in his
home, but as One to abide in the soul temple.
The
scribes and Pharisees accused him as a sinner, they
murmured against Christ for becoming his guest, but
the Lord recognized him as a son of Abraham.
For
“ they which are of faith, the same are the children
of Abraham.” 5
4Eze. 33:15, 16.
z a c c h e u s .
6 5 9
5 Gal. 3:7.
THE FEAST AT SIMON’S HOUSE.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO.
Simon of Bethany was accounted a disciple of
Jesus.
He was one of the few Pharisees who had
openly joined Christ’s followers.
He acknowledged
Jesus as a teacher, and hoped that He might be the
Messiah, but he had not accepted Him as a Saviour.
His character was not transformed; his principles
were unchanged.
Simon had been healed of the leprosy, and it was
this that had drawn him to Jesus.
He desired to show
his gratitude, and at Christ’s last visit to Bethany he
made a feast for the Saviour and H is disciples.
This
feast brought together many of the Jews.
There was
at this time much excitement at Jerusalem.
Christ
and His mission were attracting greater attention
than ever before.
Those who had come to the feast
closely watched His movements, and some of them
with unfriendly eyes.
The Saviour, had reached Bethany only six days
before the Passover, and according to H is custom
had sought rest at the home of Lazarus.
The crowds
of travelers who passed on to the city, spread the tid
ings that He was on H is way to Jerusalem, and that
He would rest over the Sabbath at Bethany.
Among
the
people
there was
great
enthusiasm.
Many
flocked to Bethany, some out of sympathy with Jesus,
This chapter is based on Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-11;
Luke 7:36-50; John 11:55-57; 12 :1-11.
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TH E FEAST AT SIMON’ S HOUSE.
6 6 l
and others from curiosity to see one who had been
raised from the dead.
Many expected to hear from Lazarus a wonder
ful account of scenes witnessed after death.
They
were surprised that he told them nothing.
He had
nothing of this kind to tell.
Inspiration declares,
‘‘The dead know not anything.
.
.
.
Their love,
and their hatred, and their envy is now perished.” 1
But Lazarus did have a wonderful testimony to bear
in regard to the work of Christ.
He had been raised
from the dead for this purpose.
With assurance and
power he declared that Jesus was the Son of God.
The reports carried back to Jerusalem by the visit
ors to Bethany increased the excitement.
The peo
ple were eager to see and hear Jesus.
There was a
general inquiry as to whether Lazarus would accom
pany Him to Jerusalem, and if the prophet would be
crowned king at the Passover.
The priests and
rulers saw that their hold upon the people was still
weakening, and their rage against Jesus grew more
bitter.
They could hardly wait for the opportunity
of removing Him forever from their way.
As time
passed, they began to fear that after all He might not
come to Jerusalem.
They remembered how often
He had baffled their murderous designs, and they
were fearful that He had now read their purposes
against Him, and would remain away.
They could
ill conceal their anxiety, and questioned among them
selves, “ W hat think ye, that He will not come to the
feast?”
A council of the priests and Pharisees was called.
Since the raising of Lazarus the sympathies of the
people were so fully with Christ that it would be
dangerous to seize upon Him openly.
So the au
thorities determined to take Him secretly, and carry
1 Eccl. 9:5,6.
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THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Oil the trial as quietly as possible.
They hoped that
when His condemnation became known, the fickle
tide of public opinion would set in their favor.
Thus they proposed to destroy Jesus.
But so long
as Lazarus lived, the priests and rabbis knew that
they were not secure.
The very existence of a man
who had been four days in the grave, and who had
been restored by a word from Jesus, would sooner
or later cause a reaction.
The people would be
avenged on their leaders for taking the life of One
who could perform such a miracle.
The Sanhedrim
therefore decided that Lazarus also must die.
To
such lengths do envy and prejudice lead their slaves.
Ih e hatred and unbelief of the Jewish leaders had
increased until they would even take the life of one
whom infinite power had rescued from the grave.
While this plotting was going on at Jerusalem, Je
sus and His friends were invited to Simon’s feast. At
the table the Saviour sat with Simon, whom H e had
cured of a loathsome disease, on one side, and Laza
rus, whom He had raised from the dead, on the other.
Martha served at the table, but M ary was earnestly
listening to every word from the lips of Jesus.
In
H is mercy, Jesus had pardoned her sins, H e had
called forth her beloved brother from the grave, and
M ary’s heart was filled with gratitude.
She had
heard Jesus speak of His approaching death, and in
her deep love and sorrow she had longed to show
H im honor.
At great personal sacrifice she had pur
chased an alabaster box of “ ointment of spikenard,
very costly,” with which to anoint His body.
But
now many were declaring that He was about to be
crowned king.
H er grief was turned to joy, and she
was eager to be first in honoring her Lord.
Break
ing her box of ointment, she poured its contents upon
the head and feet of Jesus, then, as she knelt weeping,
moistening them with her tears, she wiped His feet
with her long, flowing hair.
She had sought to avoid observation, and her
movements might have passed unnoticed, but the
ointment filled the room with its fragrance, and pub
lished her act to all present.
Judas looked upon this
act with great displeasure.
Instead of waiting to
hear what Christ would say of the matter, he began
to whisper his complaints to those near him, throw
ing reproach upon Christ for suffering such waste.
Craftily he made suggestions that would be likely to
cause disaffection.
Judas was treasurer for the disciples, and from
their little store he had secretly drawn for his own
use, thus narrowing down their resources to a meager
pittance.
He was eager to put into the bag all that
he could obtain.
The treasure in the bag was often
drawn upon to relieve the poor; and when something
that Judas did not think essential was bought, he
would say, W hy is this waste? why was not the cost
of this put into the bag that I carry for the poor?
Now the act of M ary was in such marked contrast
to his selfishness that he was put to shame; and ac
cording to his custom, he sought to assign a worthy
motive for his objection to her gift.
Turning to the
disciples, he asked, “ W hy was not this ointment sold
for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This
he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because
he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was
put therein.”
Judas had no heart for the poor.
Had
M ary’s ointment been sold, and the proceeds fallen
into his possession, the poor would have received no
benefit.
Judas had a high opinion of his own executive
ability.
As a financier he thought himself greatly
superior to his fellow-disciples, and he had led them
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THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
to regard him in the same light.
He had gained
their confidence, and had a strong influence over
them.
H is professed sympathy for the poor deceived
them, and his artful insinuation caused them to look
distrustfully upon M ary’s devotion.
The murmur
passed round the table, “ To what purpose is this
waste? for this ointment might have been sold for
much, and given to the poor.”
Mary heard the words of criticism.
Her heart
trembled within her.
She feared that her sister would
reproach her for extravagance.
The Master, too,
might think her improvident.
Without apology or
excuse she was about to shrink away, when the voice
of her Lord was heard, “ Let her alone; why trouble
ye her?”
He saw that she was embarrassed and dis
tressed.
He knew that in this act of service she had
expressed her gratitude for the forgiveness of her
sins, and He brought relief to her mind.
Lifting
His voice above the murmur of criticism, He said,
“ She hath wrought a good work on Me.
For ye
have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye
will ye may do them good; but M e ye have not al
ways.
She hath done what she could; she is come
aforehand to anoint M y body to the burying.”
The fragrant gift which M ary had thought to lav
ish upon the dead body of the Saviour, she poured
upon His living form.
At the burial its sweetness
could only have pervaded the tomb, now it gladdened
His heart with the assurance of her faith and love.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus offered not
their gift of love to Jesus in His life.
With bitter
tears they brought their costly spices for H is cold,
unconscious form.
The women who bore spices to
the tomb found their errand in vain, for He had risen.
Rut Mary, pouring out her love upon the Saviour
while He was conscious of her devotion, was anoint
ing Him for the burial.
And as H e went down into
the darkness of His great trial, He earned with Him
the memory of that deed, an earnest of the love that
would be H is from His redeemed ones forever.
Many there are who bring their precious gifts for
the dead.
A s they stand about the cold, silent form,
words of love are freely spoken.
Tenderness, appre
ciation, devotion, all are lavished upon one who sees
not nor hears.
Had these words been spoken when
the weary spirit needed them so much; when the ear
could hear, and the heart could feel, how precious
would have been their fragrance.
M ary knew not the full significance of her deed of
love.
She could not answer her accusers.
She could
not explain why she had chosen that occasion for
anointing Jesus.
The Holy Spirit had planned for
her, and she had obeyed His promptings.
Inspira
tion stoops to give no reason.
An unseen presence,
it speaks to mind and soul, and moves the heart to
action.
It is its own justification.
Christ told M ary the meaning of her act, and in
this He gave her more than He had received.
“ In
that she hath poured this ointment on M y body,” He
said, “ she did it for My burial.”
A s the alabaster
box was broken, and filled the whole house with its
fragrance, so Christ was* to die, His body was to be
broken; but H e was to rise from the tomb, and the
fragrance of H is life was to fill the earth.
Christ
“ hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an of
fering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savor.” 2
“ Verily I say unto you,” Christ declared, “ where
soever this gospel shall be preached throughout the
whole world, this also that she hath done shall be
spoken of for a memorial of her.”
Looking into the
J Eph. 5:2.
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666
THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
future, the Saviour spoke with certainty concerning
H is gospel.
It was to be preached throughout the
world.
And as far as the gospel extended, Mary’s
gift would shed its fragrance, and hearts would be
blessed through her unstudied act.
Kingdoms would
rise and fall; the names of monarchs and conquerors
would be forgotten; but this woman’s deed would be
immortalized
upon the pages of sacred
history.
Until time should be no more, that broken alabaster
box would tell the story of the abundant love of God
for a fallen race.
M ary’s act was in marked contrast with that which
Judas was about to do.
What a sharp lesson Christ
might have given him who had dropped the seed of
criticism and evil-thinking into the minds of the dis
ciples.
How justly the accuser might have been ac
cused.
He who reads the motives of every heart, and
understands every action, might have opened before
those at the feast dark chapters in the experience of
Judas.
The hollow pretense on which the traitor
based his words might have been laid bare; for in
stead of sympathizing with the poor, he was robbing
them of the money intended for their relief.
Indig
nation might have been excited against him for his
oppression of the widow, the orphan, and the hire
ling.
But had Christ unmasked Judas, this would
have been urged as a reason for the betrayal.
And
though charged with being a thief, Judas would have
gained sympathy, even among the disciples.
The
Saviour reproached him not, and thus avoided giv
ing him an excuse for his treachery.
But the look which Jesus cast upon Judas con
vinced him that the Saviour penetrated his hypocrisy,
and read his base, contemptible character.
And in
commending M ary’s action, which had been so se
verely condemned, Christ had rebuked Judas.
Prior
to this, the Saviour had never given him a direct
rebuke.
Now the reproof rankled in his heart.
H e
determined to be revenged.
From the supper he
went directly to the palace of the high priest, where
he found the council assembled, and he offered to
betray Jesus into their hands.
The priests were greatly rejoiced.
These leaders
of Israel had been given the privilege of receiving
Christ as their Saviour, without money and without
price.
But they refused the precious gift offered
them in the most tender spirit of constraining love.
They refused to accept that salvation which is of more-
value than gold, and bought their Lord for thirty
pieces of silver.
Judas had indulged avarice until it overpowered
every good trait of his character.
He grudged the
offering made to Jesus.
His heart burned with envy
that the Saviour should be the recipient of a gift suit
able for the monarchs of the earth.
F o r a sum far
less than the box of ointment cost, he betrayed his
Lord.
The disciples were not like Judas.
They loved
the Saviour.
But they did not rightly appreciate His
exalted character.
Had they realized what He had
done for them, they would have felt that nothing be
stowed upon Him was wasted.
The wise men from
the East, who knew so little of Jesus, had shown a
truer appreciation of the honor due Him.
They
brought precious gifts to the Saviour, and bowed in
homage before Plim, when He was but a babe, and
cradled in a manger.
Christ values acts of heartfelt courtesy.
When any
one did Him a favor, with heavenly politeness He
blessed the actor.
H e did not refuse the simplest
flower plucked by the hand of a child, and offered to
Him in love.
H e accepted the offerings of children,
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THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
and blessed the givers, inscribing their names in the
book of life.
In the Scriptures, M ary’s anointing of
Jesus is mentioned as distinguishing her from the
other Marys.
Acts of love and reverence for Jesus
are an evidence of faith in Him as the Son of God.
And the H oly Spirit mentions, as evidences of
woman’s loyalty to Christ: “ If she have washed the
saints’ feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she
have diligently followed every good work.” 3
Christ delighted in the earnest desire of Mary to do
the will of her Lord.
He accepted the wealth of pure
affection which His disciples did not, would not un
derstand.
The desire that Mary had to do this serv
ice for the Lord was of more value to Christ than all
the precious ointment in the world, because it ex
pressed her appreciation of the world’s Redeemer.
It was the love of Christ that constrained her.
The
matchless excellence of the character of Christ filled
her soul.
That ointment was a symbol of the heart
of the giver.
It was the outward demonstration of a
love fed by heavenly streams until it overflowed.
The work of Mary was just the lesson the disciples
needed to show them that the expression of their love
for Him would be pleasing to Christ.
H e had been
everything to them, and they did not realize that soon
they would be deprived of His presence, that soon
they could offer Him no token of their gratitude for
His great love.
The loneliness of Christ, separated
from the heavenly courts, living the life of humanity,
was never understood or appreciated by the disciples
as it should have been.
H e was often grieved be
cause His disciples did not give Him that which He
should have received from them.
He knew that if
they were under the influence of the heavenly angels
that accompanied Him, they too would think no of-
* i Tim. 5:10.
fering of sufficient value to declare the heart’s spirit
ual affection.
Ih e ir after-knowledge gave them a true sense of
the many things they might have done for Jesus ex
pressive of the love and gratitude of their hearts,
while they were near Him.
When Jesus was no
longer with them, and they felt indeed as sheep with
out a shepherd, they began to see how they might
have shown Him attentions that would have brought
gladness to H is heart.
They no longer cast blame
upon Mary, but upon themselves.
O, if they could
have taken back their censuring, their presenting the
poor as more worthy of the gift than was Christ!
They felt the reproof keenly as they took from the
cross the bruised body of their Lord.
The same want is evident in our world to-day.
But
few appreciate all that Christ is to them.
If they did,
the great love of Mary would be expressed, the
anointing would be freely bestowed.
The expensive
ointment would not be called a waste.
Nothing
would be thought too costly to give for Christ, no
self-denial or self-sacrifice too great to be endured for
His sake.
The words spoken in indignation, “ To what pur
pose is this waste?” brought vividly before Christ the
greatest sacrifice ever made,— the gift of Himself as
the propitiation for a lost world.
The Lord would
be so bountiful to His human family that it could not
be said of Him that He could do more.
In the gift
of Jesus, God gave all heaven.
From a human point
of view, such a sacrifice was a wanton waste.
To
human reasoning the whole plan of salvation is a
waste of mercies and resources.
Self-denial and
whole-hearted sacrifice meet us everywhere.
Well
may the heavenly host look with amazement upon the
human family who refuse to be uplifted and enriched
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670
THE D ESIR E OF AGES.
with the boundless love expressed in Christ.
Well
may they exclaim, Why this great waste?
But the atonement for a lost world was to be full,
abundant, and complete.
Christ’s offering was ex
ceedingly abundant to reach every soul that God had
created.
It could not be restricted so as not to ex
ceed the number who would accept the great Gift.
A ll men are not saved; yet the plan of redemption is
not a waste because it does not accomplish all that its
liberality has provided for.
There must be enough
and to spare.
Simon the host had been influenced by the criti
cism of Judas upon M ary’s gift, and he was surprised
at the conduct of Jesus.
H is Pharisaic pride was of
fended.
He knew that many of his guests were look
ing upon Christ with distrust and displeasure.
Simon
said in his heart, “ This man, if He were a prophet,
would have known who and what manner of woman
this is that toucheth Him ; for she is a sinner.”
B y curing Simon of leprosy, Christ had saved him
from a living death.
But now Simon questioned
whether the Saviour were a prophet.
Because
Christ allowed this woman to approach Him, be
cause He did not indignantly spurn her as one
whose sins were too great to be forgiven, because He
did not show that He realized she had fallen, Simon
was tempted to think that He was not a prophet.
Jesus knows nothing of this woman who is so free in
her demonstrations, he thought, or H e would not
allow her to touch Him.
But it was Simon’s ignorance of God and of Christ
that led him to think as he did.
He did not realize
that God’s Son must act in God’s way, with compas
sion, tenderness, and mercy.
Simon’s way was to
take no notice of M ary’s penitent service.
H er act
of kissing Christ’s feet and anointing them with oint
ment was exasperating to his hard heartedness.
He
thought that if Christ were a prophet, H e would rec
ognize sinners and rebuke them.
To this unspoken thought the Saviour answered*
“ Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee.
.
.
,
There was a certain creditor which had two debtors;
the one owed five hundred pence and the other fifty.
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly for
gave them both.
Tell Me therefore, which of them
will love him most?
Simon answered and said, I
suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.
And H e
said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”
As did Nathan with David, Christ concealed H is
home thrust under the veil of a parable.
He threw
upon His host the burden of pronouncing sentence
upon himself.
Simon had led into sin the woman he
now despised.
She had been deeply wronged by
him.
By the two debtors of the parable, Simon and
the woman were represented.
Jesus did not design
to teach that different degrees of obligation should be
felt by the two persons, for each owed a debt of grati
tude that never could be repaid.
But Simon felt
himself more righteous than Mary, and Jesus desired
him to see how great his guilt really was.
He would
show him that his sin was greater than hers, as much
greater as a debt of five hundred pence exceeds a debt
of fifty pence.
Simon now began to see himself in a new light.
He saw how M ary was regarded by One who was
more than a prophet.
He saw that with keen pro
phetic eye Christ read her heart of love and devotion.
Shame seized upon him, and he realized that he was
in the presence of One superior to himself.
“ I entered into thine house,” Christ continued,
“thou gavest Me no water for My feet;” but with
tears of repentance, prompted by love, Mary hath
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OJ2
THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
washed M y feet, and wiped them with the hair of her
head.
“ Thou gavest Me no kiss; but this woman,”
whom you despise, “ since the time I came in hath not
ceased to kiss M y feet.”
Christ recounted the oppor
tunities Simon had had to show his love for his Lord,
and his appreciation of what had been done for him.
Plainly, yet with delicate politeness, the Saviour as
sured His disciples that his heart is grieved when His
children neglect to show their gratitude to Him by
words and deeds of love.
The Heart-searcher read the motive that led to
M ary’s action, and He saw also the spirit that
prompted Simon’s words.
“ Seest thou this woman?”
He said to him.
She is a sinner.
“ I say unto thee,
her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved
much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth
little.”
Simon’s coldness and neglect toward the Saviour
showed how little he appreciated the mercy he had
received.
He had thought he honored Jesus by in
viting Him to his house.
But he now saw himself
as he really was.
While he thought himself reading
his Guest, his Guest had been reading him.
H e saw
how true Christ’s judgment of him was.
H is re
ligion had been a robe of Pharisaism.
H e had de
spised the compassion of Jesus.
He had not recog
nized Him as the representative of God.
While
Mary was a sinner pardoned, he was a sinner un
pardoned.
The rigid rule of justice he had desired
to enforce against her, condemned him.
Simon was touched by the kindness of Jesus in not
openly rebuking him before the guests.
H e had not
been treated as he desired Mary to be treated.
He
saw that Jesus did not wish to expose his guilt to
others, but sought by a true statement of the case to
convince his mind, and by pitying kindness to sub
due his heart.
Stern
denunciation
would
have
hardened Simon against repentance, but patient ad
monition convinced him of his error.
He saw the
magnitude of the debt which he owed his Lord.
His
pride was humbled, he repented, and the proud Phar
isee became a lowly, self-sacrificing disciple.
M ary had been looked upon as a great sinner, but
Christ knew the circumstances that had shaped her
life.
He might have extinguished every spark of
hope in her soul, but He did not.
It was He who
had lifted her from despair and ruin.
Seven times
she had heard His rebuke of the demons that con
trolled her heart and mind.
She had heard His
strong cries to the Father in her behalf.
She knew
how offensive is sin to His unsullied purity, and in
His strength she had overcome.
When to human eyes her case appeared hopeless,
Christ saw in M ary capabilities for good.
He saw
the better traits of her character.
The plan of re
demption has invested humanity with great possibili
ties, and in M ary these possibilities were to be real
ized.
Through His grace she became a partaker of the
divine nature.
The one who had fallen, and whose
mind had been a habitation of demons, was brought
very near to the Saviour in fellowship and ministry.
It was M ary who sat at His feet and learned of Him.
It was M ary who poured upon His head the precious
anointing oil, and bathed His feet with her tears.
Mary stood beside the cross, and followed Him to the
sepulcher.
M ary was first at the tomb after His res
urrection.
It was Mary who first proclaimed a risen
Saviour.
Jesus knows the circumstances of every soul.
You
may say, I am sinful, very sinful.
You may be; but
the worse you are, the more you need Jesus.
He
turns no weeping, contrite one away.
He does not
43
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6 7 3
674
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
tell to any all that H e might reveal, but He bids every
trembling soul take courage.
Freely will He pardon
all who come to Him for forgiveness and restoration.
Christ might commission the angels of heaven to
pour out the vials of His wrath on our world, to de
stroy those who are filled with hatred of God.
He
might wipe this dark spot from His universe.
But
He does not do this.
H e is to-day standing at the
altar of incense, presenting before God the prayers
of those who desire His help.
The souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts
above the accusing and the strife of tongues.
No
man or evil angel can impeach these souls.
Christ
unites them to His own divine-human nature.
They
stand beside the great Sin-bearer, in the light pro
ceeding from the throne of God.
“ Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God’s elect?
It is God that
justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ
that died; yea rather, that is risen again, who is even
at the right hand of God, who also maketh interces
sion for us.” 1
1 Rom. 8:33,34.
THE ICING COMETH.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE.
“ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem.
Behold, thy K ing cometh
unto thee; H e is just, and having salvation; lowly,
and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of
an ass.” 1
Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the
prophet Zechariah thus foretold the coming of’ the
King to Israel.
This prophecy is now to be ful
filled.
He who has so long refused royal honors,
now^ comes to Jerusalem as the promised heir to
David’s throne.
It was on the first day of the week that Christ
made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Multi
tudes who had flocked to see Him at Bethany, now
accompanied Him, eager to witness His reception.
Many people were on their way to the city to keep
the Passover, and these joined the multitude attend
ing Jesus.
All nature seemed to rejoice.
The trees
were clothed with verdure, and their blossoms shed
a delicate fragrance on the air.
A new life and joy
animated the people.
The,hope of the new kingdom
was again springing up.
Purposing to ride into Jerusalem, Jesus had sent two
of Plis disciples to bring to Him an ass and its colt.
At H is birth the Saviour was dependent upon the hos-
Ihis chapter is based on Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1- 0; Luke
19:29-44; John 12:12-19.
1 Zech. 9:9.
( 6 7 5 )
676
THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
pitality of strangers.
The manger in which H e lay,
was a borrowed resting-place.
Now, although the
cattle on a thousand hills are His, He is dependent
on a stranger’s kindness for an animal on which to
enter Jerusalem as its King.
But again His divinity
is revealed, even in the minute directions given His
disciples for this errand.
As H e foretold, the plea,
“ The Lord hath need of them,” was readily granted.
Jesus chose for His use the colt on which never man
had sat.
The disciples, with glad enthusiasm, spread
their garments on the beast, and seated their Master
upon it.
Heretofore Jesus had always traveled on
foot, and the disciples had at first wondered that He
should now choose to ride.
But hope brightened in
their hearts with the joyous thought that He was
about to enter the capital, proclaim Himself King,
and assert His royal power.
While on their errand
they communicated their glowing expectations to the
friends of Jesus, and the excitement spread far and
near, raising the expectations of the people to the
highest pitch.
Christ was following the Jewish custom for a royal
entry.
The animal on which H e rode was that rid
den by the kings of Israel, and prophecy had fore
told that thus the Messiah should come to His king
dom.
No sooner was He seated upon the colt than
a loud shout of triumph rent the air.
The multitude
hailed Him as Messiah, their King.
Jesus now ac
cepted the homage which He had never before per
mitted, and the disciples received this as proof that
their glad hopes were to be realized by seeing Him
established on the throne.
The multitude were con
vinced that the hour of their emancipation was at
hand.
In imagination they saw the Roman armies
driven from Jerusalem, and Israel once more an in
dependent nation.
All were happy and excited; the
THE KING COMETH.
677
people vied with one another in paying Him homage.
1 hey could not display outward pomp and splendor,
but they gave' Him the worship of happy hearts.
They were unable to present Him with costly gifts,
but they spread their outer garments as a car
pet in His path, and they also strewed the leafy
branches of the olive and the palm in the way.
They
could lead the triumphal procession with no royal
standards, but they cut down the spreading palm
boughs, Nature’s emblem of victory, and waved them
aloft with loud acclamations and hosannas.
A s they proceeded, the multitude was continually
increased by those who had heard of the coming of
Jesus and hastened to join the procession.
Spec
tators were constantly mingling with the throng, and
asking, W ho is this?
What does all this commotion
signify?
1 hey had all heard of Jesus, and expected
Him to go to Jerusalem; but they knew that He had
heretofore discouraged all effort to place Him on the
throne, and they were greatly astonished to learn that
this was He.
They wondered what could have
wrought this change in Him who had declared that
His kingdom was not of this world.
! heir questionings are silenced by a shout of tri
umph.
Again and again it is repeated by the eager
llirong; it is taken up by the people afar off, and
echoed from the surrounding hills and valleys.
And
now the procession is joined by crowds from Jerusa
lem.
Prom the multitudes gathered to attend the
I^assover, thousands go forth
to welcome Jesus,
ihev greet Him with the waving of palm branches
and a burst of sacred song.
The priests at the tem-
pie sound the trumpet for evening service, but there
are few to respond, and the rulers sav to one another
in alarm, “ The world has gone after Him.”
Never before in His earthly life had Jesus per
678
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
mitted such a demonstration.
He clearly foresaw
the result.
It would bring Him to the cross.
But it
was His purpose thus publicly to present Himself as
the Redeemer.
He desired to call attention to the
sacrifice that was to crown H is mission to a fallen
world.
While the people were assembling at Jeru
salem to celebrate the Passover, He, the antitypical
Lamb, by a voluntary act set Himself apart as an
oblation.
It would be needful for H is church in all
succeeding ages to make His. death for the sins of
the world a subject of deep thought and study.
Every fact connected with it should be verified be
yond a doubt.
It was necessary, then, that the eyes
of all people should now be directed to Him; the events
which preceded His great sacrifice must be such as
to call attention to the sacrifice itself.
After such a
demonstration as that attending His entry into Jeru
salem, all eyes would follow H is rapid progress to
the final scene.
The events connected with this triumphal ride
would
be
the talk of
every tongue, and would
bring Jesus before every mind.
After H is cruci
fixion, many would recall these events in their con
nection with His trial and death.
They would be
led to search the prophecies, and would be convinced
that Jesus was the Messiah; and in all lands converts
to the faith would be multiplied.
In this one triumphant
scene of
His
earthly
life, the Saviour might have appeared escorted by
heavenly angels, and heralded by the trump of God;
but such a demonstration would have been contrary
to the purpose of H is mission, contrary to the law
which had governed His life.
H e remained true to
the humble lot He had accepted.
The burden of
humanity He must bear until His life was given for
the life of the world.
TH E KING COMETH.
679
This day, which seemed to the disciples the crown
ing day of their lives, would have been shadowed with
gloomy clouds had they known that this scene of re
joicing was but a prelude to the suffering and death
of their Master.
Although He had repeatedly told
them of His certain sacrifice, yet in the glad triumph
of the present they forgot His sorrowful words, and
looked forward to H is prosperous reign on David’s
throne.
New accessions were made continually to the pro
cession, and, With few exceptions, all who joined it
caught the inspiration of the hour, and helped to swell
the hosannas that echoed and re-echoed from hill to
hill and from valley to valley.
The shouts went up
continually, ‘-'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed
is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!
H o
sanna in the highest!”
Never before had the world seen such a triumphal
procession.
It was not like that of the earth’s famous
conquerors.
No train of mourning captives, as tro
phies of kingly valor, make a feature of that scene.
But about the Saviour were the glorious trophies of
H is labors of love for sinful man.
There were the
captives whom He had rescued from Satan’s power,
praising God for their deliverance.
The blind whom
He had restored to sight, were leading the way.
The
dumb whose tongues He had loosed, shouted the
loudest hosannas.
The cripples whom He had
healed, bounded with joy, and were the most active
in breaking the palm branches and waving them be
fore the Saviour.
Widows and orphans were exalt
ing the name of Jesus for His works of mercy to
them.
The lepers whom He had cleansed, spread
their untainted garments in H is path, and hailed Him
as the King of Glory.
Those whom H is voice had
awakened from the sleep of death were in that
68o
THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
throng.
Lazarus, whose body had seen corruption
in the grave, but who now rejoiced in the strength
of glorious manhood, led the beast on which the
Saviour rode.
Many Pharisees witnessed the scene, and, burning
with envy and malice, sought to turn the current of
popular feeling.
With all their authority they tried
to silence the people; but their appeals and threats
only increased the enthusiasm.
They feared that
this multitude, in the strength of their numbers,
would make Jesus king.
A s a last resort they pressed
through the crowd to where the Saviour was, and
accosted Him with reproving and threatening words:
“ Master, rebuke thy disciples.”
They declared~that
such noisy demonstrations were unlawful, and would
not be permitted by the authorities.
But they were
silenced by the reply of Jesus, “ I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out.”
That scene of triumph was of God’s own
appointing.
It had been foretold by the prophet, and
man was powerless to turn aside God’s purpose.
Had
men failed to carry out His plan, H e would have given
a voice to the inanimate stones, and they would have
hailed His Son with acclamations of praise.
A s the
silenced Pharisees drew back, the words of Zecha-
riah were taken up by hundreds of voices: “ Rejoice
greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem.
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He
is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon
an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.”
When the procession reached the brow of the hill,
and was about to descend into the city, Jesus halted,
and all the multitude with Him.
Before them lay
Jerusalem in its glory, now bathed in the light of the
declining sun.
The temple attracted all eyes.
In
stately grandeur it towered above all else, seeming to
THE KING COMETH.
point toward heaven as if directing the people to the
only true and living God.
The temple had long been
the pride and glory of the Jewish nation. The Romans
also prided themselves in its magnificence.
A king
appointed by the Romans had united with the Jews
to rebuild and embellish it, and the emperor of Rome
had enriched it with his gifts.
Its strength, richness,
and magnificence had made it one of the wonders of
the world.
While the westering sun was tinting and gilding the
heavens, its resplendent glory lighted up the pure
white marble of the temple walls, and sparkled on its
gold-capped pillars.
From the crest of the hill where
Jesus and H is followers stood, it had the appearance
of a massive structure of snow, set with golden pin
nacles.
A t fhe entrance to the temple was a vine of
gold and silver, with green leaves and massive clus
ters of grapes executed by the most skilful artists.
This design represented Israel as a prosperous vine.
The gold, silver, and living green were combined
with rare taste and exquisite workmanship; as it
twined gracefully about the white and glistening pil
lars, clinging with shining tendrils to their golden
ornaments, it caught the splendor of the setting sun,
shining as if with a glory borrowed from heaven.
Jesus gazes upon the scene, and the vast multitude
hush their shouts, spellbound by the sudden vision of
beauty.
All eyes turn upon the Saviour, expecting to
see in H is countenance the admiration they them
selves feel.
But instead of this they behold a cloud
of sorrow.
They are surprised and disappointed to
see His eyes fill with tears, and His body rock to and
fro like a tree before the tempest, while a wail of
anguish bursts from His quivering lips, as if from the
depths of a broken heart.
What a sight was this for
angels to behold! their loved Commander in an agony
681
682
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of tears!
What a sight was this for the glad throng
that with shouts of triumph and the waving of palm
branches were escorting Him to the glorious city,
where they fondly hoped He was about to reign.
Jesus had wept at the grave of Lazarus, but it was
in a Godlike grief in sympathy with human woe.
But this sudden sorrow was like a note of wailing
in a grand triumphal chorus.
In the midst of a scene
of rejoicing, where all were paying Him homage,
Israel’s King was in tears; not silent tears of glad
ness, but tears and groans of insuppressible agony.
The multitude were struck with a sudden gloom.
Their acclamations were silenced.
Many wept in
sympathy with a grief they could not comprehend.
The tears of Jesus were not in anticipation of His
own suffering.
Just before Him was Gethsemane,
where soon the horror of a great darkness would
overshadow Him.
The sheep gate also was in sight,
through which for centuries the beasts for sacrificial
offerings had been led.
This gate was soon to open
for Him, the great Antitype, toward whose sacrifice
for the sins of the world all these offerings had pointed.
Near by was Calvary, the scene of His approaching
agony.
Yet it was not because of these reminders of
His cruel death that the Redeemer wept and groaned
in anguish of spirit.
His was no selfish sorrow.
The
thought of His own agony did not intimidate that
noble, self-sacrificing soul.
It was the sight of Jeru
salem that pierced the heart of Jesus,—Jerusalem
that had rejected the Son of God and scorned His
love, that refused to be convinced by His mighty
miracles, and was about to take His life.
He saw
what she was in her guilt of rejecting her Redeemer,
and what she might have been had she accepted Him
who alone could heal her wound.
He had come to
save her; how could He give her up?
THE KING COMETH.
683
• Israel had been a favored people; God had made
their temple His habitation; it was “ beautiful for
situation, the joy of the whole earth.” 2
The record
of more than a thousand years of Christ’s guardian
care and tender love, such as a father bears his only
child, was there.
In that temple the prophets had
uttered their solemn warnings.
There had the burn
ing censers waved, while incense, mingled with the
prayers of the worshipers, had ascended to God.
There the blood of beasts had flowed, typical of the
blood of Christ.
There Jehovah had manifested His
glory above the mercy-seat.
There the priests had
officiated, and the pomp of symbol and ceremony had
gone on for ages.
But all this must have an end.
Jesus raised His hand,— that had so often blessed
the sick and suffering,— and waving it toward the
doomed city, in broken utterances of grief exclaimed:
“ If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy
day, the things which belong unto thy peace!__”
Here the Saviour paused, and left unsaid what might
have been the condition of Jerusalem, had she ac
cepted the help that God desired to give her,__the
gift of His beloved Son.
If Jerusalem had known
what it was her privilege to know, and had heeded
the light which Heaven had sent her, she might have
stood forth in the pride of prosperity, the queen of
kingdoms, free in the strength of her God-given
power.
There would have been no armed soldiers
standing at her gates, no Roman banners waving
from her walls.
The glorious destiny that might
have blessed Jerusalem, had she accepted her Re
deemer, rose before the Son of God.
He saw that
she might through Him have been healed of her
grievous malady, liberated from bondage, and estab
lished as the mighty metropolis of the earth.
From
sPs. 48:2.
684
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
her walls the dove of peace would have gone forth to
all nations.
She would have been the world’s dia
dem of glory.
But the bright picture of what Jerusalem might
have been fades from the Saviour’s sight.
He real
izes what she now is under the Roman yoke, bearing
the frown of God, doomed to His retributive judg
ment.
He takes up the broken thread of His lamen
tation: “ But now they are hid from thine eyes.
For
the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies
shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee
round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay
thee even with the ground, and thy children within
thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon
another; because thou knewest not the time of thy
visitation.”
Christ came to save Jerusalem with her children;
but Pharisaical pride, hypocrisy, jealousy, and malice
had prevented Him from accomplishing His purpose.
Jesus knew the terrible retribution which would be
visited upon the doomed city.
He saw Jerusalem
encompassed with armies, the besieged inhabitants
driven to starvation and death, mothers feeding upon
the dead bodies of their own children, and both
parents and children snatching the last morsel of food
from one another, natural affection being destroyed
by the gnawing pangs of hunger.
He saw that the
stubbornness of the Jews, as evinced in their rejec
tion of His salvation, would also lead them to refuse
submission to the invading armies.
He beheld Cal
vary, on which He was to be lifted up, set with crosses
as thickly as forest trees.
He saw the wretched in
habitants suffering torture on the rack, and by cruci
fixion, the beautiful palaces destroyed, the temple in
ruins, and of its massive walls not one stone left upon
another, while the city was plowed like a field.
Well
THY KING COMETH.
685
might the Saviour weep in agony in view of that fear
ful scene.
Jerusalem had been the child of His care, and as
a tender father mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus
wept over the beloved city.
How can 1 give thee
up?
How can 1 see thee devoted to destruction?
Must I let thee go to fill up the cup of thine iniquity?
One soul is of such value that, in comparison with
. it, worlds sink into insignificance; but here was a
whole nation to be lost.
When the fast westering
sun should pass from sight in the heavens, ferusa-
lem’s day of grace would be ended.
While the
procession was halting on the brow of Olivet, it was
not yet too late for Jerusalem to repent.
The angel
of mercy was then folding her wings to step down
from the golden throne to give place to justice and
swift-coming judgment.
But Christ’s great heart of
love still pleaded for Jerusalem, that had scorned His
mercies, despised His warnings, and was about to
imbrue her hands in His blood.
If Jerusalem would
but repent, it was not yet too late.
While the last
rays of the setting sun were lingering on temple,
tower, and pinnacle, would not some good angel lead
her to the Saviour’s love, and avert her doom?
Beautiful and unholy city, that had stoned the
prophets, that had rejected the Son of God, that was
locking herself by her impenitence in fetters of bond-
a£e-
her day of mercy was almost spent!
^ ^et again the Spirit of God speaks to Jerusalem.
Before the da)- is done, another testimony is borne to
Christ.
The voice of witness is lifted up, respond
ing to the call from a prophetic past.
If Jerusalem
will hear the call, if she will receive the Saviour who
is entering her gates, she may yet be saved.’
Reports have reached the rulers in Jerusalem that
Jesus is approaching the city with a great concourse
6 8 6
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S .
of people.
Eut they have no welcome for the Son
of God.
In fear they go out to meet Him, hoping to
disperse the throng.
As the procession is about to
descend the Mount of Olives, it is intercepted by the
rulers.
They inquire the cause of the tumultuous
rejoicing.
As they question, “ W ho is this?” the dis
ciples, filled with the spirit of inspiration, answer this
question.
In
eloquent
strains
they
repeat
the
prophecies concerning Christ:—
Adam will tell you, It is the seed of the woman that
shall bruise the serpent’s head.
Ask Abraham, he will tell you, It is “ Melchizedek,
King of Salem,” 3 King of Peace.
Jacob will tell you, He is Shiloh of the tribe of
Judah.
Isaiah will tell you, “ Immanuel,” “ Wonderful,
Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace.” 4
Jeremiah will tell you, The Branch of David, “ the
Lord our Righteousness,” 5
Daniel will tell you, He is the Messiah.
Hosea will tell you, He is “the Lord God of hosts;
the Lord is His memorial.” 6
John the Baptist will tell you, He is “ the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” 7
The great Jehovah has proclaimed from His
throne, “ This is My beloved Son.” 8
We, His disciples, declare, This is Jesus, the Mes
siah, the Prince of life, the Redeemer of the world.
And the prince of the powers of darkness acknowl
edges Him, saying, “ I know Thee who Thou art, the
Holy One of God.”9
3Gen. 14:18.
4Isa. 7:14; 9:6.
5Jer. 23:6.
6Hosea 12:5.
TJohn 1:29.
8Matt. 3:17.
’ Mark 1:24.
A DOOMED PFOPLE.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR.
‘
The triumphal ride of Christ into Jerusalem was
the dim foreshadowing of His coming in the clouds
of heaven with power and glory, amid the triumph
of angels and the rejoicing of the saints.
Then will
be fulfilled the words of Christ to the priests and
Pharisees: “ Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye
shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of
the Lord.” 1
In prophetic vision
Zechariah
was
shown that day of final triumph; and he beheld also
the doom of those who at the first advent had rejected
Christ: “ They shall look upon Me whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as
one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness
for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his first
born.” 2
This scene Christ foresaw when He beheld
the city and wept over it.
In the temporal ruin of
Jerusalem He saw the final destruction of that people
who were guilty of the blood of the Son of God.
The disciples saw the hatred of the Jews to Christ,
but they did not yet see to what it would lead.
They
did not yet understand the true condition of Israel,
nor comprehend the retribution that was to fall upon
Jerusalem.
This Christ opened to them by a sig
nificant object-lesson.
The last appeal to Jerusalem had been in vain.
This chapter is based on Mark 11:11-14, 20, 21; Matt, 21:17-19.
7Matt. 23:39.
2Zech. 12:10.
( 687 )
688
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The priests and rulers had heard the prophetic voice
of the past echoed by the multitude, in answer to the
question, “W ho is this?” but they did not accept it as
the voice of inspiration.
In anger and amazement
they tried to silence the people.
There were Roman
officers in the throng and to them His enemies de
nounced Jesus as the leader of a rebellion.
They
represented that He was about to take possession of
the temple, and reign as king in Jerusalem.
But the calm voice of Jesus hushed for a moment
the clamorous throng as He again declared that He
had not come to establish a temporal rule; He should
soon ascend to His Father, and His accusers would
see Him no more until He should come again in
glory.
Then, too late for their salvation, they would
acknowledge Him.
These words Jesus spoke with
sadness and with singular
power.
The
Roman
officers were silenced and subdued.
Their hearts,
though strangers to divine influence, were moved as
they had never been moved before.
In the calm,
solemn face of Jesus they read love, benevolence, and
quiet dignity.
They were stirred by a sympathy they
could not understand.
Instead of arresting Jesus,
they were more inclined to pay Him homage.
Turn
ing upon the priests and rulers, they charged them
with creating the disturbance.
These leaders, cha
grined and defeated, turned to the people with their
complaints, and disputed angrily among themselves.
Meanwhile Jesus passed unnoticed to the temple.
All was quiet there, for the scene upon Olivet had
called away the people.
For a short time Jesus re
mained at the temple, looking upon it with sorrowful
eyes.
Then Fie withdrew with His disciples, and
returned to Bethany.
When the people sought for
Him to place Him on the throne, He was not to be
found.
A DOOMED PEOPLE.
689
The entire night Jesus spent in prayer, and in the
morning lie came again to the temple.
On the way
Fie passed a fig-orchard.
He was hungry, “ and
seeing a fig-tree afar off having leaves, He came, if
haply He might find anything thereon; and when He
came to it, Fie found nothing but leaves; for the
time of figs was not yet.”
It was not the season for ripe figs, except in certain
localities, and on the highlands about Jerusalem it
might truly be said, “The time of figs was not yet.”
But in the orchard to which Jesus came, one tree
appeared to be in advance of all the others.
It was
already covered with leaves.
It is the nature of the
fig-tree that before the leaves open, the growing fruit
appears.
Therefore this tree in full leaf gave promise
of well-developed fruit.
But its appearance was
deceptive.
Upon searching its branches, from the
lowest bough to the topmost twig, Jesus found “ noth
ing but leaves.”
It was a mass of pretentious foli
age, nothing more.
Christ uttered against it a withering curse.
“ No
man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever,” He said.
I he next morning, as the Saviour and His disciples
were again on their way to the city, the blasted
branches and drooping leaves attracted their atten
tion.
Master,
said Peter, “ behold, the fig-tree
which Thou cursedst is withered away.”
Christ s act in cursing the fig-tree had astonished
the disciples.
It seemed to them unlike His ways
and works.
Often they had heard Him declare that
He came not to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved.
They remem
bered His words, “ The Son of man is not come to
destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” 3
His won
derful works had been done to restore, never to
3 Luke 9:56.
44
destroy.
The disciples had known Him only as the
Restorer, the Healer.
This act stood alone.
What
was its purpose? they questioned.
God “delighteth in mercy.”
“ As I live, saith the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked.” 4
To Him the work of destruction and the
denunciation of judgment is a “strange work.” 5
But
it is in mercy and love that He lifts the veil from the
future, and reveals to men the results of a course
of sin.
The cursing of the fig-tree was an acted parable.
That barren tree, flaunting its pretentious foliage in
the very face of Christ, was a symbol of the Jewish
nation.
The Saviour desired to make plain to His
disciples the cause and the certainty of Israel’s doom.
For this purpose He invested the tree with moral
qualities, and made it the expositor of divine truth.
The Jews stood forth distinct from all other nations,
professing
allegiance
to God.
They had
been
specially favored by Him, and they laid claim to
righteousness above every other people.
But they
were corrupted by the love of the world and the greed
f
of gain.
Thy" boasted of their knowledge, but they
were ignorant of the requirements of God, and were
full of hypocrisy.
Like the barren tree, they spread
their pretentious branches aloft, luxuriant in appear
ance, and beautiful to the eye, but they yielded “noth
ing but leaves.”
The Jewish religion, with its
magnificent
temple, its sacred altars, its mitred
priests and impressive ceremonies, was indeed fair in
outward appearance, but humility, love, and benev
olence were lacking.
All the trees in the fig-orchard were destitute of
fruit; but the leafless trees raised no expectation, and
caused no disappointment.
By these trees the Gen-
‘ Micah 7:18; Eze. 33:11.
6Isa. 28:21.
690
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
A DOOMED PEOPLE.
691
tiles were represented.
They were as destitute as
were the Jews of godliness; but they had not pro
fessed to serve God.
They made no boastful pre
tensions to goodness.
They were blind to the works
and ways of God.
With them the time of figs was
not yet.
They were still waiting for a day which
would bring them light and hope.
The Jews, who
had received greater blessings from God, were held
accountable for their abuse of these gifts.
The
privileges of which they boasted, only increased their
guilt.
Jesus had come to the fig-tree hungry, to find food.
So He had come to Israel, hungering to find in them
the fruits of righteousness.
He had lavished on them
His gifts, that they might bear fruit for the blessing
of the world.
Every opportunity and privilege had
been granted them, and in return He sought their
sympathy and co-operation in His work of grace.
He longed to see in them self-sacrifice and compas
sion, zeal for God, and a deep yearning of soul for
the salvation of their fellow-men.
Had they kept
the law of God, they would have done the same un
selfish work that Christ did.
But love to God and
man was eclipsed by pride and self-sufficiency.
They
brought ruin upon themselves by refusing to min
ister to others.
The treasures of truth which God
had committed to them, they did not give to the
world.
In the barren tree they might read both their
sin and its punishment.
Withered beneath the Sa
viour’s curse, standing forth sere and blasted, dried up
by the roots, the fig-tree showed what the Jewish
people would be when the grace of God was removed
from them.
Refusing
to impart
blessing, they
would no longer receive it.
“ O Israel,” the Lord
says, “thou hast destroyed thyself.” 8
6 Hosea 13:9.
692
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The warning is for all time.
Christ’s act in curs
ing the tree which His own power had created, stands
as a warning to all churches and to all Christians.
No one can live the law of God without ministering
to others.
But there are many who do not live out
Christ’s merciful, unselfish life.
Some who think
themselves excellent Christians do not understand
what constitutes service for God.
They plan and
study to please themselves.
They act only in refer
ence to self.
Time is of value to them only as they
can gather for themselves.
In all the affairs of life
this is their object.
Not for others but for them
selves do they minister.
God created them to live in
a world where unselfish service must be performed.
He designed them to help their fellow-men in every
possible way.
But self is so large that they cannot
see anything else.
They are not in touch with hu
manity.
Those who thus live for self are like the
fig-tree, which made every pretension, but was fruit
less.
They observe the forms of worship, but with
out repentance or faith.
In profession they honor
the law of God, but obedience is lacking.
They say,
but do not.
In the sentence pronounced on the fig-
tree Christ demonstrates how hateful in His eyes is
this vain pretense.
He declares that the open sinner
is less guilty than is he who professes to serve God,
but who bears no fruit to His glory.
The parable of the fig-tree spoken before Christ’s
visit to Jerusalem, had a direct connection with the
lesson He taught in cursing the fruitless tree.
For
the barren tree of the parable the gardener pleaded,
Let it alone this year, until I shall dig about it and
dress it; and if it bear fruit, well; but if not, then after
that thou shalt cut it down.
Increased care was to
be given the unfruitful tree.
It was to have every
advantage.
But if it remained fruitless, nothing
A DOOMED PEOPLE.
693
could save it from destruction.
In the parable the
result of the gardener’s work was not foretold.
It
depended upon that people to whom Christ’s words
were spoken.
They were represented by the fruit
less tree, and it rested with them to decide their own
destiny.
Every advantage that Heaven could be
stow was given them, but they did not profit by their
increased blessings.
By Christ’s act in cursing the
barren fig-tree, the result was shown.
They had
determined their own destruction.
For more than a thousand years the Jewish nation
had abused God’s mercy and invited His judgments.
They had rejected His warnings and slain
His
prophets.
For these sins the people of Christ’s day
made themselves responsible by following the same
course.
In the rejection of their present mercies and
warnings lay the guilt of that generation.
The fet
ters which the nation had for centuries been forging,
the people of Christ’s day were fastening upon
themselves.
In every age there is given to men their day of
light and privilege, a probationary time in which they
may become reconciled to God.
But there is a
limit to this grace.
Mercy may plead for years and
be slighted and rejected; but there comes a time
when mercy makes her last plea.
The heart becomes
so hardened that it ceases to respond to the Spirit of
God.
Then the sweet, winning voice entreats the
sinner no longer, and reproofs and warnings cease.
That day had come to Jerusalem.
Jesus wept in
anguish over the doomed city, but He could not de
liver her.
He had exhausted every resource.
In
rejecting the warnings of God’s Spirit, Israel had re
jected the only means of help.
There was no other
power by which they could be delivered.
The Jewish nation was a symbol of the people of
694
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
all ages who scorn the pleadings of Infinite Love.
The tears of Christ when He wept over Jerusalem
were for the sins of all time.
In the judgments pro
nounced upon Israel, those who reject the reproofs
and warnings of God’s Holy Spirit, may read their
own condemnation.
In this generation there are many who are tread
ing on the same ground as were the unbelieving
Jews.
They have witnessed the manifestation of the
power of God; the Holy Spirit has spoken to their
hearts; but they cling to their unbelief and resistance.
God sends them warnings and reproof, but they are
not willing to confess their errors, and they reject
His message and His messenger.
The very means
He uses for their recovery becomes to them a stone
of stumbling.
The prophets of God were hated by apostate Is
rael because through them their hidden sins were
brought to light.
Ahab regarded Elijah as his
enemy because the prophet was faithful to rebuke the
king’s secret iniquities.
So to-day the servant of
Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and re
buffs.
Bible truth, the religion of Christ, struggles
against a strong current of moral impurity.
Preju
dice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than
in Christ's day.
Christ did not fulfil men’s expecta
tions; His life was a rebuke to their sins, and they
rejected Him.
So now the truth of God’s word does
not harmonize with men’s practises and their natural
inclination, and thousands reject its light.
Men
prompted by Satan, cast doubt upon God’s word, and
choose to exercise their
independent
judgment.
They choose darkness rather than light, but they do it
at the peril of their own souls.
Those who caviled at
the words of Christ, found ever-increased cause for
cavil, until they turned from the Truth and the Life.
A DOOMED PEOPLE.
695
So it is now.
God does not propose to remove every
objection which the carnal heart may bring against
His truth.
To those who refuse the precious rays
of light which would illuminate the darkness, the
mysteries of God’s word remain such forever.
From
them the truth is hidden.
They walk blindly, and
know not the ruin before them.
Christ overlooked the world and all ages from the
height of Olivet; and His words are applicable to
every soul who slights the pleadings of divine mercy.
Scorner of His love, He addresses you to-day.
It is
“ thou, even thou,” who shouldst know the things
that belong to thy peace.
Christ is shedding bitter
tears for you, who have no tears to shed for your
self.
Already that fatal hardness of heart which de
stroyed the Pharisees is manifest in you.
And every
evidence of the grace of God, every ray of divine light,
is either melting and subduing the soul, or confirm
ing it in hopeless impenitence.
Christ foresaw that Jerusalem would remain ob
durate and impenitent; yet all the guilt, all the con
sequences of rejected mercy, lay at her own door.
Thus it will be with every soul who is following the
same course.
The Lord declares, “ O Israel, thou
hast destroyed thyself.”
“ Hear, 0 earth: behold, I
will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of
their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto
My words, nor to My law, but rejected it.” 7
7 Hosea 13:9; Jer. 6:19.
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED AGAIN.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE.
At the beginning of His ministry, Christ had
driven from the temple those who defiled it by their
unholy traffic; and His stem and Godlike demeanor
had struck terror to the hearts of the scheming
traders.
At the close of His mission He came again
to the temple, and found it still desecrated as before.
The condition of things was even worse than before.
The outer court of the temple was like a vast cattle-
yard.
With the cries of the animals and the sharp
chinking of coin was mingled the sound of angry
altercation between traffickers, and among them were
heard the voices of men in sacred office.
The digni
taries of the temple were themselves engaged in
buying and selling and the exchange of money.
So
completely were they controlled by their greed of
gain, that in the sight of God they were no better
than thieves.
Little did the priests and rulers realize the solem
nity of the work which it was theirs to perform.
At
every Passover and Feast of Tabernacles, thousands
of animals were slain, and their blood was caught by
the priests and poured upon the altar.
The Jews
had become familiar with the offering of blood, and
had almost lost sight of the fact that it was sin which
made necessary all this shedding of the blood of
This chapter is based on Matt: 21:12-16, 23-46; Mark 11:15-19,
27-33; 12:1-12; Luke 19:45-48; 20:1-19.
(696)
beasts.
They did not discern that it prefigured the
blood of God’s dear Son, which was to be shed for
the life of the world, and that by the offering of
sacrifices men were to be directed to a crucified Re
deemer.
Jesus looked upon the innocent victims of sacri
fice, and saw how the Jews had made these great
convocations scenes of bloodshed and cruelty.
In
place of humble repentance of sin, they had multi
plied the sacrifice of beasts, as if God could be hon
ored by a heartless service.
The priests and rulers
had hardened their hearts through selfishness and
avarice.
The very symbols pointing to the Lamb of
God they had made a means of getting gain.
Thus
in the eyes of the people the sacredness of the sacri
ficial service had been in a great measure destroyed.
The indignation of Jesus was stirred; He knew that
His blood, so soon to be shed for the sins of the
world, would be as little appreciated bv the priests
and elders as was the blood of beasts which they kept
incessantly flowing.
Against these practises Christ had spoken through
the prophets.
Samuel had said, “Hath the Lord as
great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in
obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of
rams.”
And Isaiah, seeing in prophetic vision the
apostasy of the Jews, addressed them as rulers of
Sodom and Gomorrah: "Hear the word of the Lord,
ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God,
ye people of Gomorrah.
To what purpose is the
multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord.
I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat
of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bul
locks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come
to appear before Me, who hath required this at your
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED AGAIN.
697
698
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
hand, to tread My courts?”
“Wash you; make you
clean; put away the evil of your doings from before
Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek
judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless,
plead for the widow.” 1
He who had Himself given these prophecies, now
for the last time repeated the warning.
In fulfilment
of prophecy the people had proclaimed Jesus king of
Israel.
He had received their homage, and accepted
the office of king.
In this character He must act.
He knew that His efforts to reform a corrupt priest
hood would be in vain; nevertheless His work must
be done; to an unbelieving people the evidence of
His divine mission must be given.
Again the piercing look of Jesus swept over the
desecrated court of the temple.
All eyes were turned
toward Him.
Priest and ruler, Pharisee and Gen
tile, looked with astonishment and awe upon Him
who stood before them with the majesty of heaven’s
King.
Divinity flashed through humanity, invest^
ing Christ with a dignity and glory He had never
manifested before.
Those standing nearest Him
drew as far away as the crowd would permit.
Except
for a few of His disciples, the Saviour stood alone.
Every sound was hushed.
The deep silence seemed
unbearable.
Christ spoke with a power that swayed
the people like a mighty tempest: “ It is written, My
house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have
made it a den of thieves.”
His voice sounded like
a trumpet through the temple.
The displeasure of
His countenance seemed like consuming fire.
With
authority
He
commanded,
“ Take
these
things
hence.”
• Three years before, the rulers of the temple had
been ashamed of their flight before the command of
1 i Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:10-12, 16, 17.
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED AGAIN.
699
Jesus.
They had since wondered at their own fears,
and theii unquestioning obedience to a single hum
ble man.
They had felt that it was impossible for
their undignified surrender to be repeated.
Yet they
were now more terrified than before, and in greater
haste to obey His command.
There were none who
dared question His authority.
Priests and traders
fled from His presence, driving their cattle before
them.
On the way from the temple they were met by a
dirong who came with their sick inquiring for the
great Healer.
The report given by the fleeing peo
ple caused some of these to turn back.
They feared
to meet One so powerful, whose very look had driven
the priests and rulers from His presence.
But a large
number pressed through the hurrying crowd, eager
to reach Him who was their only hope.
When the
multitude fled from the temple, many had remained
behind.
These were now joined by the new-comers.
Again the temple court was filled by the sick and the
dying, and once more Jesus ministered to them.
After a season the priests and rulers ventured back
to the temple.
When the panic had abated, they
were seized with anxiety to know what would be the
next movement of Jesus.
They expected Him to
take the throne of David.
Quietly returning to the
temple, they heard the voices of men, women, and
children praising. God.
Upon entering, they stood
transfixed before the wonderful scene.
They saw the
sick healed, the blind restored to sight, the deaf re
ceive their hearing, and the crippled leap for joy.
The children were foremost in the rejoicing.
Jesus
had healed their maladies; He had clasped them in
His arms, received their kisses of grateful affection,
and some of them had fallen asleep upon His breast
as He was teaching the people.
Now with glad
700
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
voices the children sounded His praise.
They re
peated the hosannas of the day before, and waved
palm branches triumphantly before the Saviour.
The
temple echoed and re-echoed with their acclama
tions, “ Blessed be He that cometh in the name of
the Lord!”
“ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee;
He is just, and having salvation!”2
“ Hosanna to the
Son of David!”
The sound of these happy, unrestrained voices was
an offense to the rulers of the temple.
They set
about putting a stop to such demonstrations.
They
represented to the people that the house of God was
desecrated by the feet of the children and the shouts
of rejoicing.
Finding that their words made no im
pression on the people, the rulers appealed to Christ:
“ Hearest Thou what these say? and Jesus saith unto
them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of
babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise?”
Prophecy had foretold that Christ should be pro
claimed as king, and that word must be fulfilled.
The
priests and rulers of Israel refused to herald His
glory, and God moved upon the children to be His
witnesses.
Had the voices of the children been silent,
the very pillars of the temple would have sounded
the Saviour’s praise.
The Pharisees were utterly perplexed and dis
concerted.
One whom they could not intimidate
was in command.
Jesus had taken His position as
guardian of the temple.
Never before had He as
sumed such kingly authority.
Never before had His
words and works possessed so great power.
He had
done marvelous works throughout Jerusalem, but
never before in a manner so solemn and impressive.
In presence of the people who had witnessed His
wonderful works, the priests and rulers dared not
2 Ps. 118:26; Zech. 9:9.
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED AGAIN.
701
show Him open hostility.
Though enraged and
confounded by His answer, they were unable to ac
complish anything further that day.
The next morning the Sanhedrim again considered
wnat course to pursue toward Jesus.
Three years
before, they had demanded a sign of His Messiah-
ship.
Since that time He had wrought mighty
works throughout the land.
He had healed the sick,
miraculously fed thousands of people, walked upon
the waves, and spoken peace to the troubled sea.
He had repeatedly read the hearts of men as an open
book; He had cast out demons, and raised the dead.
The rulers had before them the evidences of His Mes-
siahship.
They now decided to demand no sign of
Plis authority, but to draw out some admission or
declaration by which He might be condemned.
Repairing to the temple where He was teaching,
they proceeded to question Him: “ By what authority
doest Thou these things? and who gave Thee this
authority?”
They expected Him to claim that His
authority was from God.
Such an assertion they in
tended to deny.
But Jesus met them with a question
apparently pertaining to another subject, and He
made His reply to them conditional on their answer
ing this question.
“The baptism of John,” He said,
“ whence was it? from heaven, or of men?”
The priests saw that they were in a dilemma from
which no sophistry could extricate them.
If they
said that John’s baptism was from heaven, their in
consistency would be made apparent.
Christ would
say, W hy have ye not then believed on him?
John
had testified of Christ, “ Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world.”3
If the
priests believed John’s testimony, how' could they
deny the Messiahship of Christ?
If they declared
s John 1:29.
702
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
their real belief, that John’s ministry was of men, they
would bring upon themselves a storm of indignation;
for the people believed John to be a prophet
With intense interest the multitude awaited the de
cision.
They knew that the priests had professed to
accept the ministry of John, and they expected them
to acknowledge without a question that he was sent
from God.
But after conferring secretly together,
the priests decided not to commit themselves.
Hyp
ocritically professing ignorance, they said, “ We can
not tell.”
“ Neither tell I you,” said Christ, “ by what
authority I do these things.”
Scribes, priests, and rulers were all silenced.
Baf
fled and disappointed, they stood with lowering brows,
not daring to press further questions upon Christ.
By their cowardice and indecision they had in a great
measure forfeited the respect of the people, who now
stood by, amused to see these proud, self-righteous
men defeated.
All these sayings and doings of Christ were im
portant, and their influence was to be felt in an ever-
increasing degree after His crucifixion and ascension.
Many of those who had anxiously awaited the result
of the questioning of Jesus, were finally to become
His disciples, first drawn toward Him by His words
on that eventful day.
The scene in the temple court
was never to fade from their minds.
The contrast
between Jesus and the high priest as they talked
together
was
marked.
The
proud
dignitary of
the temple was clothed in rich and costly gar
ments.
Upon his head was a glittering tiara.
His
bearing was majestic, his hair and his long flowing
beard were silvered by age.
His appearance awed
the beholders.
Before this august personage stood
the Majesty of heaven, without adornment or dis
play.
His garments were travel-stained; His face
was pale, and expressed a patient sadness; yet written
there were dignity and benevolence that contrasted
strangely with the proud, self-confident, and angry
air of the high priest.
Many of those who witnessed
the words and deeds of Jesus in the temple, from that
time enshrined Him in their hearts as a prophet of
God.
But as the popular feeling turned in His
favor, the hatred of the priests toward Jesus in
creased.
The wisdom by which He escaped the
snares set for His feet, being a new evidence of His
divinity, added fuel to their wrath.
In His contest with the rabbis, it was not Christ’s
purpose to humiliate His opponents.
He was not
glad to see them in a hard place.
He had an im
portant lesson to teach.
He had mortified His ene
mies by allowing them to be entangled in the net they
had spread for Him.
Their acknowledged ignorance
in regard to the character of John’s baptism gave
Him an opportunity to speak, and He improved the
opportunity by presenting before them their real
position, adding another warning to the many already
given.
“What think ye?” He said.
“ A certain man had
two sons, and he came to the first, and said, Son, go
work to-day in my vineyard.
He answered and said,
I will not; but afterward he repented and went.
And
he came to the second, and said likewise.
And he
answered and said, I go, sir, and went not.
Whether
of them twain did the will of his father?”
This abrupt question threw His hearers off their
guard.
They had followed the parable closely, and
now immediately answered, “The first.”
Fixing His
steady eye upon them, Jesus responded in stern and
solemn tones: “Verily I say unto you, That the pub
licans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God
before you.
For John came unto you in the way of
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703
righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the pub
licans and the harlots believed him; and ye, when ye
had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might
believe him.”
The priests and rulers could not but give a correct
answer to Christ’s question, and thus He obtained
their opinion in favor of the first son.
This son rep
resented the publicans, those who were despised and
hated by the Pharisees.
The publicans had been
grossly immoral.
They had indeed been
trans
gressors of the law of God, showing in their lives an
absolute resistance to His requirements.
They had
been unthankful and unholy; when told to go and
work in the Lord’s vineyard, they had given a con
temptuous refusal.
But when John came, preaching
repentance and baptism,-the publicans received his
message and were baptized.
The second son represented the leading men of the
Jewish nation.
Some of the Pharisees had repented
and received the baptism of John; but the leaders
would not acknowledge that he came from God.
His
warnings and denunciations did not lead them to
reformation.
They “ rejected the counsel of God
against themselves, being not baptized of
him.”
They treated his message with disdain.
Like the
second son, who, when called, said, “ I go, sir,” but
went not, the priests and rulers professed obedience,
but acted disobedience.
They made great profes
sions of piety, they claimed to be obeying the law of
God, but they rendered only a false obedience.
The
publicans were denounced and cursed by the Phar
isees as infidels; but they showed by their faith and
works that they were going into the kingdom of
heaven before those self-righteous men who had
been given great light, but whose works did not cor
respond to their profession of godliness.
704
t h e d e s ir e of a g e s.
The priests and rulers were unwilling to bear these
searching
truths;
they remained silent, however,
hoping that Jesus would say something which they
could turn against Him; but they had still more to
bear.
“ Hear another parable,” Christ said: “ There was
a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and
hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in
it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen,
and went into a far country.
And when the time of
the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the hus
bandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned another.
Again, he
sent other servants more than the first; and they did
unto them likewise.
But last of all he sent unto them
his son, saying, They will reverence my son; but
when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among
themselves, This is the heir, come, let us kill him,
and let us seize on his inheritance.
And they caught
him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what
will he do unto those husbandmen?”
Jesus addressed all the people present; but the
priests and rulers answered.
“ He will miserably de
stroy those wicked men,” they said, “ and will let out
his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall
render him the fruits in their seasons.”
The speakers
had not at first perceived the application of the par
able, but they now saw that they had pronounced
their own condemnation.
'In the parable the house
holder represented God, the vineyard the Jewish
nation, and the hedge the divine law which was their
protection.
The tower was a symbol of the temple.
The lord of the vineyard had done everything need
ful for its prosperity.
“ What could have been done
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705
45
more to my vineyard,” he says, “ that I have not done
in it?”4
Thus was represented God’s unwearied care
for Israel.
And as the husbandmen were to return
to the lord a due proportion of the fruits of the vine
yard, so God’s people were to honor Him by a life
corresponding to their sacred privileges.
But as the
husbandmen had killed the servants whom the mas
ter sent to them for fruit, so the Jews had put to death
the prophets whom God sent to call them to repent
ance.
Messenger after messenger had been slain.
Thus far the application of the parable could not be
questioned, and in what followed it was not less evi
dent.
In the beloved son whom the lord of the vine
yard finally sent to his disobedient servants, and whom
they seized and slew, the priests and rulers saw a dis
tinct picture of Jesus and His impending fate.
Al
ready they were planning to slay Him whom the
P'ather had sent to them as a last appeal.
In the
retribution inflicted upGn the ungrateful husband
men was portrayed the doom of those who should
put Christ to death.
Looking with pity upon them, the Saviour con
tinued, “ Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The
stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and
it is marvelous in our eyes?
Therefore say I unto
you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you,
and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be
broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind
him to powder.”
This prophecy the Jews had often repeated in the
synagogues, applying it to the coming Messiah.
Christ was the corner-stone of the Jewish economy,
and of the whole plan of salvation.
This foundation-
4 Isa. 5:4.
706
t h e d e s ir e o f a g e s.
stone the Jewish builders, the priests and rulers of
Israel, were now rejecting.
The Saviour called their
attention to the prophecies that would show them
their danger.
By every means in His power He
sought to make plain to them the nature of the deed
they were about to do.
And His words had another purpose.
In asking
the question, “ When the lord therefore of the vine
yard cometh, what will he do unto those husband
men?”
Christ designed that the Pharisees should
answer as they did.
He designed that they should
condemn
themselves.
His
warnings,
failing
to
arouse them to repentance, would seal their doom,
and He wished them to see that they had brought
ruin on themselves.
He designed to show them the
justice of God in the withdrawal of their national
privileges, which had already begun, and which would
end, not only in the destruction of their temple and
their city, but in the dispersion of the nation.
The hearers recognized the warning.
But not
withstanding the sentence they themselves had pro
nounced, the priests and rulers were ready to fill out
the picture by saying, “ This is the heir; come, let us
kill him.”
“ But w'hen they sought to lay hands on
Him, they feared the multitude,” for the public sen
timent was in Christ’s favor.
^ In quoting the prophecy of the rejected stone,
Christ referred to an actual occurrence in the history
of Israel.
The incident was connected with the
building of the first temple.
While it had a special
application at the time of Christ’s first advent, and
should have appealed with special force to the Jews,
it has also a lesson for us.
When the temple of
Solomon was erected, the immense stones for the
walls and the foundation were entirely prepared at
the quarry; after they were brought to the place of
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707
708
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
building, not an instrument was to be used upon
them; the workmen had only to place them in posi
tion.
For use in the foundation, one stone ot un
usual size and peculiar shape had been brought; but
the workmen could find no place for it, and would
not accept it.
It was an annoyance to them as it lay
unused in their way.
Long it remained a rejected
stone.
But when the builders came to the laying of
the corner, they searched for a long time to find a
stone of sufficient size and strength, and of the proper
shape, to take that particular place, and bear the
great weight which would rest upon it.
Should they
make an unwise choice for this important place, the
safety of the entire building would be endangered.
They must find a stone capable of resisting the influ
ence of the sun, of frost, and of tempest.
Several
stones had at different times been chosen, but under
the pressure of immense weights they had crumbled to
pieces.
Others could not bear the test of the sudden
atmospheric changes.
But at last attention was
called to the stone so long rejected.
It had been ex
posed to the air, to sun and storm, without reveal
ing the slightest crack.
The builders examined this
stone.
It had borne every test but one.
If it could
bear the test of severe pressure, they decided to ac
cept it for the corner-stone.
The trial was made.
The stone was accepted, brought to its assigned posi
tion, and found to be an exact fit.
In prophetic
vision, Isaiah was shown that this stone was a sym
bol of Christ.
He says:—
“ Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him
be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
And He
shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling
and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel,
for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusa
lem.
And many among them shall stumble, and fall,
and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”
Carried
down in prophetic vision to the first advent, the
prophet is shown that Christ is to bear trials and
tests of which the treatment of the chief corner
stone
in the temple of Solomon
was symbolic.
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay
in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner-stone, a sure foundation; he that
believeth shall not make haste.” ®
In infinite wisdom, God chose the foundation-
stone, and laid it Himself.
He called it “a sure
foundation.”
The entire world may lay upon it their
burdens and griefs; it can endure them all.
With
perfect safety they may build upon it.
Christ is a
“tried stone.”
Those who trust in Him, He never
disappoints.
He has borne every test.
He has en
dured the pressure of Adam’s guilt, and the guilt of
his posterity, and has come off more than conqueror
of the powers of evil.
He has borne the burdens
cast upon Him by every repenting sinner.
In Christ
the guilty heart has found relief.
He is the sure
foundation.
All who make Him their dependence,
rest in perfect security.
In Isaiah’s prophecy, Christ is declared to be both
a sure foundation and a stone of stumbling.
The
apostle Peter, writing by inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, clearly shows to whom Christ is a foundation-
stone, and to whom a rock of offense:—
“ If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious,
to whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed
indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also
it is contained jn the Scripture, Behold, I lay in
5 Isa. 8:13-15; 28:16.
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED AGAIN.
709
7 io
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious; and he that
believeth on Him shall not be confounded.
Unto
you therefore which believe He is precious; but unto
them which be disobedient, the stone which the
builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the
corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of
offense, even to them which stumble at the word,
being disobedient.”6
To those who believe, Christ is the sure foundation.
These are they who fall upon the Rock and are
broken.
Submission to Christ and faith in Him are
here represented.
To fall upon the Rock and be
broken is to give up our self-righteousness, and go
to Christ with the humility of a child, repenting of
our transgressions, and believing in His forgiving
love.
And so also it is by faith and obedience that
we build on Christ as our foundation.
Upon this living stone, Jews and Gentiles alike may
build.
This is the only foundation upon which we
may securely build.
It is broad enough for all, and
strong enough to sustain the weight and burden of
the whole world.
And by connection with Christ, the
living stone, all who build upon this foundation be
come living stones.
Many persons are by their own
endeavors hewn, polished, and beautified; but they
cannot become “ living stones,” because they are not
connected with Christ.
Without this connection, no
man can be saved.
Without the life of Christ in us,
we cannot withstand the storms of temptation.
Our
eternal safety depends upon our building upon the
sure foundation.
Multitudes are to-day building
upon foundations that have not been tested.
When
the rain falls, and the tempest rages, and the floods
come, their house will fall, because it is not founded
upon the eternal Rock, the chief corner-stone Christ
Jesus.
• i Peter 2:3-8.
“To them which stumble at the word, being dis
obedient,” Christ is a rock of offense.
But “ the stone
which the builders disallowed, the same is made the
head of the corner.”
Like the rejected stone, Christ
in His earthly mission had borne neglect and abuse.
He was “ despised and rejected of men; a man of sor
rows, and acquainted with grief:
.
.
.
H e was
despised, and we esteemed Him not.”7
But the
time was near when He would be glorified.
By the
resurrection from the dead He would be “ declared
the Son of God with power.”8
At His second com
ing He would be revealed as Lord of heaven and
earth.
Those who were now about to crucify Him,
would recognize His greatness.
Before the universe
the rejected stone would become the head of the
corner.
And on “ whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him
to powder.”
The people who rejected Christ, were
soon to see their city and their nation destroyed.
Their glory would be broken, and scattered as the
dust before the wind.
And what was it that de
stroyed the Jews?
It was the rock which, had they
built upon it, would have been their security.
It was
the goodness of
God despised, the righteousness
spurned, the mercy slighted.
Men set themselves
in opposition to God, and all that would have been
their salvation was turned to their destruction.
All
that God ordained unto life, they found to be unto
death.
In the Jews’ crucifixion of Christ was involved
the destruction of Jerusalem.
The blood shed upon
Calvary was the weight that sunk them to ruin for
this world and for the world to come.
So it will be in
the great final day, when judgment shall fall upon the
rejecters of
God’s grace.
Christ, their rock of
offense, will then appear to them as an avenging
7 Isa. 53:3-
8 Rom. 1:4.
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED AGAIN.
711
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
mountain.
The glory of His countenance, which to
the righteous is life, will be to the wicked a consum
ing fire.
Because of love rejected, grace despised,
the sinner will be destroyed.
By many illustrations and repeated warnings, Jesus
showed what would be the result to the Jews of re
jecting the Son of God.
In these words He was
addressing all in every age who refuse to receive
Him as their Redeemer.
Every warning is for them.
The desecrated temple, the disobedient son, the false
husbandmen, the contemptuous builders, have their
counterpart in the experience of every sinner.
Un
less he repent, the doom which they foreshadowed
will be his.
7 1 2
CONTROVERSY.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX.
The priests and rulers had listened in silence to
Christ’s pointed rebukes.
They could not refute His
charges.
But they were only the more determined
to entrap Him, and with this object they sent to Him
spies, “ which should feign themselves just men, that
they might take hold of His words, that so they might
deliver Him unto the power and authority of the gov
ernor.”
They did not send the old Pharisees whom
Jesus had often met, but young men, who were ar
dent and zealous, and whom, they thought, Christ
did not know.
These were accompanied by certain
of the Herodians, who were to hear Christ’s words,
that they might testify against Him at His trial. The
Pharisees and Herodians had been bitter enemies,
but they were now one in enmity to Christ.
The Pharisees had ever chafed under the exaction
of tribute by the Romans.
The payment of tribute
they held to be contrary to the law of God.
Now
they saw opportunity to lay a snare for Jesus.
The
spies came to Him, and with apparent sincerity,
as though desiring to know their duty, said, “ Master,
we know that Thou sayest and teachest rightly,
neither acceptest Thou the person of any, but teach
est the way of God truly: is it lawful for us to give
tribute unto Caesar, or no?”
This chapter is based on Matt. 22:15-46; Mark 12:13-40;
Luke 20:20-47.
( 7i3 )
7H
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The words, “ We know that Thou sayest and teach-
est rightly,” had they been sincere, would have been
a wonderful admission.
But they were spoken to
deceive; nevertheless their testimony was true.
The
Pharisees did know that Christ said and taught
rightly, and by their own testimony will they be
judged.
Those who put the question to Jesus thought that
they had sufficiently disguised their purpose; but
Jesus read their hearts as an open book, and sounded
their hypocrisy.
“ Why tempt ye Me?”
He said;
thus giving them a sign they had not asked, by show
ing that Pie read their hidden purpose.
They were
still more confused when He added, “ Show Me a
penny.”
They brought it, and He asked them,
“ Whose image and superscription hath it?
They
answered and said, Caesar’s.”
Pointing to the in
scription on the coin, Jesus said, “ Render therefore
unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto
God the things that are God’s.”
The spies had expected Jesus to answer their ques
tion directly, in one way or the other.
If He should
say, It is unlawful to give tribute to Caesar, He
would be reported to the Roman authorities and ar
rested for inciting rebellion.
But in case He should
pronounce it lawful to pay the tribute, they designed
to accuse Him to the people as opposing the law of
God.
Now they felt themselves baffled and defeated.
Their plans were disarranged.
The summary man
ner in which their question had been settled left them
nothing further to say.
Christ’s reply was no evasion, but a candid answer
to the question.
Holding in His hand the Roman
coin, upon which were stamped the name and image
of Caesar, He declared that since they were living-
under the protection of the Roman power, they should
C O N T R O V E R S Y .
715
render to that power the support it claimed, so long
as this did not conflict with a higher duty.
But
while peaceably subject to the laws of the land, they
should at all times give their first allegiance to God.
The Saviour’s words, “ Render .
.
.
unto God
the things that are God’s,” were a severe rebuke to
the^ intriguing Jews.
Had they faithfully fulfilled
their obligations to God, they would not have be
come a broken nation, subject to a foreign power.
No Roman ensign would have waved over Jerusa
lem, no Roman sentinel would have stood at her
gates, no Roman governor would have ruled within
her walls.
The Jewish nation was then paying the
penalty of its apostasy from God.
When the Pharisees heard Christ’s answer, “they
marveled, and left Him, and went their way.”
He
had rebuked their hypocrisy and presumption, and
in doing this He had stated a great principle, a prin
ciple that clearly defines the limits of man’s duty to
the civil government and his duty to God.
In many
minds a vexed question had been settled.
Ever after
they held to the right principle.
And although many
went away dissatisfied, they saw that the principle
underlying the question had been clearly set forth,
and they marveled at Christ’s far-seeing discernment.
No sooner were the Pharisees silenced, than the
Sadducees came forward with their artful questions.
The two parties stood in bitter opposition to each
other.
The Pharisees were rigid adherents to tra
dition.
They were exact in outward ceremonies,
diligent in washings, fastings, and long prayers, and
ostentatious in almsgiving.
But Christ
declared
that they made void the law of God by teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men.
As a class
they were bigoted and hypocritical; yet among them
were persons of genuine piety, who accepted Christ’s
716
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
teachings and became His disciples.
The Sadducees
rejected the traditions of the Pharisees.
They pro
fessed to believe the greater portion of the Scriptures,
and to regard them as the rule of action; but prac
tically they were skeptics and materialists.
The Sadducees denied the existence of angels, the
resurrection of the dead, and the doctrine of a future
life, with its rewards and punishments.
On all these
points they differed with the Pharisees.
Between the
two parties the resurrection was especially a subject
of controversy.
The Pharisees had been firm be
lievers in the resurrection, but in these discussions
their views in regard to the future state became con
fused.
Death became to them an inexplicable mys
tery.
Their inability to meet the arguments of the
Sadducees gave rise to continual irritation.
The
discussions between the two parties usually resulted
in angry disputes, leaving them farther apart than
before.
In numbers the Sadducees fell far below their
opponents, and they had not so strong a hold upon the
common people; but many of them were wealthy, and
they had the influence which wealth imparts.
In
their ranks were included most of the priests, and
from among them the high priest was usually chosen.
This was, however, with the express stipulation that
their skeptical opinions should not be made prom
inent.
On account of the numbers and popularity
of the Pharisees, it was necessary for the Sadducees
to concede outwardly to their doctrines when hold
ing any priestly office; but the very fact that they were
eligible to such office gave influence to their errors.
The Sadducees rejected the teaching of Jesus; He
was animated by a spirit which they would not ac
knowledge as manifesting itself thus; and His teach
ing in regard to God and the future life contradicted
CONTROVERSY.
7 17
their theories.
They believed in God as the only
being superior to man; but they argued that an over
ruling providence and a divine foresight would de
prive a man of free moral agency, and degrade him to
the position of a slave.
It was their belief, that, hav
ing created man, God had left him to himself, inde
pendent of a higher influence.
They held that man
was free to control his own life and to shape the
events of the world; that his destiny was in his own
hands.
They denied that the Spirit of God works
through human efforts or natural means.
Yet they
still held that, through the proper employment of his
natural powers, man could become elevated and en
lightened; that by rigorous and austere exactions his
life could be purified.
Their ideas of God moulded their own character.
As in their view He had no interest in man, so they
had little regard for one another; there was little
union among them.
Refusing to acknowledge the
influence of the Holy Spirit upon human action, they
lacked His power in their lives.
Like the rest of the
Jews, they boasted much of their birthright as children
of Abraham, and of their strict adherence to the re
quirements of the law; but of the true spirit of the
law and the faith and benevolence of Abraham, they
were
destitute.
Their
natural
sympathies
were
brought within a narrow compass.
They believed it
possible for all men to secure the comforts and bless
ings of life; and their hearts were not touched by the
wants and sufferings of others.
They lived for them
selves.
By His words and His works, Christ testified to
a divine power that produces supernatural results, to
a future life beyond the present, to God as a Father
of the children of men, ever watchful of their true
interests.
He revealed the working of divine power
7 i8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
in benevolence and compassion that rebuked the self
ish exclusiveness of the Sadducees.
He taught that
both for man’s temporal and for his eternal good,
God moves upon the heart by the Holy Spirit.
He
showed the error of trusting to human power for that
transformation of character which can be wrought
only by the Spirit of God.
This teaching the Sadducees were determined to
discredit.
In seeking a controversy with Jesus, they
felt confident of bringing Him into disrepute, even
if they could not secure His condemnation.
The
resurrection was the subject on which they chose to
question Him.
Should He agree with them, He
would give still further offense to the Pharisees.
Should He differ with them, they designed to hold
His teaching up to ridicule.
The Sadducees reasoned that if the body is to be
composed of the same particles of matter in its im
mortal as in its mortal state, then when raised from
the dead it must have flesh and blood, and must
resume in the eternal world the life interrupted on
earth.
In that case they concluded that earthly
relationships would be resumed, husband and wife
would be reunited, marriages consummated, and all
things go on the same as before death, the frailties
and passions of this life being perpetuated in the life
beyond.
In answer to their questions, Jesus lifted the veil
from the future life.
“ In the resurrection,” He said,
“they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but
are as the angels of God in heaven.”
He showed that
the Sadducees were wrong in their belief.
Their
premises were false.
“Ye do err,” He added, “ not
knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
He
did not charge them, as He had charged the Phar
isees, with hypocrisy, but with error of belief.
C O N T R O V E R S Y .
7 1 9
The Sadducees had flattered themselves that they
of all men adhered most strictly to the Scriptures.
But Jesus showed that they had not known their true
meaning.
That knowledge must be brought home
to the heart by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.
I heir ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of
God He declared to be the cause of their confusion of
faith and darkness of mind.
They were seeking to
bring the mysteries of God within the compass of
their finite reasoning.
Christ called upon them to
open their minds to those sacred truths that would
broaden and strengthen the understanding.
Thou
sands become infidels because their finite minds can
not comprehend the mysteries of God.
They cannot
explain the wonderful exhibition of divine power in
His providences, therefore they reject the evidences
of such power, attributing them to natural agencies
which they can comprehend still less.
The only key
to the mysteries that surround us is to acknowledge
in them all, the presence and power of God.
Men
need to recognize God as the Creator of the universe,
One who commands and executes all things.
They
need a broader view of His character, and of the
mystery of His agencies.
Christ declared to His hearers that if there were
no resurrection of the dead, the Scriptures which they
professed to believe would be of no avail.
He said,
“ But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have
ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God,
saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
God is not the God of
the dead, but of the living.”
God counts the things
that are not, as though they were.
He sees the end
from the beginning, and beholds the result of His
work as though it were now accomplished.
The
precious dead, from Adam down to the last saint who
720
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
dies, will hear the voice of the Son of God, and will
come forth from the grave to immortal life.
God
will be their God, and they shall be His people.
There will be a close and tender relationship between
God and the risen saints.
This condition, which is
anticipated in His purpose, He beholds as if it were
already existing.
The dead live unto Him.
By the words of Christ the Sadducees were put to
silence.
They could not answer Him.
Not a word
had been spoken of which the least advantage could
be taken for His condemnation.
His adversaries had
gained nothing but the contempt of the people. ^
The Pharisees, however, did not yet despair of
driving Him to speak that which they could use
against Him.
They prevailed upon a certain learned
scribe to question Jesus as to which of the ten pre
cepts of the law was of the greatest importance.
The Pharisees had exalted the first four command
ments, which point out the duty of man to his Maker,
as of far greater consequence than the other six,
which define man’s duty to his fellow-man.
As the
result
they greatly failed of
practical
godliness.
Jesus had shown the people their great deficiency,
and had taught the necessity of good works, declar
ing that the tree is known by its fruits.
For this
reason He had been charged with exalting the last
six commandments above the first four.
The lawyer approached Jesus with a direct ques
tion, “ Which is the first commandment of all?”
The
answer of Christ is direct and forcible: “The first of
all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is
the first commandment.”
The second is like the
first, said Christ; for it flows out of it, “Thou shalt
'
CONTROVERSY.
721
love thy neighbor as thyself.
There is none other
commandment greater than these.”
“ On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The first four of the ten commandments are
summed up in the one great precept, “ Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart.”
The last six
are included in the other, “ Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself.”
Both these commandments
are an expression of the principle of love.
The first
cannot be kept and the second broken, nor can the
second be kept while the first is broken.
When God
has His rightful place on the throne of the heart, the
right place will be given to our neighbor.
W e shall
love him as ourselves.
And only as we love God
supremely is it possible
to love
our
neighbor
impartially.
And since all the commandments are summed up
in love to God and man, it follows that not one pre
cept can be broken without violating this principle.
Thus Christ taught His hearers that the law of God
is not so many separate precepts, some of which are
of great importance, while others are of small im
portance, and may with impunity be ignored.
Our
Lord presents the first four and the last six command
ments as a divine whole, and teaches that love to
God will be shown by obedience to all His command
ments.
The scribe who had questioned Jesus was well
read in the law, and he was astonished at His words.
He did not expect Him to manifest so deep and thor
ough a knowledge of the Scriptures.
He had gained
a broader view of the principles underlying the sacred
precepts.
Before the assembled priests and rulers he
honestly acknowledged that Christ had given the
right interpretation to the law, saying:—
“Well, Master, Thou hast said the truth;.for there
46
722
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
is one God, and there is none other but He.
And
to love Him with all the heart, and with all the under
standing, and with all the soul, and with all the
strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more
than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.”
The wisdom of Christ’s answer had convicted the
scribe.
He knew that the Jewish religion consisted
in outward ceremonies rather than inward piety.
He had some sense of the worthlessness of mere cere
monial offerings, and the faithless shedding of blood
for expiation of sin.
Love and obedience to God,
and unselfish regard for man, appeared to him of
more value than all these rites.
The readiness of this
man to acknowledge
the correctness of
Christ’s
reasoning, and his decided and prompt response be
fore the people, manifested a spirit entirely different
from that of the priests and rulers.
The heart of
Jesus went out in pity to the honest scribe who had
dared to face the frowns of the priests and the threats
of the rulers to speak the convictions of his heart.
“And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly,
He said unto him, Thou art not far from the king
dom of God.”
The scribe was near to the kingdom of God, in that
he recognized deeds of righteousness as more aC'
ceptable to God than burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
But he needed to recognize the divine character of
Christ, and through faith in Him receive power to
do the works of righteousness.
The ritual service
was of no value, unless connected with Christ by
living faith.
Even the moral law fails of its purpose,
unless it is understood in its relation to the Saviour.
Christ had repeatedly shown that His Father’s law
contained something deeper than mere authoritative
commands.
In the law is embodied the same prin
ciple that is revealed in the gospel.
The law points
CONTROVERSY.
7 2 3
out man’s duty and shows him his guilt.
T o Christ
he must look for pardon and for power to do what
the law enjoins.
The Pharisees had gathered close about Jesus as
He answered the question of the scribe.
Now turn
ing He put a question to them: “What think ye of
Christ? whose son is He?”
This question was de
signed to test their belief concerning the Messiah,—
to show whether they regarded Him simply as a man
or as the Son of God.
A chorus of voices answered,
“The Son of David.”
This was the title which
prophecy had given to the Messiah.
When Jesus
revealed His divinity by His mighty miracles, when
He healed the sick and raised the dead, the people
had inquired among themselves, “ Is not this the Son
of David r”
The Syro-Phenician woman, blind Bar-
timeus, and many others had cried to Him for help,
“ Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David.” 9
While riding into Jerusalem He had been hailed with
the joyful shout, “ Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.’*10
And the little children in the temple had that day
echoed the glad ascription.
But many who called
Jesus the Son of David did not recognize His divin
ity.
They did not understand that the Son of David
was also the Son of God.
In reply to the statement that Christ was the Son
of David, Jesus said, “ How then doth David in Spirit
[the Spirit of inspiration from God] call Him Lord,
saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on
My right hand till I make Thine enemies Thy foot
stool?
If David then call Him Lord, how is He his
son?
And no man was able to answer Him a word,
neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him
any more questions.”
9 Matt. 15:22.
u Matt. 21:9.
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN.
It was the last day of Christ’s teaching in the tem
ple.
Of the vast throngs that were gathered at Jeru
salem, the attention of all had been attracted to Him;
the people had crowded the temple courts, watching
the contest that had been in progress, and they
eagerly caught every word that fell from His lips.
Never before
had such a scene
been
witnessed.
There stood the young Galilean, bearing no earthly
honor or royal badge.
Surrounding
Him were
priests in their rich apparel, rulers with robes and
badges significant of their exalted station, and scribes
with scrolls in their hands, to which they made fre
quent reference.
Jesus stood calmly before them,
with the dignity of a king.
As one invested with the
authority of heaven, He looked unflinchingly upon
His adversaries, who had rejected and despised His
teachings, and who thirsted for His life.
They had
assailed Him in great numbers, but their schemes to
ensnare and condemn Him had been in vain.
Chal
lenge after challenge He had met, presenting the
pure, bright truth in contrast to the darkness and
errors of the priests and Pharisees.
He had set be
fore these leaders their real condition, and the retri
bution sure to follow persistence in their evil deeds.
The warning had been faithfully given.
Yet another
This chapter is based on Matt. 23; Mark 12:41-44;
Luke 20:45-47; 21:1-4.
( 7 2 4 )
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
725
work remained for Christ to do.
Another purpose
was still to be accomplished.
The interest of the people in Christ and His work
had steadily increased.
They were charmed with
His teaching, but they were also greatly perplexed.
They had respected the priests and rabbis for their
intelligence and apparent piety.
In all religious mat
ters they had ever yielded implicit obedience to their
authority.
Yet they now saw these men trying to
cast discredit upon Jesus, a teacher whose virtue
and knowledge shone forth the brighter from every
assault.
They looked upon the lowering counte
nances of the priests and elders, and there saw dis
comfiture and confusion.
They marveled that the
rulers would not believe on Jesus, when His teach
ings were so plain and simple.
They themselves
knew not what course to take.
With eager anxiety
they watched the movements of those whose counsel
they had always followed.
In the parables which Christ had spoken, it was
His purpose both to warn the rulers and to instruct
the people who were willing to be taught.
But there
was need to speak yet more plainly.
Through their
reverence for tradition and their blind faith in a cor
rupt priesthood, the people were enslaved.
These
chains Christ must break.
The character of the
priests, rulers, and Pharisees must be more fully
exposed.
“ The scribes and the Pharisees,” He said, “ sit in
Moses’ seat.
All therefore whatsoever they bid you
observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their
works; for they say, and do not.”
The scribes and
Pharisees claimed to be invested with divine authority
similar to that of Moses.
They assumed to take his
place as expounders of the law and judges of the
people.
As such they claimed from the people the
726
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
utmost deference and obedience.
Jesus bade His
hearers do that which the rabbis taught according to
the law, but not to follow their example.
They them
selves did not practise their own teaching.
And they taught much that was contrary to the
Scriptures.
Jesus said, “ They bind heavy burdens
and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men s
shoulders; but they themselves will not move them
with one of their fingers.”
The Pharisees enjoined a
multitude of regulations, having their foundation in
tradition,
and
unreasonably restricting
personal
liberty.
And certain portions of the law they so ex
plained as to impose upon the people observances
which they themselves secretly ignored, and from
which, when it served their purpose, they actually
claimed exemption.
To make a show of their piety was their constant
aim.
Nothing was held too sacred to serve this end.
To Moses God had said concerning His command
ments, “ Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine
hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine
eyes.” 1
These words have a deep meaning.
As the
word of God is meditated upon and practised, the
whole man will be ennobled.
In righteous and mer
ciful dealing, the hands will reveal, as a signet, the
principles of God’s law.
They will be kept clean
from bribes, and from all that is corrupt and decep
tive.
They will be active in works of love and com
passion.
The eyes, directed toward a noble purpose,
will be clear and true.
The expressive countenance,
the speaking eye, will testify to the blameless char
acter of him who loves and honors the word of God.
But by the Jews of Christ’s day all this was undis
cerned.
The command given to Moses was con
strued into a direction that the precepts of Scripture
1 Deut. 6:8.
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
727
should be worn upon the person.
They were accord
ingly written upon strips of parchment, and bound
in a conspicuous manner about the head and wrists.
But this did not cause the law of God to take a
firmer hold of the mind and heart.
These parch
ments were worn merely as badges, to attract atten
tion.
They were thought to give the wearers an air
of devotion which would command the reverence of
the
people.
Jesus
struck a blow at
this
vain
pretense:—
“ But all their works they do for to be seen of men;
they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the
borders of their garments, and love the uppermost
rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men,
Rabbi, Rabbi.
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one
is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And call no man your father upon the earth; for one
is your Father, which is in heaven.
Neither be ye
called masters; for one is your Master, even Christ.”
In such plain words the Saviour revealed the selfish
ambition that was ever reaching for place and power,
displaying a mock humility, while the heart was filled
wfith avarice and envy.
When persons were invited
to a feast, the guests were seated according to their
rank, and those who were given the most honorable
place received the first attention and special favors.
The Pharisees were ever scheming to secure these
honors.
This practise Jesus rebuked.
He also reproved the vanity shown in coveting the
title of rabbi, or master.
Such a title, He declared,
belonged not to men, but to Christ.
Priests, scribes,
and rulers, expounders and administrators of the law,
were all brethren, children of one Father.
Jesus im
pressed upon the people that they were to give no
man a title of honor indicating his control of their
conscience or their faith.
728
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
If Christ were on earth to-day, surrounded by those
who bear the title of “ Reverend” or “ Right Rev
erend,” would He not repeat His saying, “ Neither
be ye called masters; for one is your Master, even
Christ” ?
The Scripture declares of God, “ Holy and
reverend is His name.” 2
To what human being is
such a title befitting?
How little does man reveal of
the wisdom and righteousness it indicates.
How-
many of those who assume this title are misrepresent
ing the name and character of God.
Alas, how often
have worldly ambition, despotism, and the basest
sins been hidden under the broidered garments of a
high and holy office.
The Saviour continued:—
“ But he that is greatest among you shall be your
servant.
And whosoever shall exalt himself shall
be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be
exalted.”
Again and again Christ had taught that
true greatness is measured by moral worth.
In the
estimation of heaven, greatness of character consists
in living for the welfare of our fellow-men, in doing
works of love and mercy.
Christ, the King of Glory,
was a servant to fallen man.
“ W oe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,”
said Jesus; “ for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven
against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”
By per
verting the Scriptures, the priests and lawyers blinded
the minds of those who would otherwise have re
ceived a knowledge of Christ’s kingdom, and that
inward, divine life which is essential to true holiness.
“ W oe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense
make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the
greater damnation.”
The Pharisees had great influ
ence with the people, and of this they took advantage
2 Ps. 111:9.
to serve their own interests.
They gained the con
fidence of pious widows, and then represented it as
a duty for them to devote their property to religious
purposes.
Having secured control of their money,
the wily schemers used it for their own benefit.
To
cover their dishonesty, they offered long prayers in
public, and made a great show of piety.
This hy
pocrisy Christ declared would
bring
them
the
greater
damnation.
The same rebuke falls upon
many in our day who make a high profession of
piety.
Their lives are stained by selfishness and
avarice, yet they throw over it all a garment of seem
ing purity, and thus for a time deceive their fellow-
men.
But they cannot deceive God.
He reads every
purpose of the heart, and will judge every man ac
cording to his deeds.
Christ unsparingly condemned abuses, but He was
careful not to lessen obligation.
He rebuked the
selfishness that extorted and misapplied the widow’s
gifts.
At the same time He commended the widow
who brought her offering for God’s treasury.
Man’s
abuse of the gift could not turn God’s blessing from
the giver.
Jesus was in the court where were the treasure
chests, and He watched those who came to deposit
their gifts.
Many of the rich brought large sums,
which they presented with great ostentation.
Jesus
looked upon them sadly, but made no comment on
their liberal offerings.
Presently His countenance
lighted as He saw a poor widow approach hesitat
ingly, as though fearful of being observed.
As the
rich and haughty swept by, to deposit their offer
ings, she shrank back as if hardly daring to venture
farther.
And yet she longed to do something, little
though it might be, for the cause she loved.
She
looked at the gift in her hand.
It was very small in
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
729
730
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
comparison with the gifts of those around her, yet it
was her all.
Watching her opportunity, she hur
riedly threw in her two mites, and turned to hasten
away.
But in doing this she caught the eye of Jesus,
which was fastened earnestly upon her.
The Saviour called His disciples to Him, and bade
them mark the widow’s poverty.
Then His words
of commendation fell upon her ear: “ Of a truth I say
unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more
than they all.”
Tears of joy filled her eyes as she felt
that her act was understood and appreciated.
Many
would have advised her to keep her pittance for her
own use; given into the hands of the well-fed priests,
it would be lost sight of among the many costly gifts
brought to the treasury.
But Jesus understood her
motive.
She believed the service of the temple to be
of God’s appointment, and she was anxious to do her
utmost to sustain it.
She did what she could, and
her act was to be a monument to her memory through
all time, and her joy in eternity.
Her heart went
with her gift; its value was estimated, not by the
worth of the coin, but by the love to God and the in
terest in His work that had prompted the deed.
Jesus said of the poor widow, She “hath cast in
more than they all.”
The rich had bestowed from
their abundance, many of them to be seen and hon
ored by men.
Their large donations had deprived
them of no comfort, or even luxury; they had re
quired no sacrifice, and could not be compared in
value with the widow’s mite.
It is the motive that gives character to our acts,
stamping them with ignominy or with high moral
worth.
Not the great things which every eye sees
and every tongue praises does God account moct
precious.
The little duties cheerfully done, the little
gifts which make no show, and which to human eyes
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
731
may appear worthless, often stand highest in His
sight.
A heart of faith and love is dearer to God
than the most costly gift.
The poor widow gave her
living to do the little that she did.
She deprived
herself of food in order to give those two mites to the
cause she loved.
And she did it in faith, believing
that her Heavenly Father would not overlook her
great need.
It was this unselfish spirit and childlike
faith that won the Saviour’s commendation.
Among the poor there are many who long to showr
their gratitude to God for His grace and truth.
They
greatly desire to share with their more prosperous
brethren in sustaining His service.
These souls
should not be repulsed.
Let them lay up their mites
in the bank of heaven.
If given from a heart filled
with love for God, these seeming trifles become con
secrated gifts, priceless offerings, which God smiles
upon and blesses.
When Jesus said of the widow, She “hath cast in
more than they all,” His words were true, not only of
the motive, but of the results of her gift.
The “two
mites which make a farthing” have brought to God’s
treasury an amount of money far greater than the
contributions of those rich Jews.
The influence of
that little gift has been like a stream, small in its be
ginning, but widening and deepening as it flowed
down through the ages.
In a thousand ways it has
contributed to the relief of the poor and the spread
of the gospel.
Her example of self-sacrifice has
acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every
land and in every age.
It has appealed to both the
rich and the poor, and their offerings have swelled
the value of her gift.
God’s blessing upon the
widow’s mite has made it the source of great results.
So with every gift bestowed and every act performed
with a sincere desire for God’s glory.
It is linked
732
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
with the purposes of Omnipotence.
Its results for
good no man can measure.
The Saviour continued His denunciations of the
scribes and Pharisees: “ Woe unto you, ye blind
guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the tem
ple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the
gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
Ye fools and
blind, for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple
that sanctifieth the gold? and, Whosoever shall swear
by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth
by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Ye fools and
blind; for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that
sanctifieth the gift?”
The priests interpreted God's
requirements according to their own false and narrow
standard.
They presumed to make nice distinctions
as to the comparative guilt of various sins, passing
over some lightly, and treating others of perhaps less
consequence as unpardonable.
For a money consid
eration they excused persons from their vows.
And
for large sums of money they sometimes passed over
aggravated crimes.
At the same time these priests
and rulers would in other cases pronounce severe
judgment for trivial offenses.
“ W oe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and
have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judg
ment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.”
In these words
Christ again condemns the abuse of sacred obliga
tion.
The obligation itself He does not set aside.
The tithing system was ordained by God, and it had
been observed from the earliest times.
Abraham, the
father of the faithful, paid tithes of all that he pos
sessed.
The Jewish rulers recognized the obligation
of tithing, and this was right; but they did not leave
the people to carry out their own convictions of duty.
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
7 3 3
Arbitrary rules were laid down for every case.
The
requirements had become so complicated that it was
impossible for them to be fulfilled.
None knew when
their obligations were met.
As God gave it, the sys
tem was just and reasonable; but the priests’and rab
bis had made it a wearisome burden.
All that God commands is of consequence.
Christ
recognized -the payment of tithes as a duty; but He
showed that this could not excuse the neglect of other
duties.
The Pharisees were very exact in tithing
garden herbs, such as mint, anise, and rue; this cost
them little, and it gave them a reputation for exact
ness and sanctity.
At the same time their useless re
strictions oppressed the people and destroyed respect
for the sacred system of God’s own appointing.
They
occupied men’s minds with trifling distinctions, and
turned their attention from essential truths. ' The
weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and
truth, were neglected.
“These,” Christ said, “ iught
ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
Other laws had been perverted by the rabbis in like
manner.
In the directions given through Moses, it
was forbidden to eat any unclean thing.
The use of
swine s flesh, and the flesh of certain other animals,
vyas prohibited, as likely to fill the blood with impuri
ties, and to shorten life.
But the Pharisees did not
leave these restrictions as God had given them.
They went to unwarranted extremes.
Among other
things the people were required to strain all the water
used, lest it should contain the smallest insect, which
might be classed with the unclean animals.
Jesus,
contrasting^ these trivial exactions with the magni
tude of their actual sins, said to the Pharisees, “ Ye
blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a
camel.”
“ W oe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
7 3 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead
men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”
As the whited
and beautifully decorated tomb concealed the putrefy
ing remains within, so the outward holiness of the
priests and rulers concealed iniquity.
Jesus con
tinued :—
“W oe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,. hypocrites!
because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and
garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If
we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not
have been partakers with them in the blood of the
prophets.
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto your
selves, that ye are the children of them which killed
the prophets.”
To show their esteem for the dead
prophets, the Jews were very zealous in beautifying
their tombs; but they did not profit by their teach
ings, nor give heed to their reproofs.
In the days of Christ a superstitious regard was
cherished for the resting-places of the dead, and vast
sums of money were lavished upon their decoration.
In the sight of God this was idolatry.
In their undue
regard for the dead, men showed that they did not
love God supremely, nor their neighbor as them
selves.
The same idolatry is carried to great lengths
to-day.
Many are guilty of neglecting the widow
and the fatherless, the sick and the poor, in 6rder to
build expensive monuments for the dead.
Time,
money, and labor are freely spent for this purpose,
while duties to the living— duties which Christ has
plainly enjoined— are left undone.
The Pharisees built the tombs of the prophets, and
adorned their sepulchers, and said one to another,
If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would
not have united with them in shedding the blood of
God’s servants
At the same time they were plan
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
7 3 5
ning to take the life of His Son.
This should be a
lesson to us.
It should open our eyes to the power
of Satan to deceive the mind that turns from the light
of truth.
Many follow in the track of . the Pharisees.
They revere those who have died for their faith.
They wonder at the blindness of the Jews in rejecting
Christ.
Had we lived in His day, they declare, we
would gladly have received His teaching; we would
never have been partakers in the guilt of those who
rejected the Saviour.
But when obedience to God
requires self-denial and humiliation, these very per
sons stifle their convictions, and refuse obedience.
Thus they manifest the same spirit as did the Phar
isees whom Christ condemned.
Little did the Jews realize the terrible responsi
bility involved in rejecting Christ.
From the time
when the first innocent blood was shed, when right
eous Abel fell by the hand of Cain, the same history
had been repeated, with increasing guilt.
In every
age prophets had lifted up their voices against the
sins of kings, rulers, and people, speaking the words
which God gave them, and obeying His will at the
peril of their lives.
From generation to generation
there had been heaping up a terrible punishment for
the rejecters of light and truth.
This the enemies of
Christ were now drawing down upon their own
heads.
The sin of the priests and rulers was greater
than that ot any preceding generation.
By their
rejection of the Saviour, they were making themselves
responsible for the blood of all the righteous men
slain from Abel to Christ.
They were about to fill
to overflowing their cup of iniquity.
And soon it
was to be poured upon their heads in retributive
justice.
Of this, Jesus warned them:—
“That upon you may come all the righteous blood
shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous
7 36
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias,
whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Verily, I say unto you, All these things shall come
upon this generation.’’
The scribes and Pharisees who listened to Jesus
#
knew that His words were true.
They knew how
the prophet Zacharias had been slain.
While the
words of warning from God were upon his lips, a
Satanic fury seized the apostate king, and at his com
mand the prophet was put to death.
His blood had
imprinted itself upon the very stones of the temple
court, and could not be erased; it remained to bear
testimony against apostate Israel.
As long as the
temple should stand, there would be the stain of that
righteous blood, crying to God to be avenged.
As
Jesus referred to these fearful sins, a thrill of horror
ran through the multitude.
Looking forward, Jesus declared that the impeni
tence of the Jews and their intolerance of God’s serv
ants would be the same in the future as it had been
in the past:—
“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and
wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill
and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in
your synagogues, and persecute them from city to
city.”
Prophets and wise men, full of faith and the
Holy Ghost,— Stephen, James, and many others,—
would be condemned and slain.
With hand uplifted
to heaven, and a divine light enshrouding His person,
Christ spoke as a judge to those before Him.
His
voice, that had so often been heard in gentleness and
entreaty, was now heard in rebuke and condemna
tion.
The listeners shuddered.
Never was the im
pression made by His words and His look to be
effaced.
Christ’s indignation was directed against the hy-
WOES ON THE PHARISEES.
737
pocrisy, the gross sins, by which men were destroy
ing their own souls, deceiving the people, and dis
honoring God.
In the specious, deceptive reasoning
of the priests and rulers, He discerned the working
of Satanic agencies.
Keen and searching had been
*
His denunciation of sin; but He spoke no words of
retaliation.
He had a holy wrath against the prince
of darkness; but He manifested no irritated temper.
So the Christian who lives in harmony with God,
possessing the sweet attributes of love and mercy,
will feel a righteous indignation against sin; but he
will not be roused by passion to revile those who re
vile him.
Even in meeting those who are moved by
a power from beneath to maintain falsehood, in Christ
he will still preserve calmness and self-possession.
Divine pity marked the countenance of the Son of
God as He cast one lingering look upon the temple
and then upon PI is hearers.
In a voice choked b)
deep anguish of heart and bitter tears He exclaimed,
“ O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that
killest
the
prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee,
how often would I have gathered thy children to
gether, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under
Iter wings, and ye would not!”
This is the separa
tion struggle.
In the lamentation of Christ the very
heart of God is pouring itself forth.
It is the mys
terious farewell of the longsuffering love of the
Deity.
Pharisees
and
Sadducees were alike
silenced.
Jesus summoned His disciples, and prepared to leave
the temple, not as one defeated and forced from the
presence of his adversaries, but as one whose work
was accomplished.
He retired a victor from the
contest.
The gems of truth that fell from Christ’s lips on
that eventful day were treasured in many hearts.
47
738
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
For them new thoughts started into life, new aspira
tions were awakened, and a new history began.
After the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, these
persons came to the front, and fulfilled their divine
commission with a wisdom and zeal corresponding
to the greatness of the work.
They bore a message
that appealed to the hearts of men, weakening the old
superstitions that had long dwarfed the lives of thou
sands.
Before their testimony human theories and
philosophies became as idle fables.
Mighty were
the results flowing from the words of the Saviour to
that wondering, awestruck crowd in the temple at
Jerusalem.
But Israel as a nation had divorced herself from
God.
The natural branches of the olive tree were
broken off.
Looking for the last time upon the in
terior of the temple, Jesus said with mournful pathos,
‘‘Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
For
I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till
ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name
of the Lord.”
Hitherto He had called the temple
His Father’s house; but now, as the Son of God
should pass out from those walls, God’s presence
would be withdrawn forever from the temple built to
His glory.
Henceforth its ceremonies would be
meaningless, its services a mockery.
IN THE OUTER COURT.
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT.
And there were certain Greeks among them that
came up to worship at the feast; the same came there
fore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and
desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip
cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and
Philip tell Jesus.”
At this time Christ’s work bore the appearance of
cruel defeat.
He had been victor in the controversy
with the priests and Pharisees, but it was evident
that He would never be received by them as the Mes
siah.
The final separation had come.
To His dis
ciples the case seemed hopeless.
But Christ was ap
proaching the consummation of His work.
The
great event which concerned not only the Jewish
nation, but the whole world, was about to take place.
When Christ heard the eager request, “ W e would
see Jesus,” echoing the hungering cry of the world,
His countenance lighted up, and He said, “ The hour
is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”
In
the request of the Greeks He saw an earnest of the
results of His great sacrifice.
_ These men came from the West to find the Sa
viour at the close of His life, as the wise men Had
come from the East at the beginning.
At the time of
Christ’s birth the Jewish people were so engrossed
with their own ambitious plans that they knew not
This chapter is based on John 12:20-43.
( 7 3 9 )
740
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
of His advent.
The magi from a heathen land came
to the manger with their gifts, to worship the Sa
viour.
So these Greeks, representing the nations,
tribes, and peoples of the world, came to see Jesus.
So the people of all lands and all ages would be drawn
by the Saviour’s cross.
So shall many “ come from
the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” 1
The Greeks had heard of Christ’s triumphal entry
into Jerusalem.
Some supposed, and had circulated
the report, that He had driven the priests and rulers
from the temple, and that He was to take possession
of David’s throne, and reign as king of Israel.
The
Greeks longed to know the truth in regard to His
mission.
“W e would see Jesus,” they said.
Their
desire was granted.
When the request was brought
to Jesus, He was in that part of the temple from which
all except Jews were excluded, but He went out to
the Greeks in the outer court, and had a personal
interview with them.
The hour of Christ’s glorification had come.
He
was standing in the shadow of the cross, and the in
quiry of the Greeks showed Him that the sacrifice
He was about to make would bring many sons and
daughters to God.
He knew that the Greeks would
soon see Him in a position they did not then dream
of.
They would see Him placed beside Barabbas, a
robber and murderer, who would be chosen for re
lease before the Son of God.
They would hear the
people, inspired by the priests and rulers, making
their choice.
And to the question, “ What shall I do
then with Jesus which is called Christ?” the answer
would be given, “ Let Him be crucified.” 2
By mak
ing this propitiation for the sins of men, Christ knew
that His kingdom would be perfected, and would ex-
1 Matt. 8:11.
3 Matt. 27:22.
IN THE OUTER COURT.
tend throughout the world.
He would work as the
Restorer, and His Spirit would prevail.
For a mo
ment He looked into futurity, and heard the voices
proclaiming in all parts of the earth, “ Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world.”3
In these strangers He saw the pledge of a
great harvest, when the partition wall between Jew
and Gentile should be broken down, and all nations,
tongues, and peoples should hear the message of sal
vation.
The anticipation of this, the consummation
of His hopes, is expressed in the words, “The hour
is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”
But the way in which this glorification must take
place was never absent from Christ’s mind.
The
gathering in of the Gentiles was to follow His ap
proaching death.
Only by His death could the
world be saved.
Like a grain of wheat, the Son of
man must be cast into the ground and die, and be
buried out of sight; but He was to live again.
Christ presented His future, illustrating it by the
things of nature, that the disciples might understand.
The true result of His mission was to be reached by
His death.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you,” He said,
“ Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die!
it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit.”
When the grain of wheat falls into the ground
and dies, it springs up, and bears fruit.
So the death
of Christ would result in fruit for the kingdom of
God.
In accordance with the law of the vegetable
kingdom, life was to be the result of His death.
Those who till the soil have the illustration ever
before them.
Year by year man preserves his sup
ply of grain, by apparently throwing
away the
choicest part.
For a time it must be hidden under
the furrow, to be watched over by the Lord.
Then
3 John 1:29.
741
742
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
appears the blade, then the ear, and then the corn in
the ear.
But this development cannot take place
unless the grain is buried out of sight, hidden, and to
all appearance, lost.
The seed buried in the ground produces fruit, and
in turn this is planted.
Thus the harvest is multi
plied.
So the death of Christ on the cross of Calvary
will bear fruit unto eternal life.
The contemplation
of this sacrifice will be the glory of those who, as the
fruit of it, will live through the eternal ages.
The grain of wheat that preserves its own life can
produce no fruit.
It abides alone.
Christ could, if
He chose, save Himself from death.
But should He
do this, He must abide alone.
He could bring no
sons and daughters to God.
Only by yielding up
His life could He impart life to humanity.
Only
by falling into the ground to die could He become the
seed of that vast harvest,—the great multitude that
out of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, are redeemed to God,
With this truth Christ connects the lesson of self-
sacrifice that all should learn: “ He that loveth his life
shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal.”
All who would
bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ,
must first fall into the ground and die.
The life
must be cast into the furrow of the world’s need.
Self-love, self-interest, must perish.
And the law of
self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation.
The
husbandman preserves his grain by casting it away.
So in human life.
To give is to live.
The life that
will be preserved is the life that is freely given in
service to God and man.
Those who for Christ’s
sake sacrifice their life in this world, will keep it unto
life eternal.
The life spent on self is like the grain that is eaten.
IN THE OUTER COURT.
743
It disappears, but there is no increase.
A man may-
gather all he can for self; he may live and think and
plan for self; but his life passes away, and he has
nothing.
The law of self-serving is the law of self-
destruction.
“ If any man serve Me,” said Jesus, “ let him follow
Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be.
If any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.”
All who have borne with Jesus the cross of sacrifice,
will be sharers with Him of His glory.
It was the
joy of Christ in His humiliation and pain, that His
disciples should be glorified with Him.
They are the
fruit of His self-sacrifice.
The outworking in them
of His own character and spirit, is His reward, and
will be His joy throughout eternity.
This joy they
share with Him, as the fruit of their labor and sacri
fice is seen in other hearts and lives.
They are
workers together with Christ, and the Father will
honor them as He honors His Son.
The message of the Greeks, foreshadowing as it
did the gathering in of the Gentiles, brought to the
mind of Jesus His entire mission.
The work of re
demption passed before Him, from the time when in
heaven the plan was laid, to the death that was now
so near at hand.
A mysterious cloud seemed to en
shroud the Son of God.
Its gloom was felt by those
near Him.
He sat rapt in thought.
At last the
silence was broken by His mournful voice, “ Now is
My soul troubled; and what shall I say?
Father,
save Me from this hour?”
In anticipation Christ
was already drinking the cup of bitterness.
His
humanity shrank from the hour of abandonment,
when to all appearance He would be deserted even
by God, when all wmuld see Him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted.
He shrank from public exposure,
from being treated as the worst of criminals, from a
shameful and dishonored death.
A foreboding of
His conflict with the powers of darkness, a sense of
the awful burden of human transgression, and the
Father’s wrath because of sin, caused the spirit of
Jesus to faint, and the pallor of death to overspread
His countenance.
Then came divine submission to His Father s will.
“ For this cause,’’ He said, “came I unto this hour.
Father, glorify Thy name.”
Only through the death
of Christ could Satan’s kingdom be overthrown.
Only thus could man be redeemed, and God be glori
fied.
Jesus consented to the agony, He accepted the
sacrifice.
The Majesty of heaven consented to suffer
as the Sin-bearer.
“ Father, glorify Thy name,” He
said.
As Christ spoke these words, a response came
from the cloud which hovered above His head: “ I
have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Christ’s whole life, from the mangei to the time when
these words were spoken, had glorified God; and in
the coming trial His divine-human sufferings would
indeed glorify His Father’s name.
As the voice was heard, a light darted from the
cloud, and encircled Christ, as if the arms of Infinite
Power were thrown about Him like a wall of fire.
The people beheld this scene with terror and amaze
ment.
No one dared to speak.
With silent lips and
bated breath all stood with eyes fixed upon Jesus.
The testimony of the Father having been given, the
cloud lifted, and scattered in the heavens.
For the
time the visible communion between the Father and
the Son was ended.
“ The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it,
said that it thundered.
Others said, An angel spake
to Him.”
But the inquiring Greeks saw the cloud,
heard the voice, comprehended its meaning, and dis
cerned Christ indeed; to them He was revealed as the
Sent of God.
744
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
IN THE OUTER COURT.
745
The voice of God had been heard at the baptism of
Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, and again
at His transfiguration on the mount.
Now at the
close of His ministry it was heard for the third time,
by a larger number of persons, and under peculiar
circumstances.
Jesus had
just spoken the most
solemn truth regarding the condition of the Jews.
He had made His last appeal, and pronounced their
doom.
Now God again set His seal to the mission
of His Son.
He recognized the One whom Israel
had rejected.
“This voice came not because of Me,”
said Jesus, “but for your sakes.”
It was the crown
ing evidence of His Messiahship, the signal from the
Father that Jesus had spoken the truth, and was the
Son of God.
“ Now is the judgment of this world,” Christ con
tinued; “ now shall the prince of this world be cast
out.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
all unto Me.
This He said, signifying what death
He should die.”
This is the crisis of the world.
If
I become the propitiation for the sins of men, the
world will be lighted up.
Satan’s hold upon the
souls of men will be broken.
The defaced image of
God will be restored in humanity, and a family of
believing saints will finally inherit "the heavenly home.
This is the result of Christ’s death.
The Saviour is
lost in contemplation of the scene of triumph called
up before Him.
He sees the cross, the cruel, igno
minious cross, wkh all its attending horrors, blazing
with glory.
But the work of human redemption is not all that
is accomplished by the cross.
The love of God is
manifested to the universe.
The prince of this world
is cast out.
The accusations which Satan has brought
against God are refuted.
The reproach which he
has cast upon heaven is forever removed.
Angels
as well as men are drawn to the Redeemer.
“I, if
746
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
I be lifted up from the earth,” He said, ‘"will draw
all unto Me.”
Many people were round about Christ as He spoke
these words, and one said, “W e have heard out of the
law that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou,
The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son
of man?
Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little
while is the light with you.
Walk while ye have the
light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walk-
eth in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may
be the children of light.”
“ But though He had done so many miracles before
them, yet they believed not on Him.”
They had
once asked the Saviour, “ What sign showest Thou
then, that we may see and believe Thee?” 4
In
numerable signs had been given; but they had closed
their eyes and hardened their hearts.
Now that the
Father Himself had spoken, and they could ask for
no further sign, they still refused to believe.
“ Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many
believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they
did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of
the synagogue.”
They loved the praise of men
rather than the approval of God.
To save them
selves from reproach and shame, they denied Christ,
and rejected the offer of eternal life.
And how many
through all the centuries since have been doing the
same thing. To them all the Saviour’s warning words
apply: “ He that loveth his life shall lose it.”
“ He
that rejecteth Me,” said Jesus, “ and receiveth not My
words, hath one that judgeth him; the word that I
have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day.” 5
Alas for those who knew not the time of their
visitation!
Slowly and regretfully Christ left forever
the precincts of the temple.
4John 6:30.
6John 12:48.
ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE.
Christ’s words to the priests and rulers, “ Behold,
your house is left unto you desolate,” 1 had struck
terror to their hearts.
They affected indifference,
but the question kept rising in their minds as to the
import of these words.
An unseen danger seemed
to threaten them.
Could it be that the magnificent
temple, which was the nation’s glory, was soon to be
a heap of ruins?
The foreboding of evil was shared
by the disciples, and they anxiously waited for some
more definite statement from Jesus.
As they passed
with Him out of the temple, they called His attention
to its strength and beauty.
The stones of the temple
were of the purest marble, of perfect whiteness, and
some of them of almost fabulous size.
A portion of
the wall had withstood the siege by Nebuchadnezzar’s
army.
In its perfect masonry it appeared like one
solid stone dug entire from the quarry.
How those
mighty Walls could be overthrown, the disciples could
not comprehend.
As Christ’s attention was attracted to the mag
nificence of the temple, what must have been the
unuttered thoughts of that Rejected One.
The view
before Him was indeed beautiful, but He said with
sadness, I see it all.
The buildings are indeed won
derful.
You point to these walls as apparently in-
This chapter is based on Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-38.
1 Matt. 23:38.
(7 4 7 )
748
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
destructible; but listen to My words: The day will
come when “ there shall not be left one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Christ’s words had been spoken in the hearing of
a large number of people; but when He was alone,
Peter, John, James, and Andrew came to Him as He
sat upon the Mount of Olives.
“ Tell us,” they said,
“ when shall these things be? and what shall be the
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
Jesus did not answer His disciples by taking up sep
arately the destruction of Jerusalem and the great
day of His coming.
He mingled the description of
these two events.
Had He opened to His disciples
future events as He beheld them, they would have
been unable to endure the sight.
In mercy to them
He blended the description of the two great crises,
leaving the disciples to study out the meaning for
themselves.
When He referred to the destruction
of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond
that event to the final conflagration in that day when
the Lord shall rise out of His place to punish the
world for their iniquity, when the earth shall disclose
her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
This
entire discourse was given, not for the disciples only,
but for those who should live in the last scenes of
this earth’s history.
Turning to the disciples, Christ said, “Take heed
that no man deceive you.
For many shall come in
My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.”
Many false messiahs will appear, claiming
to work miracles, and declaring that the time of the
deliverance of the Jewish nation has come.
These
will mislead many.
Christ’s words were fulfilled.
Between His death and the siege of Jerusalem many
false messiahs appeared.
But this warning was given
also to those who live in this age of the world.
The
ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
7 4 9
same deceptions practised prior to the destruction
of Jerusalem have been practised through the ages,
and will be practised again.
“ And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars;
see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
Prior to the
destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for the su
premacy.
Emperors were murdered.
Those sup
posed to be standing next the throne were slain.
There were wars and rumors of wars.
“ All these
things must come to pass,” said Christ, “ but the end
[of the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet.
For
nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes in divers places.
All these are the
beginning of sorrows.”
Christ said, As the rabbis
see these signs, they will declare them to be God’s
judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage
His chosen people.
They will declare that these
signs are the token of the advent of the Messiah.
Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His
judgments.
The people
have
looked to
them
selves.
They have not repented and been converted
that I should heal them.
The signs that they repre
sent as tokens of their release from bondage, are
signs of their destruction.
“ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and
shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations
for My name’s sake.
And then shall many be
offended, and shall betray one another, and shall
hate one another.”
All this the Christians suffered.
Fathers and mothers betrayed their children.
Chil
dren betrayed their parents.
Friends delivered their
friends up
to the Sanhedrim.
The
persecutors
wrought out their purpose by killing Stephen, James,
and other Christians.
750
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people
a last opportunity to repent.
He manifested Him
self through His witnesses in their arrest, in their
trial, and in their imprisonment.
Yet their judges
pronounced on them the death sentence.
They were
men of whom the world was not worthy, and by kill
ing them the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God.
So it will be again.
The authorities will make laws
to restrict religious liberty.
They will assume the
right that is God’s alone.
They will think they can
force the conscience, which God alone should con
trol.
Even now they are making a beginning; this
work they will continue to carry forward till they
reach a boundary over which they cannot step.
God
will interpose in behalf of His loyal, commandment
keeping people.
On every occasion when persecution takes place,
those who witness it make decisions either for Christ
or against Him.
Those who manifest sympathy for
the ones wrongly condemned, show their attach
ment for Christ.
Others are offended because the
principles of truth cut directly across their practise.
Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith
they once advocated.
Those who apostatize in time
of trial, will, to secure their own safety, bear false wit
ness, and betray their brethren.
Christ has warned
us of this, that we may not be surprised at the un
natural, cruel course of those who reject the light.
Christ gave His disciples a sign of the ruin to come
on Jerusalem, and He told them how to escape:
“When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Then
let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains;
and let them which are in the midst of it depart out;
and let not them that are in the countries enter there
into.
For these be the days of vengeance, that all
ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
751
things which are written may be fulfilled.”
This
warning was given to be heeded forty years after, at
the
destruction
of
Jerusalem.
The
Christians
obeyed the warning, and not a Christian perished in
the fall of the city.
“ Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter;
neither on the Sabbath day,” Christ said.
He who
made the Sabbath did not abolish it, nailing it to His
cross.
The Sabbath was not rendered null and void
by His death.
Forty years after His crucifixior it
was still to be held sacred.
For forty years the dis
ciples were to pray that their flight might not be on
the Sabbath day.
From the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ passed
on rapidly to the greater event, the last link in the
chain of this earth’s history,—the coming of the Son
of God in majesty and glory.
Between these two
events, there lay open to Christ’s view long centuries
of darkness, centuries for His church marked with
blood and tears and agony.
Upon these- scenes His
disciples could not then endure to look, and Jesus
passed them by with a brief mention.
“ Then shall be
great tribulation,” Pie said, “such as was not since
the begnining of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. And except those days should be shortened,
there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s
sake those days shall be shortened.”
For more
than a thousand years such persecution as the world
had never before known was to come upon Christ’s
followers.
Millions upon millions of His faithful
witnesses were to be slain.
Had not God’s hand
been stretched out to preserve His people, all would
have perished.
“ But for the elect’s sake,” He said,
“those days shall be shortened.”
Now, in unmistakable language, our Lord speaks
of His second coming, and He gives warning of dan-
752
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
gers to precede His advent to the world.
“ If any
man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there;
believe it not.
For there shall arise false christs and
false prophets, and shall show great signs and won
ders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect.
Behold, I have told you be
fore.
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold,
He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the
secret chambers; believe it not.
For as the lightning
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
As one of the signs of Jerusalem’s destruction, Christ
had said, “ Many false prophets shall rise and shall de
ceive many.”
False prophets did rise, deceiving the
people, and leading great numbers into the desert.
Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power,
drew the people after them into the mountain soli
tudes.
But this prophecy was spoken also for the
last days.
This sign is given as a sign of the second
advent.
Even now false christs and false prophets
are showing signs and wonders to seduce His dis
ciples.
Do we not hear the cry, "Behold, He is in
the desert” ?
Have not thousands gone forth into
the desert, hoping to find Christ?
And from thou
sands of gatherings where men profess to hold com
munion with departed spirits, is not the call now
heard, “ Behold, He is in the secret chambers” ?
This
is the very claim that Spiritualism puts forth.
But
what says Christ?— “ Believe it not.
For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even
unto the west; so shall also the coining of the Son of
man be.”
The Saviour gives signs of His coming, and more
than this, He fixes the time when the first of these
signs shall appear:2 “ Immediately after the tribula-
a See Appendix, Note 3.
ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.
753
tion of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken.
And then shall appear the sign of the Son
of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man com-
ing in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory.
And He shall send His angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven
to the other.”
At the close of the great papal persecution, Christ
declared, the sun should be darkened, and the moon
should not give her light.
Next, the stars should
fall from heaven.
And He says, “ Learn a parable
of the fig-tree.
When his branch is yet tender, and
putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh.
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,
know that He is near, even at the doors.” 3
Christ has given signs of His coming.
He de
clares that we may know when Fie is near, even at
the doors.
He says of those who see these signs,
“This generation shall not pass, till all these things
be fulfilled.”
These signs have appeared.
Now we
know of a surety that the Lord’s coming is at hand.
“ Heaven and earth shall pass away,” He says, “ but
My words shall not pass away.”
Christ is coming with clouds and with great glory.
A multitude of shining angels will attend Him.
Fie
will come to raise the dead, and to change the living
saints from glory to glory.
He will come to honor
those who have loved Him, and kept His command
ments, and to take them to Himself.
He has not
forgotten them nor His promise.
There will be a
re-linking of the family chain.
When we look upon
3 Margin.
48
754
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
our dead, we may think of the morning when the
trump of God shall sound, when “ the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 4
A
little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty.
A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our
eyes.
A little longer, and He will present us “ fault
less before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy.” 5
Wherefore, when He gave the signs of His
coming He said, “ When these things begin to come
to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh.”
But the day and the hour of His coming Christ
has not revealed.
He stated plainly to His disciples
that He Himself could not make known the day or
the hour of His second appearing.
Had He been
at liberty to reveal this, why need He have exhorted
them to maintain an attitude of constant expectancy?
There are those who claim to know the very day and
hour of our Lord's appearing.
Very earnest are they
in mapping out the future.
But the Lord has warned
them off the ground they occupy.
The exact time
of the second coming of the Son of man is God’s
mystery.
Christ continues, pointing out the condition of the
world at His coming: “ As the days of Noah were, so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
For as
in the days that were before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in mar
riage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
and knew not until the flood came, and took them
all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be.”
Christ does not here bring to view a temporal
millennium, a thousand years in which all are to pre
pare for eternity.
He tells us that as it was in Noah’s
day, So will it b'e when the Son of man comes again.
* i Cor. 15:52.
5J u2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
have been ministering unto Him.
To their per
plexed inquiries He answers, “ Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these My brethren,
ye have done it unto Me.”
Jesus had told His disciples that they were to be
hated of all men, to be persecuted and afflicted. Many
would be driven from their homes, and brought to
poverty.
Many would be in distress through disease
and privation.
Many would be cast into prison.
To all who forsook friends or home for His sake He
had promised in this life a hundred-fold.
Now He
assured a special blessing to all who should minister
to their brethren.
In all who suffer for My name,
said Jesus, you are to recognize Me.
As you would
minister to Me, so you are to minister to them.
This
is the evidence that you are My disciples.
All who have been born into the heavenly family
are in a special sense the brethren of our Lord.
The
love of Christ binds together the members of His
family, and wherever that love is made manifest, there
the divine relationship is revealed.
“ Every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1
Those whom Christ commends in the Judgment,
may have known little of theology, but they have
cherished His principles.
Through the influence of
the divine Spirit they have been a blessing to those
about them.
Even among the heathen are those
who have cherished the spirit of kindness; before the
words of life had fallen upon their ears, they have
befriended the missionaries, even ministering to them
at the peril of their own lives.
Among the heathen
are those who worship God ignorantly, those to
whom the light is never brought by human instru
mentality, yet they will not perish.
Though ignorant,
of the written law of God, they have heard His voice
1 1 John 4:7.
speaking to them in nature, and have done the things
that the law required.
Their works are evidence that
the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they
are recognized as the children of God.
How surprised and gladdened will be the lowly
among the nations, and among the heathen, to hear
from the lips of the Saviour, “ Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least of these My brethren,
ye have done it unto Me.”
How glad will be the
heart of Infinite Love as His followers look up with
surprise and joy at His words of approval.
But not to any class is Christ’s love restricted.
He identifies Himself with every child of humanity.
That we might become members of the heavenly
family, He became a member of the earthly family.
He is the Son of man, and thus a brother to every
son and daughter of Adam.
His followers are not
to feel themselves detached from the perishing world
around them.
They are a part of the great web of
humanity:
and
Heaven
looks
upon
them
as
brothers to sinners as well as to saints.
The fallen,
the erring, and the sinful, Christ’s love embraces;
and every deed of kindness done to uplift a fallen
soul, every act of mercy, is accepted as done to Him.
The angels of heaven are sent forth to minister to
those who shall be heirs of salvation.
W e know not
now who they are; it is not yet made manifest who
shall overcome, and share the inheritance of the
saints in light; but angels of heaven are passing
throughout the length and breadth of the earth, seek
ing to comfort the sorrowing, to protect the im
periled, to win the hearts of men to Christ.
Not one
is neglected or passed by.
God is no respecter of
persons, and He has an equal care for all the souls
Ele has created.
As you open your door to Christ’s needy and suf-
THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN.
763
fering ones, you are welcoming unseen angels.
You
invite the companionship of heavenly beings.
They
bring a sacred atmosphere of joy and peace.
They
come with praises upon their lips, and an answering
strain is heard in heaven.
Every deed of mercy
makes music there.
The Father from His throne
numbers the unselfish workers among His most
precious treasures.
Those on the left hand of Christ, those who had
neglected Him in the person of the poor and the suf
fering, were unconscious of their guilt.
Satan had
blinded them; they had not perceived what they owed
to their brethren.
They had been self-absorbed, and
cared not for others’ needs.
To the rich, God has given wealth that they may
relieve and comfort His suffering children; but too
often they are indifferent to the wants of others.
They feel themselves superior to their poor brethren.
They do not put themselves in the poor man’s place.
They do not understand the temptations and strug
gles of the poor, and mercy dies out of their hearts.
In costly dwellings and splendid churches, the rich
shut themselves away from the poor; the means that
God has given to bless the needy, is spent in pamper
ing pride and selfishness.
The poor are robbed daily
of the education they should have concerning the ten
der mercies of God; for He has made ample pro
vision that they should be comforted with the necessi
ties of life.
They are compelled to feel the poverty
that narrows life, and are often tempted to become
envious, jealous, and full of evil surmisings.
Those
who themselves have not endured the pressure of
want, too often treat the poor in a contemptuous
way, and make them feel that they are looked upon
as paupers.
But Christ beholds it all, and He says, It was I who
764
•
THE d e s ir e o f a g e s .
was hungry and thirsty.
It was I who was a
stranger.
It was I who was sick.
It was I who was
in prison.
While you were feasting at your bounti
fully spread table, I was famishing in the hovel or the
empty street.
While you were at ease in your lux
urious home, I had not where to lay My head.
While
you crowded your wardrobe with rich apparel, I was
destitute.
While you pursued your pleasures, I
languished in prison.
When you doled out the pittance of bread to the
starving poor, when you gave those flimsy garments
to shield them from the biting frost, did you remem
ber that you were giving to the Lord of Glory?
All
the days of your life I was near you in the person of
these afflicted ones, but you did not seek Me.
You
would not enter into fellowship with Me.
I know
you not.
Many feel that it would be a great privilege to visit
the Scenes of Christ’s life on earth, to walk where He
trod, to look upon the lake beside which He loved
to teach, and the hills and valleys on which His eyes
so often rested.
But we need not go to Nazareth,
to Capernaum, or to Bethany, in order to walk in
the steps of Jesus.
We shall find His footprints be
side the sick bed, in the hovels of poverty, in the
crowded alleys of the great city, and in every place
where there are human hearts in need of consolation.
In doing as Jesus did when on earth, we shall walk
in His steps.
All may find something to do.
“ The poor always
ye have with you,” 2 Jesus said, and none need feel
that there is no place where they can labor for Him.
Millions upon millions of human souls ready to per
ish, bound in chains of ignorance and sin, have
never so much as heard of Christ’s love for them.
2John 12:8.
t h e l e a s t o f t h e s e m y b r e t h r e n .
765
7 66
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Were our condition and theirs to be reversed, what
would we desire them to do for us?
All this, so far
as lies in our power, we are under the most solemn
obligation to do for them.
Christ’s rule of life, by
which every one of us must stand or fall in the Judg
ment, is, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do
to you, do ye even so to them.” 3
The Saviour has given His precious life in order
to establish a church capable of caring for sorrowful,
tempted souls.
A company of believers may be poor,
uneducated, and unknown; yet in Christ they may do
a work in the home, the neighborhood, the church,
and even in “the regions beyond,” whose results
shall be as far-reaching as eternity.
It is because this work is neglected that so many
young disciples never advance beyond the mere al
phabet of Christian experience.
The light which was
glowing in their own hearts when Jesus spoke to
them, “ Thy sins be forgiven thee,” they might have
kept alive by helping those in need.
The restless
energy that is so often a source of danger to the
young, might be directed into channels
through
which it would flow out in streams of blessing.
Self
would be forgotten in earnest work to do others
good.
Those who minister to others will be ministered
unto by the Chief Shepherd.
They themselves will
drink of the living water, and will be satisfied.
They
will not be longing for exciting amusements, or for
some change in their lives.
The great topic of inter
est will be, how to save the souls that are ready to
perish.
Social intercourse will be profitable.
The
love of the Redeemer will draw hearts together in
unity.
When we realize that we are workers together with
3 Matt. 7:12.
God, His promises will not be spoken with indiffer-
ence.
They will burn in our hearts, and kindle upon
our lips.
To Moses, when called to minister to an
ignorant, undisciplined, and rebellious people, God
gave the promise, “ My presence shall go with thee,
and I will give thee rest.”
And He said, “ Certainly
I will be with thee.” 4
This promise is to all who
labor in Christ’s stead for His afflicted and suffering
ones.
Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the
love of God.
It was to implant this love, to make
us children of one family, that the King of Glory
became one with us.
And when His parting words
are fulfilled, “ Love one another, as I have loved
you;” 5 when we love the world as He has loved it,
then for us His mission is accomplished.
We are
fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.
But “if thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn
unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if
thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that
pondereth the heart consider it? and He that keep-
eth thy soul, doth not He know it? and shall not He
render to every man according to his works?” 6
In
the great Judgment day, those who have not worked
for Christ, who have drifted along thinking of them
selves, caring for themselves, will be placed by the
Judge of the whole earth with those who did evil.
They receive the same condemnation.
To every soul a trust is given.
Of every one the
Chief Shepherd will demand, “ Where is the flock that
was given thee, thy beautiful flock?”
And “ what
wilt thou say when He shall punish thee?” 7
4 Ex. 33:14; 3:12.
5J0hn 15:12.
6 Prov. 24:11, 12.
7Jer. 13:20, 21.
THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN.
767
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE.
In the upper chamber of a dwelling at Jerusalem,
Christ was sitting at table with His disciples.
They
had gathered to celebrate the Passover. /The Sa
viour desired to keep this feast alone with the twelve.
He knew that His hour was come; He Himself was
the true paschal lamb, and on the day the Passover
was eaten. He was to be sacrificed.
He was about
to drink the cup of wrath; He must soon receive the
final baptism of suffering.
But a few quiet hours
yet remained to Him, and these were to be spent for
the benefit of His beloved disciples.
The whole life of Christ had been a life of unselfish
service.
‘‘Not to be ministered unto, but to minis
ter,” 1 had been the lesson of His every act.
But not
yet had the disciples learned the lesson.
At this last
Passover supper, Jesus repeated His teaching by an
illustration that impressed it forever on their minds
and hearts.
The interviews between Jesus and His disciples
were usually seasons of calm joy, highly prized by
them all.
The Passover suppers had been scenes of
special interest; but upon this occasion Jesus was
troubled.
His heart was burdened, and a shadow
rested upon His countenance.
As He met the dis
ciples in the upper chamber, they perceived that
This chapter is based on Luke 22:7-18, 24; John 13:1-17.
1 Matt. 20:28.
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
769
something weighed heavily upon His mind, and
although they knew not its cause, they sympathized
v/ith His grief.
As they were gathered about the table, He said in
tones of touching sadness, “ With desire I have de
sired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof,
until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
And He
took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this,
and divide it among yourselves; for I say unto you,
I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the king
dom of God shall come.”
Christ knew that the time had come for Him to
depart out of the world, and go to His Father.
And
having loved His own that were in the world, He
loved them unto the end.
He was now in the shadow
of the cross, and the pain was torturing His heart.
He knew that He would be deserted in the hour of
His betrayal.
He knew that by the most humiliat
ing process to which criminals were subjected, He
would be put to death.
He knew the ingratitude
and cruelty of those He had come to save.
He knew
how great the sacrifice that He must make, and for
how many it would be in vain.
Knowing all that
was before Him, He might naturally have been over
whelmed with the thought of His own humiliation
and suffering.
But He looked upon the twelve, who
had been with Him as His own, and who, after His
shame and sorrow and painful usage were over,
would be left to struggle in the world.
His thoughts
of what He Himself must suffer were ever connected
with His disciples.
He did not think of Himself.
His care for them was uppermost in His mind,
v
On this last evening with His disciples, Jesus had
much to tell them.
If they had been prepared to
receive what He longed to impart, they would have
49
770
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
been saved from heart-breaking anguish, from dis
appointment and unbelief.
But Jesus saw that they
could not bear what He had to say.
As He looked
into their faces, the words of warning and comfort
were stayed upon His lips.
Moments passed in
silence.
Jesus appeared to be waiting.
The dis
ciples were ill at ease.
The sympathy and tender
ness awakened by Christ’s grief seemed to have passed
away.
His sorrowful words, pointing to His own
suffering, had made little impression.
The glances
they cast upon each other told of jealousy and con
tention.
There was “ a strife among them, which of them
should be accounted the greatest.”
This contention,
carried on in the presence of Christ, giieved and
wounded Him.
The disciples clung to their favorite
idea that Christ would assert His power, and take
His position on the throne of David.
And in heart
each still longed for the highest place in the king
dom.
They had placed their own estimate upon
themselves and upon one another, and instead of re
garding their brethren as more worthy, they had
placed themselves first.
The request of ^ James and
John to sit on the right and left of Christ’s throne,
had excited the indignation of the others.
That the
two brothers should presume to ask for the highest
position, so stirred the ten that alienation threatened.
They felt that they were misjudged, that their fidelity
and talents were not appreciated.
Judas was the
most severe upon James and John.
_
When the disciples entered the supper room, then-
hearts were full of resentful feelings.
Judas pressed
next to Christ on the left side; John was on the right.
If there was a highest place, Judas was determined
to have it, and that place was thought to be next to
Christ.
And Judas was a traitor.
Another cause of dissension had arisen.
At a feast
it was customary for a servant to wash the feet of the
guests, and on this occasion preparation had been
made for the service.
The pitcher, the basin, and
the towel were there, in readiness for the feet-wash-
ing; but no servant was present, and it was the dis
ciples’ part to perform it.
But each of the disciples,
yielding to wounded pride, determined not to act the
part of a servant.
All manifested a stoical uncon
cern, seeming unconscious that there was anything
for them to do. _By their silence they refused to
humble themselves.
How was Christ to bring these poor souls where
Satan would not gain over them a decided victory?
How could He show that a mere profession of dis-
cipleship did not make them disciples, or insure them
a place in His kingdom?
How could He show that
it is loving service, true humility, which constitutes
real greatness?
How was He to kindle love in their
hearts, and enable them to comprehend what He
longed to tell them?
The disciples made no move toward serving one
another.
Jesus waited for a time to see what they
would do.
Then He, the divine Teacher, rose from
the table.
Laying aside the outer garment that
would have impeded His movements, He took a
towel, and girded Himself.
With surprised interest
the disciples looked on, and in silence waited to see
what was to follow.
“After that He poureth water
into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet,
and to wipe them with the towrel wherewith He was
girded.”
This action opened the eyes of the dis
ciples.
Bitter shame and humiliation filled their
hearts.
They understood the unspoken rebuke, and
saw themselves in altogether a new light.
So Christ expressed His love for His disciples.
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
7 7 1
7 7 2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Their selfish spirit filled -Him with sorrow, but He
entered into no controversy with them regarding
their difficulty.
Instead He gave them an example
they would never forget.
His love for them was not
easily disturbed or quenched.
He knew that the
Father had given all things into His hands, and that
He came from God, and went to God.
He had a
full consciousness of His divinity; but He had laid
aside His royal crown and kingly robes, and had
taken the form of a servant.
One of the last acts of
His life on earth was to gird Himself as a servant,
and perform a servant’s part.
Before the Passover Judas had met a second time
with the priests and scribes, and had closed the con
tract to deliver Jesus into their hands.
Yet he after
ward mingled with the disciples as though innocent
of any wrong, and interested in the work of prepar
ing for the feast.
The disciples knew nothing of the
purpose of Judas.
Jesus alone could read his secret.
Yet He did not expose him.
Jesus hungered tor his
soul.
He felt for him such a burden as for Jerusalem
when He wept over the doomed city.
His heart was
crying, “ How can I give thee up?”
The constrain
ing power of that love was felt by Judas.
When the
Saviour’s hands were bathing those soiled feet, and
wiping them with the towel, the heart of Judas thrilled
through and through with the impulse then and there
to confess his sin.
But he would not humble him
self.
He hardened his heart against repentance; and
the old impulses, for the moment put aside, again
controlled him.
Judas was now offended at Christ’s
act in washing the feet of His disciples.
If Jesus
could so humble Himself, he thought, He could not
be Israel’s king.
All hope of worldly honor in a tem
poral kingdom was destroyed.
Judas was satisfied
that there was nothing to be gained by following
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
7 73
Christ.
After seeing Him degrade Himself, as he
thought, he was confirmed in his purpose to disown
Him, and confess himself deceived.
He was pos
sessed by a demon, and he resolved to complete the
work he had agreed to do in betraying his Lord.
Judas, in choosing his position at table, had tried
to place himself first, and Christ as a servant served
him first.
John, toward whom Judas had felt so
much bitterness, was left till the last.
But John did
not take this as a rebuke or slight.
As the disciples
watched Christ’s action, they were greatly moved.
When Peter’s turn came, he exclaimed with aston
ishment, ‘‘Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?”
Christ’s
condescension broke his heart.
He was filled with
shame to think that one of the disciples was not per
forming this service.
“ What I do,” Christ said, “thou
knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.”
Peter could not bear to see his Lord, whom he be
lieved to be the Son of God, acting the part of a
servant.
His whole soul rose up against this humilia
tion.
He did not realize that for this Christ came into
the world.
With great emphasis he exclaimed,
“ Thou shalt never wash my feet.”
Solemnly Christ said to Peter, “ If I wash thee not,
thou hast no part with Me.”
The service which
Peter refused was the type of a higher cleansing.
Christ had come to wash the heart from the stain of
sin.
In- refusing to allow Christ to wash his feet,
Peter was refusing the higher cleansing included in
the lower.
He was really rejecting his Lord.
It is
not humiliating to the Master to allow Him to work
for our purification.
The truest humility is to re
ceive with thankful heart any provision made in our
behalf, and with earnestness do service for Christ.
At the words, “ If I wash thee not, thou hast no
part with Me,” Peter surrendered his pride and self
774
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
will.
He could not endure the thought of separa
tion from Christ; that would have been death to him.
“ Not my feet only,” he said, “ but also my hands and
my head.
Jesus saith to him, He that is washed
needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every
whit.”
These words mean more than bodily cleanliness.
Christ is still speaking of the higher cleansing as
illustrated by the lower.
He who came from the
bath was clean, but the sandaled feet soon became
dusty, and again needed to be washed.
So Peter
and his brethren had been washed in the great foun
tain opened for sin and uncleanness.
Christ ac
knowledged them as His.
But temptation had led
them into evil, and they still needed His cleansing
grace.
When Jesus girded Himself with a towel to
wash the dust from their feet, He desired by that very
act to wash the alienation, jealousy, and pride from
their hearts.
This was of far more consequence than
the washing of their dusty feet.
With the spirit they
then had, not one of them was prepared for com
munion with Christ.
Until brought into a state of
humility and love, they were not prepared to partake
of the paschal supper, or to share in the memorial
service which Christ was about to institute.
Their
hearts must be cleansed.
Pride and self-seeking
create dissension and hatred, but all this Jesus washed
away in washing their feet.
A change of feeling
was brought about.
Looking upon
them, Jesus
could say, “ Ye are clean.”
Now there was union of
heart, love for one another.
They had become hum
ble and teachable.
Except Judas, each was ready
to concede to another the highest place.
Now with
subdued
and
grateful
hearts they could receive
Christ’s words.
Like Peter and his brethren, we too have been
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
775
washed in the blood of Christ, yet often through con
tact with evil the heart’s purity is soiled.
We must
come to Christ
for His cleansing
grace.
Peter
shrank from bringing his soiled feet in contact with
the hands of his Lord and Master; but how often we
bring our sinful, polluted hearts in contact with the
heart of Christ.
How grievous to Him is our evil
temper, our vanity and pride.
Yet all our infirmity
and defilement we must bring to Him.
He alone
can wash us clean.
W e are not prepared for com
munion with Him unless cleansed by His efficacy.
Jesus said to the disciples, “ Ye are clean, but not
all.”
He had washed the feet of Judas, but the heart
had not been yielded to Him.
It was not purified.
Judas had not submitted himself to Christ.
After Christ had washed the disciples’ feet, and
had taken His garments and sat down again, He said
to them, “ Know ye what I have done to you?
Ye
call Me Master and Lord, and ye say well; for so I
am.
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed
your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet;
for I have given you an example, that ye should do
as I have done to you.
Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither
he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”
Christ would have His disciples understand that
although He had washed their feet, this did not in
the least detract from His dignity.
“ Y e call Me
Master and Lord, and ye say well; for so I am.”
And being so infinitely superior, He imparted grace
and significance to the service.
No one was so ex
alted as Christ, and yet He stooped to the humblest
dutv.
That His people might not be misled by the
selfishness which dwells in the natural heart, and
which strengthens by self-serving, Christ Himself set
the example of humility.
He would not leave this
77 &
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
great subject in man’s charge.
Of so much conse
quence did He regard it, that He Himself, One equal
with God, acted as servant to His disciples.
While
they were contending for the highest place, He to
whom every knee shall bow, He whom the angels of
glory count it honor to serve, bowed down to wash
the feet of those who called Him Lord.
He washed
the feet of His betrayer.
In His life and lessons, Christ has given a perfect
exemplification of the unselfish ministry which has
its origin in God.
God does not live for Himself.
By creating the world, and by upholding" all things,
He is constantly ministering for others.
“ He mak-
eth His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” 2
This
ideal of ministry God has committed to His Son.
Jesus was given to stand at the head of humanity,
that by His example He might teach what it means
to minister.
His whole life was under a law of
service.
He served all, ministered to all.
Thus He
lived the law of God, and by His example showed how
we are to obey it.
Again and again Jesus had tried to establish this
principle among His disciples.
When James and
John made their request for pre-eminence, He had
said, “Whosoever will be great among you, let him
be your minister.”3
In My kingdom the principle
of preference and supremacy has no place.
The only
greatness is the greatness of humility.
The only dis
tinction is found in devotion to the service of others.
Now, having washed the disciples’ feet, He said,
“ I have given you an example, that ye should do as
I have done to you.”
In these words Christ was not
merely enjoining the practise of hospitality.
More
was meant than the washing of the feet of guests to
aMatt. 5:45.
3 Matt. 20:26.
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
777
remove the dust of travel.
Christ was here institut
ing a religious service.
By the act of our Lord this
humiliating ceremony was made a consecrated or
dinance.
It was to be observed by the disciples,
that they might ever keep in mind His lessons of
humility and service.
Phis ordinance is Christ’s appointed preparation
for the sacramental service.
While pride, variance,
and strife for supremacy are cherished, the heart
cannot enter into fellowship with Christ.
W e are
not prepared to receive the communion of His body
and His blood.
Therefore it was that Jesus ap
pointed the memorial of His humiliation to be first
observed.
As they come to this ordinance, the children of
God should bring to remembrance the words of the
Lord of life and glory: “ Know ye what I have done
to you?
Ye call Me Master and Lord, and ye say
well; for so I am.
If I then, your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one
another’s feet.
For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you.
Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than
his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that
sent him.
If ye know these things, happy are ye if
ye do them.”
There is in man a disposition to es
teem himself more highly than his brother, to work
for self, to seek the highest place; and often this re
sults in evil surmisings and bitterness of spirit.
The
ordinance preceding the Lord’s supper, is to clear
away these misunderstandings, to bring man out of
his selfishness, down from his stilts of self-exaltation,
to the humility of heart that will lead him to serve
his brother.
The holy Watcher from heaven is present at this
season to make it one of soul-searching, of convic
778
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
tion of sin, and of the blessed assurance of sins for
given.
Christ in the fulness of His grace is there to
change the current of the thoughts that have been
running
in
selfish
channels.
The
Holy
Spirit
quickens the sensibilities of those who follow the ex
ample of their Lord.
As the Saviour’s humiliation
for us is remembered, thought links with thought; a
chain of memories is called up, memories of God’s
great goodness and of the favor and tenderness of
earthly friends.
Blessings forgotten, mercies abused,
kindnesses slighted, are called to mind.
Roots of
bitterness that have crowded out the precious plant
of love are made manifest.
Defects of character,
neglect of duties, ingratitude to God, coldness toward
our brethren, are called to remembrance.
Sin is
seen in the light in which God views it.
Our
thoughts are not thoughts of self-complacency, but
of severe self-censure and humiliation.
The mind is
energized to break down every barrier that has
caused alienation.
Evil-thinking and evil-speaking
are put away.
Sins are confessed, they are forgiven.
The subduing grace of Christ comes into the soul,
and the love of Christ draws hearts together in a
blessed unity.
As the lesson of the preparatory service is thus
learned, the desire is kindled for a higher spiritual
life.
To this desire the divine Witness will respond.
The soul will be uplifted.
W e can partake of the
communion with a consciousness of sins forgiven.
The sunshine of Christ’s righteousness will fill the
chambers of the mind and the soul temple.
We
“behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world.” 4
To those who receive the spirit of this service, it
can never become a mere ceremonial.
Its constant
4John 1:29.
A SERVANT OF SERVANTS.
779
lesson will be, “ By lovd serve one another.” 5
In
washing the feet of His disciples, Christ gave evi
dence that He would do any service, however hum
ble, that would make them heirs with Him of the
eternal wealth of heaven’s treasure.
His disciples,
in performing the same rite, pledge themselves in like
manner to serve their brethren.
Whenever this
ordinance is rightly celebrated, the children of God
are brought into a holy relationship, to help and
bless each other.
They covenant that the life shall
be given to unselfish ministry.
And this, not only for
one another.
Their field of labor is as wide as their
Master’s was.
The world is full of those who need
our ministry.
The poor, the helpless, the ignorant,
are on every hand.
Those who have communed
with Christ in the upper chamber, will go forth to
minister as He did.
Jesus, the served of all, came to be the servant of all.
And because He ministered to all, He will again be
served and honored by all.
And those who would
partake of His divine attributes, and share with Him
the joy of seeing souls redeemed, must follow His
example of unselfish ministry.
All this was comprehended in the words of Jesus,
“ 1 have given you an example, that ye should do as
I have done to you.”
This was the intent of the
service He established.
And He says, “ If ye know
these things,” if you know the purpose of His les
sons, “ happy are ye if ye do them.”
5Gal. 5:13.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO.
“ The Lord Jesus the same night in which He was
betrayed took bread: and when He had given thanks,
He brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body,
which is broken tor you: this do in remembrance of
Me.
After the same manner also He took the cup,
when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new
testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink
it, in remembrance of Me.
For as often as ye eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s
death till He come.” 1
Christ was standing at the point of transition be
tween two economies and their two great festivals.
He, the spotless Lamb of God, was about to present
Himself as a sin-oflfering, and He would thus bring
to an end the system of types and ceremonies that for
four thousand years had pointed to His death.
As
He ate the Passover with His disciples, He insti
tuted in its place the service that was to be the me
morial of His great sacrifice.
The national festival of
the Jews was to pass away forever.
The service
which Christ established was to be observed by His
followers in all lands and through all ages.
The Passover was ordained as a commemoration
of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.
God had directed that, year by year, as the children
This chapter is based on Matt. 26:20-29; Mark 14:17-25;
Luke 22:14-23; John 13:18-30.
(780)
1 1 Cor. 11:23-26.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
781
should ask the meaning of this ordinance, the history
should be repeated.
Thus the wonderful deliverance
?vas to be kept fresh in the minds or all.
The ordi
nance of the Lord s supper was given to com
memorate the great deliverance wrought out as the
lesult of the death of Christ.
Till He shall come the
second time in power and glory, this ordinance is to
be celebrated.
It is the means by which His great
work for us is to be kept fresh in our minds.
At the time of their deliverance from Egypt, the
children of Israel ate the Passover supper standing,
with their loins girded, and with their staves in their
hands, ready for their journey.
The manner in which
they celebrated this ordinance harmonized with their
condition; for they were about to be thrust out of
the land of Egypt, and were to begin a painful and
difficult journey through the wilderness.
But in
Christ’s time the condition of things had changed.
They were not now about to be thrust out of a strange
country, but were dwellers in their own land.
In
harmony with the rest that had been given them, the
people then partook of the Passover supper in a re
clining position.
Couches were placed about the
table, and the guests lay upon them, resting upon the
left arm, and having the right hand free for use in
eating.
In this position a guest could lay his head
upon the breast of the one who sat next above him.
And the feet, being at the outer edge of the couch,
could be washed by one passing around the outside
of the circle.
Christ is still at the table on which the paschal suo-
per has been spread.
The un 1 eavenecl calces"userf at
th'e Passover season are before Him.
The Passover
wine, untouched by fermentation, is on the table.
These emblems Christ employs to represent His own
unblemished sacrifice.
Nothing corrupted by fer-
7»2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
mentation, the symbol of sin and death, could repre
sent the “ Lamb without blemish and without spot.” 2
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples,
and said, Take, eat: this is My body.
And He took
the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, say
ing, Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood of the
new testament, which is shed for many for the remis
sion of sins.
But I say unto you, I wall not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day
when I drink it new with you in My Father’s
kingdom.”
Judas, the betrayer, was present at the sacramental
service.
He received from Jesus the emblems of
His broken body and His spilled blood.
He heard
the words, “This do in remembrance of Me.”
And
sitting there in the very presence of the Lamb of God,
the betrayer brooded upon his own dark purposes,
and cherished his sullen, revengeful thoughts.
At the feet-washing, Christ had given convincing
proof that He understood the character of Judas.
“ Ye are not all clean,”3 He said.
These words con
vinced the false disciple that Christ read his secret
purpose.
Now Christ spoke out more plainly.
As
they were seated at the table He said, looking upon
His disciples, “ I speak not of you all: I know whom
I have chosen; but that the scripture may be fulfilled,
He that eateth bread with Me, hath lifted up his heel
against Me.”
Even now the disciples did not suspect Judas.
But they saw that Christ appeared greatly troubled.
A cloud settled over them all, a premonition of some
dreadful calamity, the nature of which they did not
understand.
As they ate in silence, Jesus said,
“Verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray
1 1 Peter 1:19.
3 John 13:11.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
7 83
Me.”
At these words amazement and consternation
seized them.
They could not comprehend how any
one of them could deal treacherously with their
divine Teacher.
For what cause could they betray
Him? and to whom?
Whose heart could give birth
to such a design?
Surely not one of the favored
twelve, who had been privileged above all others to
hear His teachings, who had shared His wonderful
love, and for whom He had shown such great regard
by
bringing
them
into
close
communion with
Himself!
As they realized the import of His words, and re
membered how true His sayings were, fear and self
distrust seized them.
They began to search their
own hearts to see if one thought against their Master
were harbored there.
With the most painful emo
tion, one after another inquired, “Lord, is it I?”
But Judas sat silent.
John in deep distress at last
inquired, “ Lord, who is it?”
And Jesus answered,
“ He that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, the
same shall betray Me.
The Son of man goeth as it is
written of Him: but woe unto that man by whom the
Son of man is betrayed; it had been good for that
man if he had not been born.”
The disciples had
searched one another’s faces closely as they asked,
“ Lord, is it I?”
And now the silence of Judas drew
all eyes to him.
Amid the confusion of questions
and expressions of astonishment, Judas had not
heard the words of Jesus in answer to John’s ques
tion.
But now, to escape the scrutiny of the dis
ciples, he asked as they had done, “Master, is it I?”
Jesus solemnly replied, “Thou hast said.”
In surprise and confusion at the exposure of his
purpose. Judas rose hastily to leave the room.
“Then
said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.
.
.
.
He then having received the sop went im-
7 8 4
T H E D E S I R E O F A G E S .
mediately out: and it was night.”
Night it was to
the traitor as he turned away from Christ into the
outer darkness.
Until this step was taken, Judas had not passed be
yond the possibility of repentance.
But when he left
the presence of his Lord and his fellow-disciples, the
final decision had been made.
He had passed the
boundary line.
Wonderful had been the longsuffering of Jesus in
His dealing with this tempted soul.
Nothing that
could be done to save Judas had been left undone.
After he had twice covenanted to betray his Lord,
Jesus still gave him opportunity for repentance.
By reading the secret purpose of the traitor’s heart,
Christ gave to Judas the final, convincing evidence
of His divinity. This was to the false disciple the last
call to repentance.
No appeal that the divine-human
heart of Christ could make had been spared.
The
waves of mercy, beaten back by stubborn pride, re
turned in a stronger tide of subduing love.
But
although surprised and alarmed at the discovery of
his guilt, Judas became only the more determined.
From the sacramental supper he went out to com
plete the work of betrayal.
In pronouncing the woe upon Judas, Christ also
had a purpose of mercy toward His disciples.
He
thus gave them the crowning evidence of His Mes-
siahship.
“ I tell you before it come,” He said,
‘‘that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I
AM .”
Had Jesus remained
silent, in apparent
ignorance of what was to come upon Him, the dis
ciples might have thought that their Master had not
divine foresight, and had been surprised and be
trayed into the hands of the murderous mob.
A
year before, Jesus had told the disciples that He had
chosen twelve, and that one was a devil.
Now His
I N R E M E M B R A N C E O F M E .
7 8 5
words to Judas, showing that his treachery was fully
known to his Master, would strengthen the faith of
Christ’s
true
followers
during
His humiliation.
And when Judas should have come to his dreadful
end, they would remember the woe that Jesus had
pronounced upon the betrayer.
And the Saviour had still another purpose.
He
had not withheld His ministry from him whom He
knew to be a traitor.
The disciples did not under
stand His words when He said at the feet-washing,
“ Ye are not all clean,” nor yet when at the table He
declared, “ He that eateth bread with Me hath lifted
up his heel against Me.”4
But afterward, when His
meaning was made plain, they had something to con
sider as to the patience and mercy of God toward the
most grievously erring.
Though Jesus knew Judas from the beginning, He
washed his feet.
And the betrayer was privileged
to unite with Christ in partaking of the sacrament.
A longsuffering Saviour held out every inducement
for the sinner to receive Him, to repent, and to be
cleansed from the defilement of sin.
This example
is for us.
When we suppose one to be in error and
sin, we are not to divorce ourselves from him.
By
no careless separation are we to leave him a prey to
temptation, or drive him upon Satan’s battle-ground.
This is not Christ’s method.
It was because the.
disciples were erring and faulty that He washed their
feet, and all but one of the twelve were thus brought
to repentance.
Christ’s example
forbids
exclusiveness at
the
Lord’s supper.
It is true that open sin excludes the
guilty.
This the Holy Spirit plainly teaches.5
But
beyond this none are to pass judgment.
God has
not left it with men to say who shall present them-
4John 13:tt, 18.
5 1 Cor. 5:11.
50
786
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
selves on these occasions.
For who can read the
heart?
Who can distinguish the tares from the
wheat?
“ Let a man examine himself, and so let him
eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
For “ who
soever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the
Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord.”
“ He that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to him
self, not discerning the Lord’s body.” 6
When believers assemble to celebrate the ordi
nances, there are present messengers unseen by hu
man eyes.
There may be a Judas in the company,
and if so, messengers from the prince of darkness are
there, for they attend all who refuse to be controlled
by the Holy Spirit.
Heavenly angels also are pres
ent.
These unseen visitants are present on every
such occasion.
There may come into the company
persons who are not in Jieart servants of truth and
holiness, but who may wish to take part in the serv
ice.
They should not be forbidden.
There are wit
nesses present who were present when Jesus washed
the feet of the disciples and of Judas.
More than
human eyes beheld the scene.
Christ by the Holy Spirit is there to set the seal
to His own ordinance.
He is there to convict and
soften the heart.
Not a look, not a thought of con
trition, escapes
His
notice.
For
the repentant,
broken-hearted one He is waiting.
All things are
ready for that soul’s reception.
He who washed the
feet of Judas, longs to wash every heart from the
stain of sin.'
None should exclude themselves from the com
munion because some who are unworthy may be
present.
Every disciple is called upon to participate
publicly, and thus bear witness that he accepts Christ
61 Cor. 11:28, 27, 2$.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
787
as a personal Saviour.
It is at these, His own ap
pointments, that
Christ meets
His
people, and
energizes them by His presence.
Hearts and hands
that are unworthy may even administer the ordinance,
yet Christ is there to minister to His children.
All
who come with their faith fixed upon Him will be
greatly blessed.
All who neglect these seasons of
divine privilege will sutler loss.
Of them it may ap
propriately be said, “ Ye are not all clean.”
In partaking with His disciples of the bread and
wine. Christ pledged Himself to them as their Re
deemer.
He committed to them the new covenant,
by which all who receive Him become children of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ.
By this covenant
every blessing that heaven could bestow for this life
and the life to come, was theirs.
This covenant
deed was to be ratified with the blood of Christ. And
the administration of the sacrament was to keep be
fore the disciples the infinite sacrifice made for each
of them individually as a part of the great whole of
fallen humanity.
But the communion service was not to be a season
of sorrowing.
This was not its purpose.
As the
Lord’s disciples gather about His table, they are not to
remember and lament their shortcomings.
They are
not to dwell upon their past religious experience,
whether that experience has been elevating or depress
ing.
They are not to recall the differences between
them and their brethren. The preparatory service has
embraced all this.
The self-examination, the confes
sion of sin, the reconciling of differences, has all been
done.
Now they come to meet with Christ.
They
are not to stand in the shadow of the cross, but in its
saving light.
They are to open the soul to the bright
beams of the Sun of Righteousness.
With hearts
cleansed by Christ’s most precious blood, in full con
788
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
sciousness of His presence, although unseen, they
are to hear His words, “ Peace I leave with you, My
peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give
I unto you.”7
Our Lord says, Under conviction of sin, remem
ber that I died for you.
When oppressed and perse
cuted and afflicted for My sake and the gospel's, re
member My love, so great that for you I gave My
life.
When your duties appear stern and severe, and
your burdens too heavy to bear, remember that for
your sake I endured the cross, despising the shame.
When your heart shrinks from the trying ordeal, re
member that your Redeemer liveth to make inter
cession for you.
The communion service points to Christ’s second
coming.
It was designed to keep this hope vivid in
the minds of the disciples.
Whenever they met to
gether to commemorate His death, they recounted
how “ He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it
to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is My
blood of die new testament, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins.
But I say unto you, I will
not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until
that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s
kingdom.”
In their tribulation they found comfort
in the hope of their Lord’s return.
Unspeakably
precious to them was the thought, “As often as ye
eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the
Lord’s death till He come.”8
These are the things we are never to forget.
The
love of Jesus, with its constraining power, is to be
kept fresh in our memory.
Christ has instituted this
service that it may speak to our senses of the love of
God that has been expressed in our behalf.
There
can be no union between our souls and God except
7 John 14:27.
81 Cor. 11:26.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
7 8 g
through Christ.
The union and love between brother
and brother must be cemented and rendered eternal
by the love of Jesus.
And nothing less that the death
of Christ could make His love efficacious for us.
It
is only because of His death that we can look with
joy to His second coming.
His sacrifice is the cen
to of our hope.
Lpon this we must fix our faith.
I lit ordinances that point to our Lord’s humilia
tion and suffering are regarded too much as a form.
j. hey were instituted for a purpose.
Our senses need
to be quickened to lay hold of the mystery of godli
ness.
It is the privilege of all to comprehend, far
more than we do, the expiatory sufferings of Christ.
"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,”
even so has the Son of man been lifted up, “that who
soever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
eternal life.”9
To the cross of Calvary, bearing a
dving Saviour, we must look.
Our eternal interests
demand that we show faith in Christ.
, Our Lord has said, “ Except ye eat the flesh of the
Son of man, and drink His blood, ve have no life in
y °u-
;
•
•
For My flesh is meat indeed, and My
blood is drink indeed.” 10
This is true of our physical
nature.
To the death of Christ we owe even this
earthly life.
The bread we eat is the purchase of His
broken body.
The w^ater we drink is bought by His
spilled blood. Never one, saint or sinner, eats his daily
food, but he is nourished by the body and the blood
of Christ.
The cross of Calvary is stamped on every
loafi
It is reflected in every water-spring.
All this
Christ has taught in appointing the emblems of His
great sacrifice.
The light shining from that com
munion service in the upper chamber makes sacred
the provisions for our daily life.
The family board
9John 3:14, 15.
10John 6:53-55.
790
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
becomes as the table of the Lord, and every meal a
sacrament.
And how much more are Christ’s words true of
our spiritual nature.
He declares, “ Whoso eateth
My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life.”
It is by receiving the life for us poured out on Cal
vary’s cross, that we can live the life of holiness.
And this life we receive by receiving His word, by
doing those things which He has commanded.
Thus
we become one with Him.
“ He that eateth My
flesh,” He says, “and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in
Me, and I in him.
As the living Father hath sent
Me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth Me,
even he shall live'by Me.” 11
To the holy communion
this scripture in a special sense applies.
As faith
contemplates our Lord’s great sacrifice, the soul
assimilates the spiritual life of Christ.
That soul
will receive spiritual strength from every communion.
The service forms a living connection by which the
believer is bound up with Christ, and thus bound up
with the Father.
In a special sense it forms a con
nection between dependent human beings and God.
As we receive the bread and wine symbolizing
Christ’s broken body and spilled blood, we in im
agination join in the scene of communion in the
upper chamber.
W e seem to be passing through
the garden consecrated by the agony of Him who
bore the sins of the world.
W e witness the struggle
by which our reconciliation with God was obtained.
Christ is set forth crucified among us.
Looking upon the crucified Redeemer, we more
fully comprehend the magnitude and meaning of the
sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven.
The plan
of salvation is glorified before us, and the thought
of Calvary awakens living and sacred emotions in our
u John 6:54, 56, 57.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.
791
hearts.
Praise to God and the Lamb will be in our
hearts and on our lips; for pride and self-worship
cannot flourish in the soul that keeps fresh in mem
ory the scenes of Calvary.
He who beholds the Saviour’s matchless love, will
be elevated in thought, purified in heart, transformed
in character.
He will go forth to be a light to the
world, to reflect in some degree this mysterious love.
The more we contemplate the cross of Christ, the
more fully shall we adopt the language of the apostle
when he said, “ God forbid that I should glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” 12
12 Gal. 6:14.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE
TROUBLED.
CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE.
Looking upon His disciples with divine love and
with the tenderest sympathy, Christ said, “ Now is
the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in
Him.”
Judas had left the upper chamber, and
Christ was alone with the eleven.
He was about to
speak of His approaching separation from them;
but before doing this He pointed to the great object
of His mission.
It was this that He kept ever be
fore Him.
It was His joy that all His humiliation
and suffering would glorify the Father’s name.
To
this He first directs the thoughts of His disciples.
Then addressing them by the endearing term,
“ Little children,” He said, “ Yet a little while I am
with you. ’Ye shall seek Me; and as I said unto the
Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now. I say
to you.”
The disciples could not rejoice when they heard
this.
Fear fell upon them.
They pressed close
about the Saviour.
Their Master and Lord, their
beloved Teacher and Friend, He was dearer to them
than life.
To Him they had looked for help in all
their difficulties, for comfort in their sorrows and dis
appointments.
Now He was to leave them, a lonely,
This chapter is based on John i3:3I_38'> I4-I7-
(792)
dependent company.
Dark were the forebodings
that filled their hearts.
But the Saviour’s words to them were full of hope.
He knew that they were to be assailed by the enemy,
and that Satan's craft is most successful against those
who are depressed by difficulties.
Therefore He
pointed them away from “ the things which are seen,”
to “ the things which are not seen.” 1
From earthly
exile He turned their thoughts to the heavenly home.
“ Let not your heart be troubled,” He said; “ye be
lieve in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father's
house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would
have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am,
there ye may be also.
And whither I go ye know,
and the way ye know.”
For your sake I came, into
the world. 1 am working in your behalf.
When I
go away, I shall still work earnestly for you.
I came
into the world to reveal Myself to you, that you
might believe.
I go to the Father to co-operate
with Him in your behalf.
The object of Christ’s
departure was the opposite of what the disciples
feared.
It did not mean a final separation.
He was
going to prepare a place for them, that He might
come again, and receive them unto Himself.
While
He was building mansions for them, they were to
build characters after the divine similitude.
Still the disciples were perplexed.
Thomas, al
ways troubled by doubts, said, “ Lord, we know not
whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto Him, I am the way, the truth, and
the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
If ye had known Me, ye should have known My
bather also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and
have seen Him.”
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
793
2 Cor. 4:18.
7 9 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
There are not many ways to heaven.
Each one
may not choose his own way.
Christ says, “ I am
the way.
.
.
.
No man cometh unto the Father
but by Me.”
Since the first gospel sermon was
preached, when in Eden it was declared that the seed
of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head, Christ
had been uplifted as the way, the truth, and the life.
He was the way when Adam lived, when Abel pre
sented to God the blood of the slain lamb, represent
ing the blood of the Redeemer.
Christ was the way
by which patriarchs and prophets were saved.
He is
the way by which alone we can have access to God.
“ If ye had known Me,” Christ said, “ye should
have known My Father also; and from henceforth
ye know Him, and have seen Him.”
But not yet
did the disciples understand.
“ Lord, show us the
Father,” exclaimed Philip, “and it sufficeth us.”
Amazed at his dullness of comprehension, Christ
asked with pained surprise, “ Have I been so long
time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me,
Philip?”
Is it possible that you do not see the Father
in the works He does through Me?
D o you not
believe that I came to testify of the Father?
“ How
sayest thou then, Show us the Father?”
“ He that
hath seen Me hath seen the Father.”
Christ had not
ceased to be God when He became man.
Though
He had humbled Himself to humanity, the Godhead
was still His own.
Christ alone could represent the
Father to humanity, and this representation the dis
ciples had been privileged to behold for over three
years.
“ Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the
Father in Me; or else believe Me for the very works’
sake.”
Their faith might safely rest on the evidence
given in Christ’s works, that no man, of himself, ever
had done, or ever could do.
Christ’s works testi
fied to His divinity.
Through Him the Father had
been revealed.
If the disciples believed this vital connection be
tween the Father and the Son, their faith would not
forsake them when they saw Christ’s suffering and
death to save a perishing world.
Christ was seeking
to lead them from their low condition of faith to the
experience they might receive if they truly realized
what He was,— God in human flesh.
He desired
them to see that their faith must lead up to God, and
be anchored there.
How earnestly and persever-
ingly our compassionate Saviour sought to prepare
His disciples for the storm of temptation that was
soon to beat upon them.
He would have them hid
with Him in God.
As Christ was speaking these words, the glory of
God was shining from His countenance, and all
present felt a sacred awe as they listened with rapt
attention to His words. Their hearts were more decid
edly drawn to Him; and as they were drawn to Christ
in greater love, they were drawn to one another.
They felt that heaven was very near, and that the
words to which they listened were a message to them
from their Heavenly Father.
“ Verily, verily, I say unto you,” Christ continued,
“ He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall
he do also.”
The Saviour was deeply anxious for
His disciples to understand for what purpose His
divinity was united to humanity.
He came to the
world to display the glory of God, that man might
be uplifted by its restoring power.
God was mani
fested in Him that He might be manifested in them.
Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers,
that men may not have through faith in Him.
His
perfect humanity is that which all His followers may
possess, if they will be in subjection to God as He
was.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
795
796
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ And greater works than these shall he do; be
cause I go unto My Father.”
By this Christ did not
mean that the disciples’ work would be of a more
exalted character than His, but that it would have
greater extent.
He did not refer merely to miracle-
working, but to all that would take place under the
working of the Holy Spirit.
After the Lord’s ascension, the disciples realized
the fulfilment of His promise.
The scenes of the
crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ
were a living reality to them.
They saw that the
prophecies had been literally fulfilled.
They searched
the Scriptures, and accepted their teaching with a
faith and assurance unknown before.
They knew
that the divine Teacher was all that He had claimed
to be.
As they told their experience, and exalted the
love of God, men’s hearts tvere melted and subdued,
and multitudes believed on Jesus.
The Saviour’s promise to His disciples is a promise
to His church to the end of time.
God did not de
sign that His wonderful plan to redeem men should
achieve only insignificant results.
All who will go
to work, trusting not in what they themselves can
do, but in what God can do for and through them,
will certainly realize the fulfilment of His promise.
“ Greater works than these shall ye do,” He declares;
“ because I go unto My Father.”
As yet the disciples were unacquainted with the
Saviour’s unlimited resources and power.
He said
to them, “'Hitherto have ye asked nothing in Mv
name.” 2
He explained that the secret of their suc
cess would be in asking for strength and grace in
His name.
He would be present before the Father
to make request for them.
The prayer of the hum
ble suppliant He presents as His own desire in that
JJohn 16:24.
soul’s behalf. Every sincere prayer is heard in heaven.
It ma)/ not be fluently expressed; but if the heart is in
it, it will ascend to the sanctuary wdiere Jesus minis
ters, and He will present it to the Father without one
awkward, stammering word, beautiful and fragrant
with the incense of His owm perfection.
1 he path of sincerity and integrity is not a path
flee from obstruction; but in every difficulty we are
to see a call to prayer.
A here is no one living who
has any power that he has not received from God,
and the source whence it comes is open to the weak
est human being.
“ Whatsoever ye shall ask in My
name,” said Jesus, “that will I do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask anything
in My name, I will do it.”
“ In My name,” Christ bade His disciples pray.
In
Christ’s name His followers are to stand before God.
Through the value of the sacrifice made for them,
they are of value in the Lord’s sight.
Because of
the imputed righteousness of Christ they are ac
counted precious.
For Christ’s sake the Lord par
dons those that fear Him.
He does not see in then)
the vileness of the sinner.
He recognizes in them
the likeness of His Son, in whom they believe.
The Lord is disappointed when His people place a
low estimate upon themselves.
He desires His
chosen heritage to value themselves according to the
pi ice He has placed upon them.
God wanted them,
else He would not have sent His Son on such an ex
pensive errand to redeem them.
He has a use for
them, and He is well pleased when they make the
very highest demands upon Him, that they may glo
rify His name.
They may expect large things if they
have faith in His promises.
But to pray in Christ’s name means much.
It
means that we are to accept His character, manifest
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
797
793
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
His spirit, and work His works.
The Saviour’s
promise is given on condition.
“ If ye love Me,” He
says, “ keep My commandments.”
He saves men,
not in sin, but from sin; and those who love Him will
show their love by obedience.
All true obedience comes from the heart.
It was
heart-work with Christ
And if we consent, He will
so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so
blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His
will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying
out our own impulses.
The will, refined and sancti
fied, will find its highest delight in doing His service.
When we know God as it is our privilege to know
Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience.
Through an appreciation of the character of Christ,
through communion with God, siri will become hate
ful to us.
As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may do
if we will take hold of the Strong for strength.
But
we are not to place the responsibility of our duty
upon others, and wait for them to tell us what to do.
■We cannot depend for counsel
upon
humanity.
The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as
He will teach somebody else.
If we come to Him in
faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally.
Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws
nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch.
Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will
displease God, will know, after presenting their case
before Him, just what course to pursue.
And they
will receive not only wisdom, but strength.
Power
for
obedience, for service, will
be imparted to
them, as Christ has promised.
Whatever was given
to Christ,— the “all things” to supply the need of
fallen men,— was given to Him as the head and rep
resentative of humanity.
And “whatsoever we ask,
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
799
we receive of Him, because we keep His command
ments, and do those things that are pleasing in His
sight.” 3
Before offering Himself as the sacrificial victim,
Christ sought for the most essential and complete
gift to bestow upon His followers, a gift that would
bring within their reach the boundless resources of
grace.
“ I will pray the Father,” He said, “and He
shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide
with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not,
neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not
leave you orphans:4 I will come to you.”
Before this the Spirit had been in the world; from
the very beginning of the work of redemption He had
been moving upon men’s hearts.
But while Christ
was on earth, the disciples had desired no other
helper.
Not until they were deprived of His pres
ence would they feel their need of the Spirit, and then
He would come.
The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but
divested of the personality of humanity, and inde
pendent thereof.
Cumbered with humanity, Christ
could not be in every place personally.
Therefore
it was for their interest that He should go to the
Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on
earth.
No one could then have any advantage be
cause of his location or his personal contact with
Christ.
By the Spirit the Saviour would be ac
cessible to all.
In this sense He would be nearer to
them than if He had not ascended on high.
“ He that loveth Me, shall be loved of My Father,
and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.”
Jesus read the future of His disciples.
He saw one
* i John 3:22.
4 Margin.
8oo
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
brought to the scaffold, one to the cross, one to exile
among the lonely rocks of the sea, others to persecu
tion and death.
He encouraged them with the
promise that in every trial He would be with them.
That promise has lost none of its force.
The Lord
knows all about His faithful servants who for His
sake are lying in prison or who are banished to lonely
islands.
He comforts them with His own presence.
When for the truth’s sake the believer stands at the
bar of unrighteous tribunals, Christ stands by his
side.
All the reproaches that fall upon him, fall upon
Christ.
Christ is condemned over again in the per
son of His disciple.
When one is incarcerated in
prison walls, Christ ravishes the heart with His love.
W,7hen one suffers death for His sake, Christ says,
“ I am-He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I
am alive forevermore,
.
.
.
and have the keys
of hell and of death.” 5
The life that is sacrificed for
Me is preserved unto eternal glory.
At ail times and in all places, in all sorrows and in
all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the
future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the
Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of
faith.
Circumstances may separate us from every
earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can
separate us from the heavenly Comforter.
Wher
ever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at
our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.
The disciples still failed to understand Christ’s
words in their spiritual sense, and again He explained
His meaning.
By the Spirit, He said, He would
manifest Himself to them.
“The Comforter, which
is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My
name, He'shall teach you all things.”
No more will
you say, I cannot comprehend.
No longer will you
6 Rev. 1:18.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
801
see through a glass, darkly.
You shall “ be able to
comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height, and to know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge.”6
The disciples were to bear witness to the life and
work of Christ.
Through their word He was to
speak to all the people on the face of the earth.
But
in the humiliation and death of Christ they were to
suffer great trial and disappointment.
That after
this experience their word might be accurate, Jesus
promised that the Comforter should “bring all things
to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you.”
“ I have yet many things to say unto you,” He
continued, “ but ye cannot bear them now.
How-
beit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will
guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of
Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He
speak: and He will show you things to come.
He
shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and
shall show it unto you.”
Jesus had opened before
His disciples a vast tract of truth.
But it was most
difficult for them to keep His lessons distinct from the
traditions and maxims of the scribes and Pharisees.
They had been educated to accept the teaching of the
rabbis as the voice of God, and it still held a power
over their minds, and moulded their sentiments.
Earthly ideas, temporal things, still had a large place
in their thoughts.
They did not understand the
spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom, though He had
so often explained it to them.
Their minds had be
come confused.
They did not comprehend the value
of the scriptures Christ presented.
Many of His les
sons seemed almost lost upon them.
Jesus saw that
they did not lay hold of the real meaning of His
6Eph. 3:18, 19.
5i
802
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
words.
He compassionately promised that the Holy
Spirit should recall these sayings to their minds.
And He had left unsaid many things that could not
be
comprehended by the disciples.
These also
would be opened to them by the Spirit.
The Spirit
was to quicken their understanding, that they might
have an appreciation of heavenly things.
“ When
He, the Spirit of truth, is come,” said Jesus, “ He
will guide you into all truth.”
The Comforter is called “ the Spirit of truth.”
His work is to define and maintain the truth.
He
first dwells in the heart as the Spirit of truth, and
thus He becomes the Comforter.
There is comfort
and peace in the truth, but no real peace or comfort
can be found in falsehood.
It is through false the
ories and traditions that Satan gains his power over
the mind.
By directing men to false standards, he
misshapes the character.
Through the Scriptures
the Holy Spirit speaks to the mind, and impresses
truth upon the heart.
Thus He exposes error, and
expels it from the soul.
It is by the Spirit of truth,
working through the word of God, that Christ sub
dues His chosen people to Himself.
In describing to His disciples the office work of the
Holy Spirit, Jesus sought to inspire them with the
joy and hope that inspired His own heart.
He re
joiced because of the abundant help He had provided
for His church.
The Holy Spirit was the highest
of all gifts that He could solicit from His Father for
the exaltation of His people.
Ih e Spirit was to be
given as a regenerating agent, and without this the
sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail.
The
power of evil had been strengthening for centuries,
and the submission of men to this Satanic captivity
was amazing.
Sin could be resisted and overcome
only through the mighty agency of the third person
of the Godhead, who would come with no modified
energy, but in the fulness of divine power.
It is the
Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought
out by the world's Redeemer.
It is by the Spirit that
the heart is made pure.
Through the Spirit the be
liever becomes a partaker of the divine nature.
Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to
overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies
to evil, and to impress His own character upon His
church.
Of the Spirit Jesus said, “ He shall glorify Me.”
The Saviour came to glorify the Father by the
demonstration of His love; so the Spirit was to
glorify Christ by revealing His grace to the world.
The very image of God is to be reproduced in
humanity.
The honor of God, the honor of Christ,
is involved in the perfection of the character of His
people.
“ When He [the Spirit of- truth] is come, He will
reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment.”
The preaching of the word will be of no
avail without the continual presence and aid of the
Holy Spirit.
This is the only effectual teacher of
divine truth.
Only when the truth is accompanied
to the heart by the Spirit, will it quicken the con
science or transform the life.
One might be able to
present the letter of the word of God, he might be
familiar with all its commands and promises; but
unless the Holy Spirit sets home the truth, no souls
will fall on the Rock and be broken.
N o amount of
education, no advantages, however great, can make
one a channel of light without the co-operation of the
Spirit of God.
The sowing of the gospel seed will
not be a success unless the seed is quickened into life
by the dew of heaven.
Before one book of the New'
Testament was written, before one gospel sermon
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
803
had been preached after Christ’s ascension, the Holy
Spirit came upon the praying apostles.
Then the
testimony of their enemies was, “ Ye have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine.”7
Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to
His church, and the promise belongs to us as much
as to the first disciples.
But like every other prom
ise, it is given on conditions.
There are many who
believe and profess to claim the Lord’s promise; they
talk about Christ and about the Holy Spirit, yet re
ceive no benefit.
They do not surrender the soul to
be guided and controlled by the divine agencies.
We cannot use the Holy Spirit.
I he Spirit is to use
us.
Through the Spirit God works in His people
“to will and to do of His good pleasure.” 8
But
many will not submit to this.
They want to manage
themselves.
This is why they do not receive the
heavenly gift.
Only to those who wait humbly upon
God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the
Spirit given.
The power of God awaits their de
mand
and
reception.
This
promised
blessing,
claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its
train.
It is given according to the riches of the
grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul
according to the capacity to receive.
In His discourse to the disciples, Jesus made no
mournful allusion to His own sufferings and death.
His last legacy to them was a legacy of peace.
He
said, “ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto
you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.
Let
not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Before leaving the upper chamber, the Saviour led
His disciples in a song of praise. His voice was heard,
not in the strains of some mournful lament, but in
the joyful notes of the Passover hallel:—
7 Acts 5:28.
8 Phil. 2:13.
804
t h e
d e s i r e
o f
a g e s .
“ O praise the Lord, all ye nations;
Praise Him all ye people.
For His merciful kindness is great toward us,
And the truth of the Lord endureth forever.
Praise ye the Lord.” ®
After the hymn, they went out.
Through the
crowded streets they made their way, passing out of
the city gate toward the Mount of Olives.
Slowly
they proceeded, each busy with his own thoughts.
As they began to descend toward the mount, Jesus
said, in a tone of deepest sadness, “ All ye shall be
offended because of Me this night; for it is written, I
will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
shall be scattered abroad.” 10
The disciples listened
in sorrow and amazement.
They remembered how
in the synagogue at Capernaum, when Christ spoke
of Himself as the bread of life, many had been of
fended, and had turned away from Him.
But the
twelve had not shown themselves unfaithful.
Peter,
speaking for his brethren, had then declared his loy
alty to Christ.
Then the Saviour had said, “ Have
not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?”11
In the upper chamber Jesus said that one of the
twelve would betray Him, and that Peter would deny
Him.
But now His words include them all.
Now Peter’s voice is heard vehemently protesting,
“ Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.”
In
the upper chamber he had declared, “ I will lay down
my life for Thy sake.”
Jesus had warned him that
he would that very night deny his Saviour.
Now
Christ repeats the warning: “ Verily I say unto thee,
That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow
twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice.” 12
But Peter only
®Psalmii7.
10 Matt. 26.31.
“ John 6:70.
12 Mark 14:29,30.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
805
8o6
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ spake the more vehemently, If I should die with
Thee, I will not deny Thee in any wise.
Likewise
also said they all.” 13
In their self-confidence they
denied the repeated statement of Him who knew.
They were unprepared for the test; when temptation
should overtake them, they would understand their
own weakness.
When Peter said he would follow his Lord to prison
and to death,, he meant it, every word of it; but he did
not know himself.
Hidden in his heart were ele
ments of evil that circumstances would fan into life.
Unless he was made conscious of his danger, these
would prove his eternal ruin.
The Saviour saw in
him a self-love and assurance that would overbear
even his love for Christ.
Much of infirmity, of un
mortified sin, carelessness of spirit, unsanctified tem
per, heedlessness in entering into temptation, had
been revealed in his. experience.
Christ’s solemn
warning was a call to heart-searching.
Peter needed
to distrust himself, and to have a deeper faith in
Christ.
Had he in humility received the warning,
he would have appealed to the Shepherd of the flock
to keep His sheep.
When on the Sea of Galilee lie
was about to sink, he cried, “ Lord, save me.” 14 Then
the hand of Christ was outstretched to grasp his
hand.
So now if he had cried to Jesus, Save me from
myself, he would have been kept.
But Peter felt that
he was distrusted, and he thought it cruel.
He was
already offended, and he became more persistent in
his self-confidence.
Testis looks with compassion on His disciples.
He
cannot save them from the trial, but He ^does not
leave them comfortless.
He assures them that Pie
is to break the fetters of the tomb, and that His love
13 Mark 14:31.
14 Mitt. 14:30.
for them will not fail.
“ After I am risen again,” He
says, “ I will go before you into Galilee.” 10
Before
the denial, they have the assurance of forgiveness.
After His death and resurrection, the^ knew that they
were forgiven, and were dear to the heart of Christ.
Jesus and the disciples were on the way to Geth-
semane, at the foot of Mount Olivet, a retired spot
which He had often visited for meditation and prayer.
The Saviour had been explaining to His disciples His
mission to the world, and the spiritual relation to Him
which they were to sustain.
Now He illustrates the
lesson.
The moon is shining bright, and reveals to
Him a flourishing grape-vine.
Drawing the atten
tion of the disciples to it, He employs it as a symbol.
“ I am the true Vine,” He says.
Instead of choos
ing the graceful palm, the lofty cedar, or the strong
oak, Jesus takes the vine with its clinging tendrils to
represent Himself.
The palm tree, the cedar, and
the oak stand alone.
They require no support.
But
the vine entwines about the trellis, and thus climbs
heavenward.
So Christ in His humanity was de
pendent upon divine power.
“ I can of Mine own
self do nothing,” 10 He declared.
“ I am the true Vine.”
The Jews had always re
garded the vine as the most noble of plants, and a
type of all that was powerful, excellent, and fruitful.
Israel had been represented as a vine which God had
planted in the promised land.
The Jews based their
hope of salvation on the fact of their connection with
Israel.
But Jesus says, I am the real Vine.
Think
not that through a connection with Israel you may
become partakers of the life of God, and inheritors of
His promise.
Through Me alone is spiritual life
received.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
807
Matt. 26:32.
16 John 5:30.
8o8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ I am the true Vine, and My Father is the hus
bandman.”
On the hills of Palestine our Heavenly
Father had planted this goodly Vine, and He Him
self was the husbandman.
Many were attracted by
the beauty of this Vine, and declared its heavenly
origin.
But to the leaders in Israel it appeared as a
"root out of a dry ground.
They took the plant, and
bruised it, and trampled it under their unholy feet.
Their thought was to destroy it forever.
But the
heavenly husbandman never lost sight of His plant.
After men thought they had killed it, He took it, and
replanted it on the other side of the wall.
The vine-
stock was to be no longer visible.
It was hidden from
the rude assaults of men.
But the branches of the
Vine hung over the wall.
They were to represent
the Vine.
Through them grafts might still be united
to the Vine.
From them fruit has been obtained.
There has been a harvest which the passers-by have
plucked.
“ I am the Vine; ye are the branches,” Christ said
to His disciples.
Though He was about to be re
moved from them, their spiritual union with Him was
to be unchanged.
The connection of the branch with
the vine, He said, represents the relation you are to
sustain to Me.
The scion is engrafted into the living-
vine, and liber by fiber, vein by vein, it grows into the
vine-stock.
The life of the vine becomes the life of
the branch.
So the soul dead in trespasses and sins
receives life through connection with Christ.
By
faith in Him as a personal Saviour the union is
formed.
The sinner unites his weakness to Christ’s
strength, his emptiness to Christ’s fulness, his frailty
to Christ’s enduring might.
Then he has the mind
of Christ.
The humanity of Christ has touched our
humanity, and our humanity has touched divinity.
Thus through the agency of the Holy Spirit man be
comes a partaker of the divine nature.
He is ac
cepted in the Beloved.
This union with Christ, once formed, must be
maintained.
Christ said, “Abide in Me, and I in
you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide
in Me.”
This is no casual touch, no off-and-on con
nection.
The branch becomes a part of the living
vine.
The communication of life, strength, and
fruitfulness from the root to the branches is unob
structed and constant.
Separated from the vine, the
branch cannot live.
No more, said Jesus, can you
live apart from Me.
The life you have received from
Me can be preserved only by continual communion.
Without Me you cannot overcome one sin, or resist
one temptation.
“ Abide in Me, and I in you.”
Abiding in Christ
means a constant receiving of His Spirit, a life of un
reserved surrender to His service.
The channel of
communication must be open continually between
man and his God.
As the vine branch constantly
draws the sap from the living vine, so are we to cling
to Jesus, and receive from Him by faith the strength
and perfection of His own character.
The root sends its nourishment through the branch
to the outermost twig.
So Christ communicates the
current of spiritual strength to every believer.
So
long as the soul is united to Christ, there is no danger
that it will wither or decay.
The life of the vine will be manifest in fragrant
fruit on the branches.
“ He that abideth in Me,” said
Jesus, “ and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing.”
When we
live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit
will be seen in our life; not one will be missing.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
809
8 io
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
“ My Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in
Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away.”
While
the graft is outwardly united with the vine, there may
be no vital connection.
Then there will be no
growth or fruitfulness.
So there may be an apparent
connection with Christ, without a real union with
Him by faith.
A profession of religion places men
in the church, but the character and conduct show
whether they are in connection with Christ.
If they
bear no fruit, they are false branches.
Their separa-
tion-from Christ involves a ruin as complete as that
represented by the dead branch.
“ If a man abide
not in Me,” said Christ, “ lie is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them
into the fire, and they are burned.”
“And every branch that beareth fruit He purgeth
ipruneth] it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
From the chosen twelve who had followed Jesus, one
as a withered branch was about to be taken away,
the rest were to pass under the pruning-knife of bitter
trial.
Jesus with solemn tenderness explained the
purpose of the husbandman.
The pruning will cause
pain, but it is the Father who applies the knife.
He
^orks with no wanton hand or indifferent heart.
There are branches trailing upon the ground; these
must be cut loose from the earthly supports to which
their tendrils are fastening.
They are to reach
heavenward, and find their support in God.
The
excessive foliage that draws away the life current
from the fruit, must be pruned off.
The overgrowth
must be cut out, to give room for the healing beams
of the Sun of Righteousness.
The husbandman
prunes away the harmful growth, that the fruit may
be richer and more abundant.
“ Herein is My Father glorified,” said Jesus, “ that
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
8 l l
ye bear much fruit.”
God desires to manifest through
you the holiness, the benevolence, the compassion
of His own character.
Yet the Saviour does not bid
the disciples labor to bear fruit.
He tells them to
abide in Him.
“ If ye abide in Me,” He says, “ and
My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you.”
It is through the word
that Christ abides in His followers. This is the same
vital union that is represented by eating His flesh and
drinking His blood.
The words of Christ are spirit
and life.
Receiving them, you receive the life of the
Vine.
You live “ by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God.” 17
The life of Christ in you
produces the same fruits as in Him.
Living in
Christ, adhering to Christ, supported by Christ,
drawing nourishment from Christ, you bear fruit
after the similitude of Christ.
In this last meeting with His disciples, the great
desire which Christ expressed for them was that they
might love one another as He had loved them.
Again
and again He spoke of this.
“ These things I com
mand you,” Fie said repeatedly, “that ye love one
another.”
His very first injunction when alone with
them in the upper chamber wras, “A new command
ment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as
I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
To the disciples this commandment was new; for
they had not loved one another as Christ had loved
them.
He saw that new ideas and impulses must
control them; that new principles must be practised
by them; through His life and death they were to re
ceive a new conception of love.
The command to
love one another had a new meaning in the light of
His self-sacrifice.
The whole work of grace is one
17 Matt. 4:4.
812
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
continual service of love, of self-denying, self-sacri
ficing effort.
During every hour of Christ’s sojourn
upon the earth, the love of God was flowing from
Him in irrepressible streams.
All who are imbued
with His Spirit will love as He loved.
The very
principle that actuated Christ will actuate them in all
their dealing one with another.
This love is the evidence of their discipLship.
“ By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples/’
said Jesus, “ if ye have love one to another.”
When
men are bound together, not by force or self-interest,
but by love, they show the working of an influence
that is above every human influence.
Where this
oneness exists, it is evidence that the image of God
is being restored in humanity, that a new principle
of life has been implanted.
It shows that there is
power in the divine nature to withstand the super
natural agencies of evil, and that the grace of God
subdues the selfishness inherent in the natural heart.
This love, manifested in the church, will surely
stir the wrath of Satan.
Christ did not mark out for
His disciples an easy path.
“ If the world hate you,”
He said, “ye know that it hated Me before it hated
you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love
his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I
have chosen you out of the world, therefore'the world
liateth you.
Remember the word that I said unto
you, The servant is not greater than his lord.
If
they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute
you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep
yours also.
But all these things will they do unto
you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him
that sent Me.”
The gospel is to be carried forward
by aggressive warfare, in the midst of opposition,
peril, loss, and suffering.
But those who do this
work are only following in their Master’s steps.
As the world s Redeemer, Christ was constantly
confronted with apparent failure.
He, the messenger
of mercy to our world, seemed to do little of the
work He longed to do in uplifting and saving.
Sa
tanic influences were constantly working to oppose
His way.
But
He
would
not
be
discouraged.
Through the prophecy of Isaiah He declares, “ I have
labored in vain, I have spent My strength for naught,
and in vain; yet surely My judgment is with the
Lord, and My work with My God.
.
.
.
Though
Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the
eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength.”
It is to Christ that the promise is given, “ Thus saith
the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy One,
to Him whom man despiseth, to Him whom the na
tion abhorreth; . . . thus saith the Lord:
.
.
1 will preserve Thee, and give Thee for a covenant
of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to in
herit the desolate heritages; that Thou mayest say to
the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness,
Show yourselves.
.
.
.
They shall not hunger
nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them;
for He that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even
by the springs of water shall He guide them.” 18
Upon this word Jesus rested, and He gave Satan
no advantage.
When the last steps of Christ’s hu
miliation were to be taken, when the deepest sorrow
was closing about His soul, He said to His disciples,
“ The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing
in Me.”
“ The prince of this world is judged.”
Now
shall he be cast out.10
With prophetic eye Christ
traced the scenes to take place in His last great con
flict.
He knew that when He should exclaim, “ It
is finished,” all heaven would triumph.
His ear
caught the distant music and the shouts of victory
18Isa. 49:4, 5, 7-10.
“ John 14:30; 16:11; 12:31.
LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
8 1 3
THE DESIRE OF AGES,
in the heavenly courts.
He knew that the knell of
Satan’s empire would then be sounded, and the name
of Christ would be heralded from world to world
throughout the universe.
Christ rejoiced that He could do more for His fol
lowers than they could ask or think.
He spoke with
assurance, knowing that an almighty decree had
been given before the world was made.
He knew
that truth, armed with the omnipotence of the Holy
Spirit, would conquer in the contest with evil; and
that the blood-stained banner would wave triumph
antly over His followers.
He knew that the life of
His trusting disciples would be like His, a series of
uninterrupted victories, not seen to be such here,
but recognized as such in the great hereafter.
“ These things I have spoken unto you,” He said,
“that in Me ye might have peace.
In the world ye
shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world.”
Christ did not fail, neither
was He discouraged, and His followers are to mani
fest a faith of the same enduring nature.
They are
to live as He lived, and work as He worked, because
they depend on Him as the great Master-worker.
Courage, energy, and perseverance they must possess.
Though apparent impossibilities obstruct their way,
by His grace they are to go forward.
Instead of de
ploring difficulties, they are called upon to surmount
them.
They are to despair of nothing, and to hope
for everything.
With the golden chain of His match
less love, Christ has bound them to the throne of
God.
It is His purpose that the highest influence in
the universe, emanating from the source of all power,
shall be theirs.
They are to have power to resist evil,
power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can
master, power that will enable them to overcome as
Christ overcame.
8 14
Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan
of government, .heaven’s divine harmony, shall be
represented in His church on earth.
Thus in His
people He is glorified.
Through them the Sun of
Righteousness will shine in undimmed luster to the
world.
Christ has given to His church ample facdi-
ties, that He may receive a large revenue of glory
from His redeemed, purchased possession.
He has
bestowed upon His people capabilities and blessings
that they may represent His own sufficiency.
The
church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is
His depositary, in which the riches of His mercy,
His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and
final display.
Christ looks upon His people in their
purity and perfection, as the reward of His humilia
tion, and the supplement of His glory,— Christ, the
great Center, from whom radiates all glory.
With strong, hopeful words the Saviour ended His
instruction.
Then He poured out the burden of His
soul in prayer for His disciples.
Lifting His eyes to
heaven, He said, “ Father, the hour is come; glorify
Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee: as
Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He
should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given
Him.
And this is life eternal, that they might know
Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
Thou hast sent.”
Christ had finished the work that was given Him
to do.
He had glorified God on the earth.
He had
manifested the Father’s name.
He had gathered out
those who were to continue His work among men.
And He said, “ I am glorified in them.
And now I
am no more in the world, but these are in the world,
and I come to Thee.
Holy Father, keep through
Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me,
LET NOT.YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED.
815
8i6
T H E D E S IR E OF A G E S .
that they may be one, as We are.”
“ Neither pray I
for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on Me through their word; that they all may be one;
.
.
.
I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may
be made perfect in one; and that the world may know
that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou
hast loved Me.”
Thus in the language of one who has divine au
thority, Christ gives His elect church into the Father’s
arms.
As a consecrated high priest He intercedes
for His people.
As a faithful shepherd He gathers
His flock under the shadow of the Almighty, in the
strong and sure refuge.
For Him there waits the
last battle with Satan, and He goes forth to meet it.
52
THE CRUCIFIED.
From Gethsemane to Calvary.
“ He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised
for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon
him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isa. 53:5.
GETHSEMANE.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR.
In company with His disciples, the Saviour slowly
made His way to the garden of Gethsemane.
The
Passover moon, broad and full, shone from a cloud
less sky.
The city of pilgrims’ tents was hushed into
silence.
Jesus had been earnestly conversing with His dis
ciples and instructing them; but as He neared Geth
semane, He became strangely silent.
He had often
visited this spot for meditation and prayer; but never
with a heart so full of sorrow as upon this night of
His last agony.
Throughout His life on earth He
had walked in the light of God’s presence.
When in
conflict with men who were inspired by the very
spirit of Satan, He could say, “He that sent Me is
with Me; the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do
always those things that please Him.” 1
But now
He seemed to be shut out from the light of God’s
sustaining presence.
Now He was numbered with
the transgressors.
The guilt of fallen humanity He
must bear.
Upon Him who knew no sin, must be
laid the iniquity of us all. So dreadful does sin appear
to Him, so great is the weight of guilt which He must
bear, that He is tempted to fear it will shut Him out
This chapter is based on Matt. 26:36-56; Mark 14:32-50;
Luke 22:39-53: John 18:1-12.
1 John 8:29.
(8 1 9 )
820
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
forever from His Father’s love.
Feeling how terrible
is the wrath of God against transgression, He ex
claims, “ My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto
death. ”
As they approached the garden, the disciples had
marked the change that came over their Master.
Never before had they seen Him so utterly sad and
silent.
As He proceeded, this strange sadness deep
ened; yet they dared not question Him as to the
cause.
His form swayed as if he were about to fall.
Upon reaching
the garden, the disciples looked
anxiously for His usual place of retirement, that their
Master might rest.
Every step that He now took
was with labored effort.
He groaned aloud, as if
suffering under the pressure of a terrible burden.
Twice His companions supported Him, or He would
have fallen to the earth.
Near the entrance to the garden, Jesus left all but
three of the disciples, bidding them pray for them
selves and for Him.
With Peter, James, and John,
He entered its secluded recesses.
These three dis
ciples were Christ’s closest companions.
They had
beheld His glory on the mount of transfiguration;
they had seen Moses and Elijah talking with Him;
they had heard the voice from heaven; now in His
great struggle, Christ desired their presence near
Him.
Often they had passed the night with Him
in this retreat.
On these occasions, after a season of
watching and prayer, they would sleep undisturbed
at a little distance from their Master, until He awoke
them in the morning to go forth anew to labor.
But
now He desired them to spend the night with Him in
prayer.
Yet He could not bear that even they
should witness the agony He was to endure.
“Tarry ye here,” He said, “and watch with Me.”
GETHSEMANE.
821
He went a little distance from them— not so far
but that they could both see and hear Him— and fell
prostrate upon the ground.
He felt that by sin He
was being separated from His Father.
The gulf was
so broad, so black, so deep, that His spirit shuddered
before it.
Tnis agony He must not exert His divine
power to escape.
As man He must suffer the conse
quences of man’s sin.
As man He must endure the
wrath of God against transgression.
Christ was now standing in a different attitude
from that in which He had ever stood before.
His
suffering can best be described in the words of the
prophet, “Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and
against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of
hosts.” 2
As the substitute and surety for sinful man,
Christ was suffering under divine justice.
He saw
what justice meant.
Hitherto He had been as an
intercessor for others; now He longed to have an
intercessor for Himself.
As Christ felt His unity with, the Father broken up,
He feared that in Flis human nature He would be
unable to endure the coming conflict with the powers
of darkness.
In the wilderness of temptation the
destiny of the human race had been at stake.
Christ
was then conqueror.
Now the tempter had come for
the last fearful struggle.
For this he had been pre
paring during the three years of Christ’s ministry.
Everything was at stake with him.
If he failed here,
his hope of mastery was lost; the kingdoms of the
world would finally become Christ’s; he himself
would be overthrown and cast out.
But if Christ
could be overcome, the earth would become Satan’s
kingdom, and the human race would be forever in
his power.
With the issues of the conflict before
2Zech. 13:7.
822
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Him, Christ’s soul was filled with dread of sepa
ration from God.
Satan told Him that if He became
the surety for a sinful world, the separation would be
eternal.
He would be identified with Satan’s king
dom, and would never more be one with God.
And what was to be gained by this sacrificer
How hopeless appeared the guilt and ingratitude of
men!
In its hardest features Satan pressed the sit
uation upon the Redeemer: “ The people who claim
to be above all others in temporal and spiritual ad
vantages have rejected you.
They are seeking to
destroy you, the foundation, the center and seal of the
promises made to them as a peculiar people.
One
of your own disciples, who has listened to your in
struction, and has been among the foremost in church
activities, will betray you.
One of your most zealous
followers will
deny you.
All will forsake you. ’
Christ’s whole being abhorred the thought.
That
those whom He had undertaken to save, those whom
He loved so much, should unite in the plots of Satan,
this pierced His soul.
The conflict was terrible.
Its
measure was the guilt of His nation, of His accusers
and betrayer, the guilt of a world lying in wickedness.
The sins of men weighed heavily upon Christ, and
the sense of God’s wrath against sin was crushing out
His life.
Behold Him contemplating the price to be paid
for the human soul.
In His agony He clings to the
cold ground, as if to prevent, Himself from being
drawn farther from God.
The chilling dew of night
falls upon His prostrate form, but He heeds it not.
From His pale lips comes the bitter cry, “ O My
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.”
Yet even now He adds, “ Nevertheless not as I will,
but as Thou wilt.”
GETHSEMANE.
8 2 3
The human heart longs for sympathy in suffering.
This longing Christ felt to the very depths of His
being.
In the supreme agony of His soul He came
to His disciples with a yearning desire to hear some
words of comfort from those whom He had so often
blessed and comforted, and shielded in sorrow and
distress.
The One who had always had words of
sympathy for them was now suffering superhuman
agony, and He longed to know that they were pray
ing for Him and for themselves.
How dark seemed
the malignity of sin.
Terrible was the temptation to
let the human race bear the consequences of its own
guilt, while He stood innocent before God.
If He
could only know that His disciples understood and
appreciated this, He would be strengthened.
Rising with painful effort, He staggered to the
place where He had left His companions.
But He
“findeth them asleep.”
Had He found them pray
ing, He would have been relieved.
Had they been
seeking refuge in God, that Satanic agencies might
not prevail over them, He would have been com
forted by their steadfast faith.
But they had not
heeded the repeated warning, “Watch and pray.”
At first they had been much troubled to see their
Master, usually so calm and dignified, wrestling with
a sorrow that was beyond comprehension.
They had
prayed as they heard the strong cries of the sufferer.
They did not intend to forsake their Lord, but they
seemed paralyzed by a stupor which they might have
shaken off if they had continued pleading with God.
They did not realize the necessity of watchfulness
and earnest prayer in order to withstand temptation.
Just before He bent His footsteps to the garden,
Jesus had said to the disciples, “All ye shall be of
fended because of Me this night.”
They had given
824
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
GETHSEMANE.
825
Him the strongest assurance that they would go with
Him to prison and to death.
And poor, self-sufficient
Peter had added, “ Although all shall be offended,
yet will not I.”3
But the disciples trusted to them
selves.
They did not look to the mighty helper as
Christ had counseled them to do.
Thus when the
Saviour was most in need of their sympathy and
prayers, they were found asleep.
Even Peter was
sleeping.
And John, the loving disciple who had leaned upon
the breast of Jesus, was asleep.
Surely, the love of
John for his Master should have kept him awake.
His earnest prayers should have mingled with those
of his loved Saviour in the time of His supreme sor
row.
The Redeemer had spent entire nights praying
for His disciples, that their faith might not fail.
Should Jesus now put to James and John the question
He had once asked them, “ Are ye able to drink of
the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with
the baptism that I am baptized with?” they would not
have ventured to answer, “We are able.” *
The disciples awakened at the voice of Jesus, but
they hardly knew Him, His face was so changed by
anguish.
Addressing
Peter, Jesus said, “ Simon,
sleepest thou? couldst not thou watch one hour?
Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.”
The
weakness of His disciples awakened the sympathy of
Jesus.
He feared that they would not be able to en
dure the test which would come upon them in His
betrayal and death.
He did not reprove them, but
said, “ Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into tempta
tion.”
Even in His great agony, He was seeking to
excuse their weakness.
“ The spirit truly is ready,”
He said, “ but the flesh is weak.”
sMark 14:27, 29.
‘ Matt. 20:22.
Again the Son of God was seized with superhuman
agony, and fainting and exhausted, He staggered
back to the place of Plis former struggle.
His suf
fering was even greater than before.
As the agony
of soul came upon Hint, “ His sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
ihe cypress and palm trees were the silent witnesses
of His anguish,
from their leafy branches dropped
heavy dew upon His stricken form, as if nature wept
over its Author wrestling alone with the powers of
darkness.
A short time before, Jesus had stood like a mighty
cedar, withstanding the storm of opposition that
spent its fury upon Him.
Stubborn wills, and hearts
filled with malice and subtlety, had striven in vain to
confuse and overpower Him.
He stood forth in
divine majesty as the Son of God.
Now He was
like a reed beaten and bent by the angry storm.
He had approached the consummation of His work
a conqueror, having at each step gained the victory
over the powers of darkness.
As one already glori
fied, He had claimed oneness with God.
In unfal
tering accents He had poured out His songs of
praise.
He had spoken to His disciples in words of
courage and tenderness.
I\ow had come the hour
of the power of darkness.
Now His voice was heard
on the still evening air, not in tones of triumph, but
lull of human anguish.
The words of the Saviour
were borne to the ears of the drowsy disciples, “ O My
bather, if this cup may not pass away from Me, ex
cept I drink it, Thy will be done.”
The first impulse of the disciples was to go to
Him; but He had bidden them tarry there, watching
unto prayer.
When Jesus came to them, He found
them still sleeping.
Again He had felt a longing
826
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
for companionship, for some words from His dis
ciples which would bring relief, and break the spell
of darkness that well-nigh overpowered Him.
But
their eyes were heavy; “ neither wist they what to
answer Him.”
His presence aroused them.
They
saw His face marked with the bloody sweat of agony,
and they were filled with fear.
His anguish of mind
they could not understand.
“ His visage was so
marred more than any man, and His form more than
the sons of men.” 5
Turning away, Jesus sought again His retreat, and
fell prostrate, overcome by the horror of a great
darkness.
The humanity of the Son of God trem
bled in that trying hour.
He prayed not now for
His disciples that their faith might not fail, but for
His own tempted, agonized soul.
The awful mo
ment had come,— that moment which was to decide
the destiny of the world.
The fate of humanity
trembled in the balance.
Christ might even now re
fuse to drink the cup apportioned to guilty man.
It was not yet too late.
He might wipe the bloody
sweat from His brow, and leave man to perish in his
iniquity.
He might say, Let the transgressor receive
the penalty of his sin, and I will go back to My
Father.
Will the Son of God drink the bitter cup of
humiliation and agony?
Will the innocent suffer the
consequences of the curse of sin, to save the guilty?
The words fall tremblingly from the pale lips of
Jesus, “0 My Father, if this cup may not pass away
from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.”
Three times has He uttered that prayer.
Three
times has humanity shrunk from the last, crowning
sacrifice.
But now the history of the human race
comes up before the world’s Redeemer.
He sees
5 Isa. 52:14.
GETHSEMANE.
827
that the transgressors of the law, if left to themselves,
must perish.
He sees the helplessness of man.
He
sees the power of sin.
The woes and lamentations
of a doomed world rise before Him.
He beholds its
impending fate, and His decision is made.
He will
save man at any cost to Himself.
He accepts His
baptism of blood, that through Him perishing mil
lions may gain everlasting life.
He has left the
courts of heaven, where all is purity, happiness, and
glory, to save the one lost sheep, the one world that
has fallen by transgression.
And He will not turn
from His mission.
He will become the propitiation
of a race that has willed to sin.
Flis prayer now
breathes only submission: “ If this cup may not pass
away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.”
Having made the decision, He fell dying to the
ground from which He had partially risen.
Where
now were His disciples, to place their hands tenderly
beneath the head of their fainting Master, and bathe
that brow, marred indeed more than the sons of
men?
The Saviour trod the wine-press alone, and
of the people there was none with Him.
But God suffered with His Son.
Angels beheld
the Saviour’s agony.
They saw their Lord enclosed
by legions of Satanic forces, His nature weighed
down with a shuddering, mysterious dread.
There
was silence in heaven.
No harp was
touched.
Could mortals have viewed the amazement of the
angelic host as in silent grief they watched the
Father separating Ilis beams of light, love, and glory
from His beloved Son, they would better understand
how offensive in His sight is sin.
The worlds unfallen and the heavenly angels had
watched with intense interest as the conflict drew to
its close.
Satan and his confederacy of evil, the
828
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
legions of apostasy, watched
intently this great
crisis in the work of redemption.
The powers of
good and evil waited to see what answer would
come to Christ’s thrice-repeated
prayer.
Angels
had longed to bring relief to the divine sufferer, but
this might not be.
No way of escape was found for
the Son of God.
In this awful crisis, when every
thing was at stake, when the mysterious cup trem
bled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened,
a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the
crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in
God’s presence, occupying the position from which
Satan fell, came to the side of Christ.
The angel
came not to take the cup from Christ’s hand, but to
strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of
the Father’s love.
He came to give power to the
divine-human suppliant.
He pointed Him to the
open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would
be saved as the result of His sufferings.
He as
sured Him that His
Father is greater and more
powerful than Satan, that His death would result in
the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the king
dom of this world would be given to the saints of
the Most High.
He told Him that He would see of
the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would
see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally
saved.
Christ’s agony did not cease, but His depression
and discouragement left Him.
The storm had in no
wise abated, but He who was its object was strength
ened to meet its fury.
He came forth calm and
serene.
A heavenly peace rested upon His blood
stained face.
He had borne that which no human
being could ever bear; for He had tasted the suffer
ings of death for every man.
g e t h s e m a n e .
S2g
The sleeping disciples had been suddenly awak
ened by the light surrounding the Saviour.
They
saw the angel bending over their prostrate Master.
They saw him lift the Saviour’s head upon his bosom
and point toward heaven.
They heard his voice,’
nee sweetest music,_speaking words of comfort and
hope.
The disciples recalled the scene upon the
mount of
transfiguration.
They remembered the
glory that in the temple had encircled Jesus, and the
voice of God that spoke from the cloud.
Now that
same glory was again revealed, and they had no
further fear for their Master.
He was under the care
of God; a mighty angel had been sent to protect
Him.
Again the disciples in their weariness yield
to the strange stupor that overpowers them.
Ao-ain
Jesus finds them sleeping.
Looking sorrowfully upon them He says “ Sleep
on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at
hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands
of sinners.”
Even as He spoke these words, He heard the foot
steps of the mob in search of Him, and said, “ Rise
et us be going; behold, he is at hand that doth be
tray Me.
No traces of His recent agony were visible as
Jesus stepped forth to meet His betrayer.
Stand
ing in advance of His disciples He said, “Whom
seek ye
Ihey answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus replied, “ I am He.”
As these words were
spoken, the angel who had lately ministered to
Jesus, moved between Him and the mob.
A divine
light illuminated the Saviour’s face, and a dove-like
form overshadowed Him.
In the presence of this
divine glory, the murderous throng could not stand
for a moment.
They staggered back.
Priests, el-
ders, soldiers, and even Judas, fell as dead men to
the ground.
The angel withdrew, and the light faded away.
Jesus had opportunity to escape, but He remained,
calm and self-possessed.
As one glorified He stood
in the midst of that hardened .band, now prostr&te
and helpless at His feet.
The disciples looked on,
silent with wonder and awe.
But quickly the scene changed.
The mob started
up.
The Roman soldiers, the priests and Judas,
gathered about Christ.
They seemed ashamed of
their weakness, and fearful that He would yet escape.
Again the question was asked by the Redeemer,
“ Whom seek ye?"
They had had evidence that He
who stood before them was the Son of God, but
they would not be convinced.
To the question,
“Whom seek ye?" again they answered, “ Jesus of
Nazareth.”
T h e ' Saviour then said, “ I have told
you that I am He.
If therefore ye seek Me, let
these go their way"— pointing to the disciples.
He
knew how weak was their faith, and He sought to
shield them from temptation and trial.
For them
He was ready to sacrifice Himself.
Judas the betrayer did not forget the part he was
to act.
When the mob entered the garden, he had
led the way, closely followed by the high priest.
To the pursuers of Jesus he had given a sign, say
ing, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He;
hold Him fast."6
Now he pretends to have no part
with them.
Coming close to Jesus, he takes His
hand as a familiar friend.
With the words, “ Hail,
Master,” he kisses Him repeatedly, and appears to
weep as if in sympathy with Him in His peril.
Jesus said to him, “ Friend, wherefore art thou
6 Matt 26:48.
830
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
GETHSEMANE.
come?"
His voice trembled with sorrow as He
added, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a
kiss?
This appeal should have aroused the con
science of the betrayer, and touched his stubborn
heart; but honor, fidelity, and human tenderness had
lot saken him.
He stood bold and defiant, showing
no disposition to relent.
He had given himself up
to Satan, and he had no power to resist him.
Jesus
did not refuse the traitor’s kiss.
The mob grew bold as they saw Judas touch the
person of Him who had so recently been glorified
before their eyes.
They now laid hold of Jesus, and
proceeded to bind those precious hands that had
ever been employed in doing good.
The disciples had thought that their Master would
not suffer Himself to be taken.
For the same power
that had caused the mob to fall as dead men could
keep them helpless, until Jesus and His companions
should escape.
They were disappointed and indig
nant as they saw the cords brought forward to bind
the hands of Him whom they loved.
Peter in his
anger rashly drew his sword and tried to defend his
Master, but he only cut off an ear of the high priest’s
servant.
When Jesus saw what was done, He re
leased His hands, though held firmly by the Roman
soldiers, and saying, “ Suffer ye thus far,” He touched
the wounded ear, and it was instantly made whole.
He then said to Peter, “ Put up again "thy sword into
his place; for all they that take the sword shall per
ish with the sword.
Thinkest thou that I cannot
now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give
Me more than twelve legions of angels?”— a legion
in place of each one of the disciples.
O why, the
disciples thought, does He not save Himself and
us?
Answering their unspoken thought He added,
“ But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that
8 3 1
832
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
thus it must be?”
“The cup which My Father hath
given Me, shall I not drink it?”
The official dignity of the Jewish leaders had not
prevented them from joining in the pursuit of Jesus.
His arrest was too important a matter to be trusted
to subordinates; the wily priests and elders had joined
the temple police and the rabble in following Judas
to Gethsemane.
What a company for those digni
taries to unite with,—a mob that was eager for ex
citement, and armed with all kinds of implements,
as if in pursuit of a wild beast.
Turning to the priests and elders, Christ fixed
upon them His searching glance.
The words He
spoke they would never forget as long as life should
last.
They were as the sharp arrows of the Almighty.
With dignity He said, You come out against Me with
swords and staves as you would against a thief or
a robber.
Day by day I sat teaching in the temple.
You had every opportunity of laying hands upon
Me, and you did nothing.
The night is better suited
to your work.
“ This is your hour, and the power
of darkness.”
The disciples were terrified as they saw Jesus per
mit Himself to be taken and bound.
They were
offended that He should suffer this humiliation to
Himself and them.
They could not understand His
conduct, and they blamed Him for submitting to
the mob.
In their indignation and fear, Peter pro
posed that they save themselves.
Following this
suggestion, “they all forsook Him, and fled.”
But
Christ had foretold this desertion.
“ Behold,” Fie
had said, “ the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that
ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall
leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the
Father is with Me.” 7
7 John 16:32.
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT
OF CAIAPHAS.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE.
Over the brook Kedron, past gardens and olive
groves, and through the hushed streets of the sleep
ing city, they hurried Jesus.
It was past midnight,
and the cries of the hooting mob that followed Him
broke sharply upon the still air.
The Saviour was
bound and closely guarded, and He moved painfully.
But in eager haste His captors made their way with
Him to the palace of Annas, the ex-high priest.
Annas was the head of the officiating priestly
family, and in deference to his age he was recognized
by the people as high priest.
Flis counsel was sought
and carried out as the voice of God.
He must first
see Jesus a captive to priestly power.
He must be
present at the examination of the prisoner, for fear
that the less-experienced Caiaphas might fail of
securing the object for which they were working.
His artifice, cunning, and subtlety must be used on
this occasion; for at all events, Christ’s condemna
tion must be secured.
Christ was to be tried formally before the Sanhe
drim; but before Annas He was subjected to a pre
liminary trial.
Under the Roman rule the Sanhe-
This chapter is based on Matt. 26:57-75; 27:1; Mark 14:53-72;
15:1; Luke 22:54-71; John 18:13-27.
( 833)
53
drim could not execute the sentence of death.
Ihey
could only examine a prisoner, and pass judgment,
to be ratified by the Roman authorities.
It was
therefore necessary to bring against Christ charges
that would be regarded as criminal by the Romans.
An accusation must also be found which would con
demn Him in the eyes of the Jews.
Not a few
among the priests and rulers had been convicted by
Christ’s teaching, and only fear of excommunication
prevented them from confessing Him.
The priests
well remembered the question of Nicodemus,
Doth
our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know
what he doeth?” 1
This question had for the time
broken up the council, and thwarted their plans.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were not now
to be summoned, but there were others who might
dare to speak in favor of justice.
The trial must be
so conducted as to unite the members of the Sanhe
drim against Christ.
Ihere were two charges which
the priests desired to maintain.
If Jesus could be
proved a blasphemer, He would be condemned by
the Jews.
If convicted of sedition, it would secure
His condemnation by the Romans.
The second
charge Annas tried first to establish.
He questioned
lesus concerning His disciples and His doctrines,
hoping the prisoner would say something that would
give him material upon which to work.
He thought
to draw out some statement to prove that he was seek
ing to establish a secret society, with the purpose
of setting up a new kingdom.
Then the priests
could deliver Him to the Romans as a disturber of
the peace and a creator of insurrection.
Christ read the priest’s purpose as an open book.
As if reading the inmost soul of His questioner, He
1 John 7:51.
834
THE DESIRE 0F AGES-
denied that there was between Him and His follow
ers any secret bond of union, or that He gathered
them secretly and in the darkness to conceal His
designs.
He had no secrets in regard to His pur
poses or doctrines.
“ I spake openly to the world,”
He answered; “ I ever taught in the synagogue, and
in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and
in secret have I said nothing.”
The Saviour contrasted His own manner of work
with the methods of His accusers.
For months they
had hunted Him, striving to entrap Him and bring
Him before a secret tribunal, where they might obtain
by perjury what it was impossible to gain by fair
means.
Now they were carrying out their purpose.
The midnight seizure by a mob, the mockery and
abuse before He was condemned, or even accused,
was their manner of work, not His.
Their action
was in violation of the law.
Their own rules declared
that every man should be treated as innocent until
proved guilty.
By their own rules the priests stood
condemned.
Turning upon His questioner, Jesus said, “ Why
askest thou Me?”
Had not the priests and rulers
sent spies to.watch His movements, and report His
every word?
Had not these been present at every
gathering of the pepole, and carried to the priests
information of all His sayings and doings?
“ Ask
them which heard Me, what I have said unto them,”
replied Jesus; “behold, they know what I said.”
Annas was silenced by the decision of the answer.
Fearing that Christ would say something regarding
his course of action that he would prefer to keep cov
ered up, he said nothing more to Him at this time.
One of his officers, filled with wrath as he saw Annas
silenced, struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Answer-
est Thou the high priest so?”
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS. 835
836
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Christ calmly replied, “ If I have spoken evil, bear
witness of the evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?”
He spoke no burning words of retaliation.
His calm
answer came from a heart sinless, patient, and gentle,
that would not be provoked.
Christ suffered keenly under abuse and insult
At
the hands of the beings whom He had created, and
for whom He was making an infinite sacrifice, He re
ceived every indignity.
And He suffered in propor
tion to the perfection of His holiness and His hatred
of sin.
His trial by men who acted as fiends was to
Him a perpetual sacrifice.
To be surrounded by hu
man beings under the control of Satan was revolting
to Him.
And He knew that in a moment, by the
flashing forth of His divine power, He could lay His
cruel tormentors in the dust.
This made the trial the
harder to bear.
The Jews were looking for a Messiah to be revealed
in outward show.
They expected Him, by one flash
of overmastering will, to change the current of men’s
thoughts, and force from them an acknowledgment
of His supremacy.
Thus, they believed, He was to
secure His own exaltation, and gratify their ambitious
hopes.
Thus when Christ was treated with contempt,
there came to Him a strong temptation to manifest
His divine character.
By a word, by a look, He
could compel His persecutors to confess that He was
Lord above kings and rulers, priests and temple.
But it was His difficult task to keep to the position
He had chosen as one with humanity.
The angels of heaven witnessed every movement
made against their loved Commander.
They longed
to deliver Christ.
Under God the angels are all-
powerful.
On one occasion, in obedience to the com
mand of Christ, they slew of the Assyrian army in
one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand men.
How easily could the angels, beholding the shameful
scene of the trial of Christ, have testified their indig
nation by consuming the adversaries of God.
But
they were not commanded to do this.
He who could
have doomed His enemies to death bore with their
cruelty.
His love for His Father, and His pledge,
made from the foundation of the world, to become
the Sin-bearer, led Him to endure uncomplainingly
the coarse treatment of those He came to save.
It
was a part of His mission to bear, in His human
ity, all the taunts and abuse that men could heap
upon Him.
The only hope of humanity was in this
submission of Christ to all that He could endure
from the hands and hearts of men.
Christ had said nothing that could give His ac
cusers an advantage, yet He was bound, to signify
that He was condemned.
There must, however, be
a pretense of justice.
It was necessary that there
should be the form of a legal trial.
This the author
ities were determined to hasten.
They knew the re
gard in which Jesus was held by the people, and
feared that if the arrest were noised abroad, a rescue
would be attempted.
Again, if the trial and execu
tion were not brought about at once, there would be
a week’s delay on account of the celebration of the
Passover.
This might defeat their plans.
In secur
ing the condemnation of Jesus they depended largely
upon the clamor of the mob, many of them^the
rabble of Jerusalem.
Should there be a week’s de
lay, the excitement would abate, and a reaction would
be likely to set in.
The better part of the people
would be aroused in Christ’s favor; many would
come forward Avith testimony in His vindication
bringing to light the mighty works He had done.’
This would excite popular indignation against the
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS.
837
838
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Sanhedrim.
Their proceedings would be condemned,
and Jesus would be set free, to receive new homage
from the multitudes.
The priests and rulers there
fore determined that before their purpose could be
come known, Jesus should be delivered into the hands
of the Romans.
But first of all, an accusation was to be found.
They had gained nothing as yet.
Annas ordered
Jesus to be taken to Caiaphas.
Caiaphas belonged
to the Sadducees, some of whom were now the most
desperate enemies of
Jesus.
He himself, though
wanting in force of character, was fully as severe,
heartless, and unscrupulous as was Arinas.
He would
leave no means untried to destroy Jesus.
It was
now early morning, and very dark; by the light of
torches and lanterns the armed band with their pris
oner proceeded to the high priest’s palace.
Here,
while the members of the Sanhedrim were coming
together, Annas and Caiaphas again questioned Je
sus, but without success.
When the council had assembled in the judgment-
hall, Caiaphas took his seat as presiding officer.
On
either side were the judges, and those specially in
terested in the trial.
The Roman soldiers were
stationed on the platform below the throne.
At the
foot of the throne stood Jesus.
Upon Him the gaze
of the whole multitude was fixed.
The excitement
was intense.
Of all the throng He alone was calm
and serene.
The very atmosphere surrounding Him
seemed pervaded by a holy influence.
Caiaphas had regarded Jesus as his rival.
The
eagerness of the people to hear the Saviour, and their
apparent readiness to accept His teachings, had
aroused the bitter jealousy of the high priest.
But
as Caiaphas now looked upon the prisoner, he was
struck with admiration for His noble and dignified
bearing.
A conviction came over him that this man
was akin to God.
The next instant he scornfully
banished the thought.
Immediately his voice was
heard in sneering, haughty tones demanding that
Jesus work one of His mighty miracles before them.
But his words fell upon the Saviour’s ears as though
He heard them not.
The people compared the ex
cited and malignant deportment of Annas and Caia
phas with the calm, majestic bearing of Jesus.
Even
in the minds of the hardened multitude arose the
question, Is this man of Godlike presence to be con
demned as a criminal?
Caiaphas, perceiving the influence that was ob
taining, hastened the trial.
The enemies of Jesus
were in great perplexity.
They were bent on secur
ing His condemnation, but how to accomplish this
they knew not.
The members of the council were
divided between the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
There was bitter animosity and controversy between
them; certain disputed points they dared not ap
proach for fear of a quarrel. With a few words Jesus
cou/d have excited their prejudices against each
other, and thus have averted their wrath from Him
self.
Caiaphas knew this, and he wished to avoid
stirring up a contention.
There were plenty of wit
nesses to prove that Christ had denounced the
priests and scribes, that He had called them hypo
crites and murderers; but this testimony, it was not
expedient to bring forward.
The Sadducees in their
sharp contentions with the Pharisees had used to
them similar language.
And such testimony would
have no weight with the Romans, who were them
selves disgusted with the pretensions of the Phari
sees.
There was abundant evidence that Jesus had
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS. 839
disregarded the traditions of the Jews, and had
spoken irreverently of many of their ordinances; but
in regard to tradition the Pharisees and Sadducees
were at swords' points; and this evidence also would
have no weight with the Romans.
Christ’s enemies
dared not accuse Him of Sabbath-breaking, lest an
examination should reveal the character of His work.
If His miracles of healing were brought to light, the
very object of the priests would be defeated.
False witnesses had been bribed to accuse Jesus of
inciting rebellion and seeking to establish a separate
government.
But their
testimony
proved to be
vague and contradictory.
Under examination they
falsified their own statements.
Early in His ministry Christ had said, “ Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
In
the figurative language of prophecy, He had thus
foretold His own death and resurrection. ' “ He spake
of the temple of His body.”2
These words the Jews
had understood in a literal sense, as referring to the
temple at Jerusalem.
Of all that Christ had said,
the priests could find nothing to use against Him
save this.
By misstating these words they hoped to
gain an advantage.
The Romans had engaged in
rebuilding and embellishing the temple, and they
took great pride in it; any contempt shown to it
would be sure to excite their indignation.
Here
Romans and Jews, Pharisees and Sadducees, could
meet; for all held the temple in great veneration.
On this point two witnesses were found whose testi
mony was not so contradictory as that of the others
had been.
One of them, who had been bribed to ac
cuse Jesus, declared, “This fellow said, I am able to
destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three
2John 2:19, 21.
840
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
days.”
Thus Christ’s words were misstated.
If they
had been reported exactly as He spoke them, they
would not have secured His condemnation even by
the Sanhedrim.
Plad Jesus been a mere man, as the
Jews claimed, His declaration would only have in
dicated an unreasonable, boastful spirit, but could
not have been construed into blasphemy.
Even as
misrepresented by the false witnesses, His words
contained nothing which would be regarded by the
Romans as a crime worthy of death.
I atientl) Jesus listened to the conflicting testi
monies.
No word did He utter in self-defense.
At
last
His
accusers
were entangled, confused, and
maddened.
The trial was making no headway; it
seemed that their plottings were to fail.
Caiaphas
was desperate.
One last resort remained; Christ
must be forced to condemn Himself.
The high
priest started from the judgment-seat, his face con
torted with passion, his voice and demeanor plainly
indicating that were it in his power he would strike
down the prisoner before him.
“ Answerest Thou
nothing? he exclaimed; ‘what is it which these wit-
ness against Thee?”
Jesus held His peace.
“ He was oppressed, and
He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth.
Pie
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His
mouth.”3
At last, Caiaphas, raising his right hand toward
heaven, addressed Jesus in the form of a solemn
oath: “ 1 adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou
tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.”
I o this appeal Christ could not remain silent.
There was a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
3 Isa. 537.
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS. 841
8 4 2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
He had not spoken until directly questioned.
He
knew that to answer now would make His death cer
tain.
But the appeal was made by the highest ac
knowledged authority of the nation, and in the name
of the Most High.
Christ would not fail to show
proper respect for the law.
More than this, His own
relation to the Father was called in question.
He
must
plainly
declare His character and mission.
Jesus had said to His disciples, “ Whosoever there
fore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess
also before My Father which is in heaven.” 4
Now
by His own example He repeated the lesson.
Every ear was bent to listen, and every eye was
fixed on His face as He answered, “ Thou hast said.”
A heavenly light seemed to illuminate His pale coun
tenance as He. added, “ Nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven.”
For a moment the divinity of Christ flashed
through His guise of humanity.
The high priest
.quailed before the penetrating eyes of the Saviour.
That look seemed to read his hidden thoughts, and
burn into his heart.
Never in after-life did he forget
that searching glance of the persecuted Son of God.
“ Hereafter,” said Jesus, “ shall ye see the Son of
Man.sitting on the right hand of power, and coming
in the clouds of heaven.”
In these words Christ
presented the reverse of the scene then taking place.
He, the Lord of life and glory, would be seated at
God’s right hand.
He would be the judge of all
the earth, and from His decision there could be no
appeal.
Then every secret thing would be set in the
light of God’s countenance, and judgment be passed
upon every man according to his deeds.
4 Matt. 10:32.
The words of Christ startled the high priest.
The
thought that there was to be a resurrection of the
dead, when all would stand at the bar of God, to be
rewarded according to their works, was a thought of
terror to Caiaphas.
He did not wish to believe that
in future he would receive sentence according to his
works.
There rushed before his mind as a pano
rama the scenes of the final Judgment.
For a mo
ment he saw the fearful spectacle of the graves giv
ing up their dead, with the secrets he had hoped were
forever hidden.
For a moment he felt as if standing
before the eternal Judge, whose eye, which sees all
things, was reading his soul, bringing to light mys
teries supposed to be hidden with the dead.
The scene passed from the priest’s vision. Christ’s
words cut him, the Sadducee, to the quick.
Caia
phas had denied the doctrine of the resurrection, the
Judgment, and a future life.
Now he was mad
dened by Satanic fury.
Was this man, a prisoner
before him, to assail his most cherished theories?
Rending his robe, that the people might see his pre- '
tended horror, he demanded that without further
preliminaries the prisoner be condemned for blas
phemy.
What further need have we of witnesses?”
he said; “ behold, now ye have heard His blasphemy.
What think ye?”
And they all condemned Him.
Conviction mingled with passion led Caiaphas to
do as he did.
He was furious with himself for be
lieving Christ s words, and instead of rending his
heart under a deep sense of truth, and confessing that
Jesus was the Messiah, he rent his priestly robes in
determined resistance.
This act was deeply signifi
cant.
Little did Caiaphas realize its meaning.
In
this^ act, done to influence the judges and secure
Christ’s condemnation, the high priest had con
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS.
8 4 3
demned himself.
By the law of God he was dis
qualified for the priesthood.
He had pronounced
upon himself the death sentence.
A high priest was not to rend his garments.
By
the Levitical law, this was prohibited under sentence
of death.
Under no circumstances, on no occasion,
was the priest to rend his robe.
It was the custom
among the Jews for the garments to be rent at the
death of friends, but this custom the priests were not
to observe.
Express command had been given by
Christ to Moses concerning this.5
Everything worn by the priest was to be whole
and without blemish.
By those beautiful official
garments was represented the character of the great
antitype, Jesus Christ.
Nothing but perfection, in
dress and attitude, in word and spirit, could be ac
ceptable to God.
tie is holy, and His glory and per
fection must be represented by the earthly service.
Nothing but perfection could properly represent the
sacredness of the heavenly service.
Finite
man
might rend his own heart by showing a contrite and
humble spirit.
This God would discern.
But no
rent must be made in the priestly robes, for this
would mar the representation of heavenly things.
The high priest who dared to appear in holy office,
and engage in the sendee of the sanctuary, with a
rent robe, was looked upon as having severed him
self from God.
By rending his garment he cut
himself off from being a representative character.
He was no longer accepted by God as an officiating
priest.
This course of action, as exhibited by Caia-
phas, showed human passion, human imperfection.
By rending his garments, Caiaphas made of no ef
fect the law of God, to follow the tradition of men.
5 Lev. 10:6.
844
THE d e s ir e o f a g e s .
A man-made law provided that in case of blasphemy
a priest might rend his garments in horror at the sin,
and be guiltless.
Thus the law of God was made
void by the laws of men.
Each action of the high priest was watched with
interest by the people; and Caiaphas thought for
effect to display his piety.
But in this act, designed
as an accusation against Christ, he was reviling the
One of whom God had said, “ My name is in Him.” 6
He himself was committing blasphemy.
Standing
under the condemnation of
God, he pronounced
sentence upon Christ as a blasphemer.
_ ^
Caiaphas rent his garment, his act was sig
nificant of the place that the Jewish nation as a na
tion would thereafter occupy toward God.
The once
favored people of God were separating themselves
from Him, and were fast becoming a people dis
owned by Jehovah.
When Christ upon the cross
cried out, “It is finished,” 7 and the veil of the temple
was rent in twain, the Holy Watcher declared that
the^ Jewish people had rejected Him who was the
antitype of all their types, the substance of all their
shadows.
Israel was
divorced
from
God.
Well
might Caiaphas then rend his official robes, which
signified that he claimed to be a representative of the
great High Priest; for no longer had they any mean
ing for Him or for the people.
Well might the high
priest rend his robes in horror for himself and for
the nation.
The Sanhedrim had pronounced Jesus worthy of
death; but it was contrary to the Jewish law to try a
prisoner by night.
In legal condemnation nothing
could be done except in the light of day and before
a full session of the council.
Notwithstanding this,
6 Ex. 23:21.
7John 19:30-
b e f o r e a n n a s a n d t h e c o u r t o f c a i a p h a s . 845
846
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
the Saviour was now treated as a condemned crim
inal, and given up to be abused by the lowest and
vilest of human kind.
The palace of the high priest
surrounded an open court in which the soldiers and
the multitude had gathered.
Through this court,
Jesus was taken to the guard-room, on every side
meeting with mockery of His claim to be the Son of
God.
His own words, “ sitting on the right hand of
power,” and, "com ing in the clouds of heaven,”
were jeeringly repeated.
While in the guard-room,
awaiting His legal trial, He was not protected.
The
ignorant rabble had seen the cruelty with which He
was treated before the council, and from this they
took license to manifest all the Satanic elements of
their nature.
Christ’s very nobility and
Godlike
bearing goaded them to madness.
His meekness,
His innocence, His majestic patience, filled them
with hatred born of Satan.
Mercy and justice were
trampled upon.
Never was criminal treated in so
inhuman a manner as was the Son of God.
But a keener anguish rent the heart of JeSus; the
blow that afflicted the deepest pain no enemy’s hand
could have dealt.
While He was undergoing the
mockery of an- examination before Caiaphas, Christ
had been denied by one of His own disciples.
After deserting their Master in the garden, two of
the disciples had ventured to follow, at a distance,
the mob that ha.d Jesus in charge.
These disciples
were
Peter and John.
The
priests
recognized
John as a well-known disciple of Jesus, and admitted
him to the hall, hoping that as he witnessed the hu
miliation of his leader, he would scorn the idea of
such a one being the Son of God.
John spoke in
favor of Peter, and gained an entrance for him also.
In the court a fire had been kindled; for it was the
coldest hour of the night, being just before the dawn.
A company drew about the fire, and Peter presump
tuously took his place with them.. He did not wish
to be recognized as a disciple of Jesus.
By mingling
carelessly with the crowd, he hoped to be taken for
one of those who had brought Jesus to the hall.
But as the light flashed upon Peter’s face, the wo
man who kept the door cast a searching glance upon
him.
She had noticed that he came in with John,
she marked the look of dejection on his face, and
thought that he might be a disciple of Jesus.
She
was one of the servants of Caiaphas’ household, and
was curious to know.
She said to Peter, “Art not
thou also one of this man’s disciples?” Peter was
startled and confused; the eyes of the company in
stantly fastened upon him.
He pretended not to un
derstand her, but she was persistent, and said to
those around her that this man was with Jesus.
Peter felt compelled to answer, and said angrily,
Woman, I know Plim not.”
This was the first de
nial, and immediately the cock crew.
O Peter! so
soon ashamed of thy Master! so soon to denv thv
Lord!
The disciple John, upon entering the judgment-
hall, did not try to conceal the fact that he was a fol
lower of Jesus.
He did not mingle with the rough
company who were reviling his Master.
He was not
questioned; for he did not assume a false character,
and thus lay himself liable to suspicion.
He sought
a retired corner secure from the notice of the mob,
but as near Jesus as it was possible for him to be.
Here he could see and hear all that took place at
the trial of his Lord.
Peter had not designed that his real character
should be known.
In assuming an air of indifference
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS.
847
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
lie had placed himself on the enemy’s ground, and he
became an easy prey to temptation.
If he had been
called to fight for his Master, he would have been a
courageous soldier; but when the finger of scorn was
pointed at him, he proved himself a coward.
Many
who do not shrink from active warfare for their Lord,
are driven by ridicule to deny their faith.
By asso
ciating with those whom they should avoid, they
place themselves in the way of temptation.
They in
vite the enemy to tempt them, and are led to say and
do that of which under other circumstances they
would never have been guilty.
The disciple of
Christ who in our day disguises his faith through
dread of suffering or reproach, denies his Lord as
really as did Peter in the judgment-hall.
Peter tried to show no interest in the trial of his
Master, but his heart was wrung with sorrow as he
heard the cruel taunts, and saw the abuse He was
suffering.
More than this, he was surprised and
angry that Jesus should humiliate Himself and His
followers by submitting to such treatment.
In order
to conceal his true feelings, he endeavored to join
with the persecutors of Jesus in their untimely jests.
But his appearance was unnatural.
He was acting
a lie, and while seeking to talk unconcernedly he
could not restrain expressions of indignation at the
abuse heaped upon his Master.
Attention was called to him the second time, and
he was again charged with being a follower of Jesus.
He now declared with an oath, “ I do not know the
man.”
Still another opportunity was given him.
An hour had passed, when one of the servants of the
high priest, being a near kinsman of the man whose
ear Peter had cut off, asked him, “ Did not I see thee
in the garden with Him?”
“ Surely thou art one of
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS.
849
them; for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth
thereto.”
At this Peter flew into a rage.
The dis
ciples of Jesus were noted for the purity of their lan
guage, and in order fully to deceive his questioners,
and justify his assumed character, Peter now denied
his Master with cursing and swearing.
Again the
cock crew.
Peter heard it then, and he remembered
the words of Jesus, “ Before the cock crow twice, thou
shalt deny Me thrice.” 8
While the degrading oaths were fresh upon Peter’s
lips, and the shrill crowing of the cock was still ring
ing in his ears, the Saviour turned from the frown-
ing judges, and looked full upon His poor disciple.
At the same time Peter’s eyes were drawn to his
Master.
In that gentle countenance he read deep
pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there.
The sight of that pale, suffering face, those quiver
ing lips, that look of compassion and forgiveness,
pierced his heart like an arrow.
Conscience was
aroused.
Memory was active.
Peter called to mind
his promise a few short hours before that he would
go with his Lord to prison and to death.
He re
membered his grief when his Saviour told him in the
upper chamber that he would deny his Lord thrice
that same night.
Peter had just declared that he
knew not Jesus, but he now realized with bitter grief
how well his Lord knew him, and how accurately He
had read his heart, the falseness of which was un
known even to himself.
A tide of memories rushed over him.
The Sa
viour’s tender mercy, His kindness and longsuffer-
ing, His gentleness and patience toward His erring
disciples,—all was remembered.
He recalled
the
caution, "Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have
8 Mark 14:30.
54
848
850
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
you, that he may sift you as wheat.
But I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” 9
H e re
flected with horror upon his own ingratitude, his
falsehood, his perjury.
Once more he looked at his
Master, and saw a sacrilegious hand raised to smite
Him in the face.
Unable longer to endure the
scene, he rushed, heartbroken, from the hall.
He pressed on in solitude and darkness, he knew
not and cared not whither.
At last he found himself
in Gethsemane.
The scene of a few hours before
came vividly to his mind.
The suffering face of his
Lord, stained with bloody sweat and convulsed with
anguish, rose before him.
He remembered with
bitter remorse that Jesus had wept and agonized in
prayer alone, while those who should have united
with Him in that trying hour were sleeping.
He re
membered His solemn charge, “ Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation.” 10
He witnessed
again the scene in the judgment-hall.
It was tor
ture to his bleeding heart to know that he had added
the heaviest burden to the Saviour’s humiliation and
grief.
On the very spot where Jesus had poured
out His soul in agony to H is Father, Peter fell upon
his face, and wished that he might die.
It was in sleeping when Jesus bade him watch and
pray that Peter had prepared the way for his great
sin.
A ll the disciples, by sleeping in that critical
hour, sustained a great loss.
Christ knew the fiery
ordeal through which they were to pass.
H e knew
how Satan would work to paralyze their senses that
they might be unready for the trial.
Therefore it
was that He gave them warning.
Had those hours
in the garden been spent in watching and prayer,
Peter would not have been left to depend upon his
•Luke 22:31, 32.
“ Matt. 26:41.
b e f o r e a n n a s a n d t h e c o u r t OF CAIAPHAS.
851
own feeble strength.
He would not have denied his
Lord.
Had the disciples watched with Christ in His
agony, they would have been prepared to behold His
su ering upon the cross.
They would have under
stood in some degree the nature of His overpowering
anguish.
They would have been able to recall His
words that foretold His sufiferings, His death, and
His resurrection.
Amid the gloom of the most try-
mg hour, some rays of hope would have lighted up
the darkness and sustained their faith.
As soon as it was day, the Sanhedrim again as
sembled, and again Jesus was brought into the coun
cil room.
He had declared himself the Son of God
and they had construed His words into a charge
against Him.
But they could not condemn Him on
this for many of them had not been present at the
night session, and they had not heard His words.
f nt? tkey knew that tlie Roman tribunal would find
in them nothing worthy of death.
But if from
s
' i l!,ey- r i d al,hear those
“
then- ohject might be gamed.
His claim to the Mes-
cia'm P
y might C° nStrUe int° S Seditious Political
... Art dbou tIle Christ?” they said, “tell us.”
But
C irist remained silent.
They continued to ply Him
w,th questions.
At last in tones of mournful pathos
rlc answered, If I tell you, ye will not believe; and
1
,, s° ask ™ u' >'e will not answer Me, nor let Me
added t|Ut that th cy m ight be Ieft without excuse He
added the solemn warning, “ Hereafter shall the Son
, 7
" “
on ,the fight hand of the power of God ”
Art Thou then the Son of God?" they asked with
one voice
He said unto them, “Ye say that I am ”
They cried out. “What need we any further witness
for we ourselves have heard of His own m outh"'
8 5 2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
And so by the third condemnation of the Jewish
authorities, Jesus was to die.
A ll that was now nec
essary, they thought was for the Romans to ratify
this condemnation, and deliver Him into their hands.
Then came the third scene of abuse and mockery,
worse even than that received from the ignorant
rabble.
In the very presence of the
priests and
rulers, and with their
sanction, this
took place.
Every feeling of sympathy or humanity had gone out
of their hearts.
If their arguments were weak, and
failed to silence His voice, they had other weapons,
such as in all ages have been used to silence heretics,
— suffering, and violence, and death.
When the condemnation of Jesus was announced
by the judges, a Satanic fury took possession of the
people.
The, roar of voices was like that of wild
beasts.
The crowd made a rush toward Jesus, cry
ing, He is guilty, put Him to death!
Had it not
been for the Roman soldiers, Jesus would not have
lived to be nailed to the cross of Calvary.
He would
have been torn in pieces before His judges, had not
Roman authority interfered, and by force of arms re
strained the violence of the mob.
Heathen men were angry at the brutal treatment
of one against whom nothing had been proved.
The
Roman officers declared that the Jew s in pronounc
ing condemnation upon Jesus were infringing upon
the Roman power, and that it was even against the
Jewish law to condemn a man to death upon his own
testimony.
This intervention brought a momentary
lull in the proceedings; but the Jewish leaders were
dead alike to pity and to shame.
Priests and rulers forgot the dignity of their office,
and abused the Son of God with foul epithets.
They
taunted Him with H is parentage.
They declared
that His presumption in proclaiming Himself the
Messiah made Him deserving of the most ignomini
ous death.
The most dissolute men engaged in in
famous abuse of the Saviour.
An old garment was
thrown over His head, and His persecutors struck
Him in the face, saying, “ Prophesy unto us, Thou
Christ, Who is he that smote Thee?”
When the
garment was removed, one poor wretch spat in His
face.
The angels of God faithfully recorded every insult
ing look, word, and act, against their beloved Com
mander.
One day the base men who scorned and
spat upon the calm, pale face of Christ, will look
upon it in its glory, shining brighter than the sun.
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS. 853
JUDAS.
CH APTER SEVEN TY-SIX.
The history of judas presents the sad ending of a
life that might have been honored of God.
Had
Judas died before his last journey to Jerusalem, he
would have been regarded as a man worthy of a place
among the twelve, and one who would be greatly
missed.
The abhorrence which has followed him
through the centuries would not have existed, but
for the attributes revealed at the close of his history.
But it was for a purpose that his character was laid
open to the world.
It was to be a warning to all
who, like him, should betray sacred trusts.
A little before the Passover, Judas had renewed
his contract with the priests to deliver Jesus into
their hands.
Then it was arranged that the Sa
viour should be taken at one of H is resorts for medi
tation and prayer.
Since the feast at the house of
Simon, Judas had had opportunity to reflect upon
the deed which he had covenanted to perform, but
his purpose was unchanged.
Fo r thirty pieces of
silver—the price of a slave— he sold the Lord of
Glory to ignominy and death.
Judas had naturally a strong love for money; but
he had not always been corrupt enough to do such
a deed as this.
He had fostered the evil spirit of
avarice until it had become the ruling motive of his
life.
The love of mammon overbalanced his love
( 854)
JU D A S.
8 5 5
for Christ.
Through becoming the slave of one vice
he gave himself to Satan, to be driven to any lengths
in sin.
Judas had joined the disciples when multitudes
were following
Christ.
The Saviour’s
teaching
moved their hearts as they hung entranced upon
H is words, spoken in the synagogue, by the seaside,
upon the mount.
Judas saw the sick, the lame, the
blind, flock to Jesus from the towns and cities.
He
saw the dying laid at His feet.
H e witnessed the
Saviour’s mighty works in healing the sick, casting
out devils, and raising the dead.
He felt in his own
person the evidence of Christ’s power.
He recog
nized the teaching of Christ as superior to all that
he had ever heard.
He loved the great Teacher,
and desired to be with Him.
He felt a desire to
be changed in character and life, and he hoped to
experience this through connecting himself
with
Jesus.
The Saviour did not repulse Judas.
He
gave him a place among the twelve.
H e trusted him
to do the work of an evangelist.
He endowed him
with power to heal the sick and to cast out devils.
But Judas did not come to the point of surrendering
himself fully to Christ.
He did not give up his
worldly ambition or his love of money.
While Ke
accepted the position of a minister of Christ, he did
not bring himself under the divine moulding.
H e
felt that he could retain his own judgment and opin
ions, and he cultivated a disposition to criticize and
accuse.
Judas was highly regarded by the disciples, and
had great influence over them.
He himself had a
high opinion of his own qualifications, and looked
upon his brethren as greatly inferior to him in judg
ment and ability.
They did not see their opportun
856
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ities, he thought, and take advantage of circum
stances.
The church would never prosper with such
short-sighted men as leaders.
Peter was impetuous;
he would move without consideration.
John, who
was treasuring up the truths that fell from Christ’s
lips, was looked upon by Judas as a poor financier.
Matthew, whose training had taught him accuracy
in all things, was very particular in regard to honesty,
and he was ever contemplating the words of Christ,
and became so absorbed in them that, as Judas
thought, he could not be trusted to do sharp, far-
seeing business.
Thus Judas summed up all the dis
ciples, and flattered himself that the church would
often be brought into perplexity and embarrassment
if it were not for his ability as a manager.
Judas
regarded himself as the capable one, who could not
be overreached.
In his own estimation he was an
honor to the cause, and as such he always repre
sented himself.
Judas was blinded to his own weakness of char
acter, and Christ placed him where he would have
an opportunity to see and correct this.
A s treasurer
for the disciples, he was called upon to provide for
the needs of the little company, and to relieve the
necessities of the poor.
When in the Passover
chamber Jesus said to him, “ That thou doest, do
quickly,” 1 the disciples thought He had bidden him
buy what was needed for the feast, or give something
to the poor.
In ministering to others, Judas might
have developed an unselfish spirit.
But while lis
tening daily to the lessons of Christ and witnessing
His unselfish life, Judas indulged his covetous dis
position.
The small sums that came into his hands
were a continual temptation.
Often when he did a
'John 13:27.
JUDAS.
857
little service for Christ, or devoted time to religious
purposes, he paid himself out of this meager fund.
In his own eyes these pretexts served to excuse his
action; but in God’s sight he was a thief.
Christ’s oft-repeated statement that His kingdom
was not of this world offended Judas.
He had
marked out a line upon which he expected Christ to
work.
He had planned that John the Baptist should
be delivered from prison.
But lo, John was left to
be beheaded.
And Jesus, instead of asserting His
royal right and avenging the death of John, retired
with His disciples into a country place.
Judas
wanted more aggressive warfare.
He thought that
if Jesus would not prevent the disciples from carry
ing out their schemes, the work would be more suc
cessful.
He marked the increasing enmity of the
Jewish leaders, and saw their challenge unheeded
when they demanded from Christ a sign from heaven.
H is heart was open to unbelief, and the enemy sup
plied thoughts of questioning and rebellion.
Why
did Jesus dwell so much upon that which was dis
couraging?
Why did He predict trial and persecu
tion for Himself and for His disciples?
The pros
pect of having a high place in the new kingdom had
led Judas to espouse the cause of Christ.
Were his
hopes to be disappointed?
Judas had not decided
that Jesus was not the Son of God; but he was ques
tioning and seeking to find some explanation of His
mighty works.
Notwithstanding the Saviour s own teaching, Judas
was continually advancing the idea that Christ would
reign as king in Jerusalem.
A t the feeding of the
five thousand he tried to bring this about.
On this
occasion Judas assisted in distributing the food to the
hungry multitude.
He had an opportunity to see the
benefit which it was in his power to impart to others.
He felt the satisfaction that always comes in service
to God.
He helped to bring the sick and suffering
from among the multitude to Christ.
He saw what
relief, what joy and gladness, come to human hearts
through the healing power of the Restorer.
He
might have comprehended the methods of Christ.
Rut he was blinded
by his own selfish desires.
Judas was first to take advantage of the enthusiasm
excited by the miracle of the loaves.
It was he who
set on foot the project to take Christ by force and
make Him king.
H is hopes were high.
His dis
appointment was bitter.
Christ’s discourse in the synagogue concerning
the bread of life was the turning-point in the history
of Judas.
He heard the words, “ Except ye eat the
flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye
have no life in you.” 2
He saw that Christ was offer
ing spiritual rather than worldly good.
He regarded
himself as far-sighted, and thought he could see that
Jesus would have no honor, and that He could be
stow no high position upon His followers.
He de
termined not to unite himself so closely to Christ but
that he could draw away.
He would watch.
And
he did watch.
From that time he expressed doubts that confused
the disciples.
He introduced controversies and mis
leading sentiments, repeating the arguments urged
by the scribes and Pharisees against the claims of
Christ.
All the little and large troubles and crosses,
the difficulties and the apparent hindrances to the
advancement of the gospel, Judas interpreted as evi
dences against its truthfulness.
H e would introduce
texts of Scripture that had no connection with the
2 John 6:53.
858
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
JU D A S.
859
truths Christ was presenting.
These texts, separated
from their connection, perplexed the disciples, and
increased the discouragement that was constantly
pressing upon them.
\ et all this was done by Judas
in such a way as to make it appear that he was con
scientious.
And while the disciples were searching
for evidence to confirm the words of the great
teacher, Judas would lead them almost impercep
tibly on another track.
Thus in a very religious,
and apparently wise way, he was presenting matters
in a different light from that in which Jesus had
given them, and attaching to His words a meaning
that He had not conveyed.
His suggestions were
constantly exciting an ambitious desire for temporal
pi eferment, and thus turning the
disciples
from
the important things they should have considered.
The dissension as to which of them should be great
est was generally excited by Judas.
When Jesus presented to the rich young ruler the
condition of discipleship, Judas was displeased.
He
thought that a mistake had been made.
If such men
as this ruler could be connected with the believers,
they would help sustain Christ’s cause.
If Judas
were only received as a counselor, he thought, he
could suggest many plans for the advantage of’ the
little church.
His principles and methods would
differ somewhat from Christ’s, but in these things he
thought himself wiser than Christ. '
In all that Christ said to H is disciples, there was
something with which, in heart, Judas
disagreed.
Under his influence the leaven of disaffection’ was
fast doing its work.
The disciples did not see the
real agency in all this; but Jesus saw that Satan was
communicating his attributes to Judas, and thus
opening up a channel through which to influence the
86o
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
other disciples.
This, a year before the betrayal,
Christ declared.
‘'H ave not I chosen you twelve,”
He said, “ and one of you is a devil?” 3
Y et Judas made no open opposition, nor seemed
to question the Saviour’s lessons.
He made no out
ward murmur until the time of the feast in Simon’s
house.
When M ary anointed the Saviour’s feet,
Judas manifested his covetous disposition.
At the
reproof from Jesus his very spirit seemed turned to
gall.
Wounded pride and desire for revenge broke
down the barriers, and the greed so long indulged
held him in control.
This will be the experience of
every one who persists in tampering with sin.
The
elements of depravity that are not resisted and over
come, respond to Satan’s temptation, and the soul
is led captive at his will.
But Judas was not yet wholly hardened.
Even
after he had twice pledged himself to betray the Sa
viour, there was opportunity for repentance.
At
the Passover supper Jesus proved His divinity by
revealing the traitor’s purpose.
He tenderly in
cluded Judas in the ministry to the disciples.
But
the last appeal of love was unheeded.
Then the case
of Judas was decided, and the feet that Jesus had
washed, went forth to the betrayer’s work.
Judas reasoned that if Jesus was to be crucified, the
event must come to pass.
H is own act in betraying
the Saviour would not change the result.
If Jesus
was not to die, it would only force Him to deliver
Himself.
At all events, Judas would gain something
by his treachery.
H e counted that he had made a
sharp bargain in betraying his Lord.
Judas did not, however, believe that Christ would
permit Himself to be arrested.
In betraying Him, it
3John 6:70.
JUDAS.
861
was his purpose to teach Him a lesson.
He intended
to play a part that would make the Saviour careful
thenceforth to treat him with due respect.
But
Judas knew not that he was giving Christ up to
death.
How often, as the Saviour taught in para
bles, the scribes and Pharisees had been carried away
with His striking illustrations.
How often they had
pronounced judgment against
themselves.
Often
when the truth was brought home to their hearts,
they had been filled with rage, and had taken up
stones to cast at Him ; but again and again He had
made His escape.
Since He had escaped so many
snares, thought Judas, He certainly would not allow
Himself to be taken.
Judas decided to put the matter to the test.
If
Jesus really was the Messiah, the people, for whom
H e had done so much, would rally about Him, and
would proclaim Him king.
This would forever set
tle many minds that were now in uncertainty.
Judas
would have the credit of having placed the king on
David’s throne.
And this act would secure to him
the first position, next to Christ, in the new kingdom.
The false disciple acted his part in betraying Jesus.
In the garden, when he said to the leaders of the
mob, “ Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He;
hold Him fast,” 4 he fully believed that Christ would
escape out of their hands.
Then if they should
blame him, he could say, Did I not tell you to hold
Him fast?
Judas beheld the captors of Christ, acting upon his
words, bind Him firmly, ffn amazement he saw that
the Saviour suffered Himself to be led away.
A nx
iously he followed Him from the garden to the trial
before the Jewish rulers.
At every movement he
4 Matt. 26:48.
862
THE DESIRE OF AGES,
looked for Him to surprise His enemies, by appear
ing before them as the Son of God, and setting at
naught all their plots and power.
But as hour after
hour went by, and Jesus submitted to all the abuse
heaped upon Him, a terrible fear came to the traitor
that he had sold his Master to H is death.
As the trial drew to a close, Judas could endure the
torture of his guilty conscience no longer.
Sud
denly a hoarse voice rang through the hall, sending
a thrill of terror to all hearts: He is innocent; spare
Him, O Caiaphas!
The tall form of Judas was now seen pressing
through the startled throng.
His face was pale and
haggard, and great drops of sweat stood on his fore
head.
Rushing to the throne of judgment, he threw
down before the high priest the pieces of silver that
had been the price of his Lord’s betrayal.
Eagerly
grasping the robe of Caiaphas, he implored him to
release Jesus, declaring that He had done nothing
worthy of death.
Caiaphas angrily shook him off,
but was confused, and knew not what to say.
The
perfidy of the priests was revealed.
It was evident
that they had bribed the disciple to betray his Master.
“ I have sinned,” again cried Judas, “ in that I have
betrayed the innocent blood.”
But the high priest,
regaining his self-possession, answered with scorn,
“ What is that to us?
See thou to that.” 5
The priests
had been willing to make Judas their tool; but they
despised his baseness.
When he turned to them with
confession, they spurned him.
Judas now cast himself at the feet of Jesus, ac-'
knowledging Him to be the Son of God, and en
treating Him to deliver Himself.
The Saviour did
not reproach H is betrayer.
He knew that Judas did
6 Matt. 27:4.
JUDAS.
863
not repent; his confession was forced from his guilty
soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a look
ing for of judgment, but he felt no deep, heart
breaking grief that he had betrayed the spotless Son
of God, and denied the H oly One of Israel.
Y et
Jesus spoke no word of condemnation.
He looked
pityingly upon Judas, and said, “For this hour came
I into the world.”
A murmur of surprise ran through the assembly
With amazement they beheld the forbearance of
Christ toward His betrayer.
Again there swept over
them the conviction that this man was more than
mortal.
But if He was the Son of God, they ques
tioned, why did He not free Himself from His bonds,
and triumph over His accusers?
Judas saw that his entreaties were in vain, and he
rushed from the hall exclaiming, It is too late'
It
is too late!
He felt that he could not live to see
Jesus crucified, and in despair went out and hanged
himself.
Later that same day, on the road from Pilate’s hall
to Calvary, there came an interruption to the shouts
and jeers of the wicked throng who were leading
Jesus to the place of crucifixion.
As they passed a
retired spot, they saw at the foot of a lifeless tree, the
body of Judas.
It was a most revolting sight.
His
weight had broken the cord by which he had hanged
himself .to the tree.
In falling, his body had been
horribly mangled, and dogs were now devouring it.
His remains were immediately buried out of sight;
but there was less mockery among the throng, In d
many a pale face revealed
the thoughts
within.
Retribution seemed already visiting those who were
guilty of the blood of Jesus.
IN PILATE’S JUDGMENT HALL.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN.
In the judgment-hall of Pilate, the Roman gov
ernor, Christ stands bound as a prisoner.
About
Him are the guard of soldiers, and the hall is fast
filling with spectators.
Just outside the entrance
are the judges of the Sanhedrim, priests, rulers, el
ders, and the mob.
After condemning Jesus, the council of the San
hedrim had come to Pilate to have the sentence con
firmed and executed.
But these Jewish officials
would not enter the Roman judgment-hall.
Accord
ing to their ceremonial law they would be defiled
thereby, and thus prevented from taking part in the
feast of the Passover.
In their blindness they did
not see that murderous hatred had defiled their
hearts.
They did not see that Christ was the real
Passover lamb, and that, since they had rejected
Him, the great feast had for them lost its significance.
When the Saviour was brought into the judgment-
hall, Pilate looked upon Him with no friendly eyes.
The Roman governor had been called from his bed
chamber in haste, and he determined to do his work
as quickly as possible.
He was prepared to deal
with the prisoner with magisterial severity.
As
suming his severest expression, he turned to see
This chapter is based on Matt. 27:2, 11-31; Mark 15:1-20;
Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-40; 19:1-16.
(864)
what kind of man he had to examine, that he had
been called from his repose at so early an hour.
He
knew that it must be some one whom the Jewish
authorities were anxious to have tried and punished
with haste.
Pilate looked at the men who had Jesus in charge,
and then his gaze rested searchingly on Jesus.
He
had had to deal with all kinds of criminals; but
never before had a man bearing marks of such good
ness and nobility been brought before him.
On His
face he saw no sign of guilt, no expression of fear,
no boldness or defiance.
He saw a man of calm and
dignified bearing, whose countenance bore not the
marks of a criminal, but the signature of heaven.
Christ s appearance made a favorable impression
upon Pilate.
His better nature was roused.
He
had heard of Jesus and His works.
His wife had
told him something of the wonderful deeds per
formed by the Galilean prophet, who cured the sick
and raised the deady Now this revived as a dream
in Pilate’s mind.
He recalled rumors that he had
heard from several sources.
He resolved to demand
of the Jews their charges against the prisoner.
Who is this man, and wherefore have ye brought
H im ? he said.
What accusation bring ye against
H im ?
The Jews were disconcerted.
Knowing that
they could not substantiate their charges against
Christ, they did not desire a public examination.
They answered that He was a deceiver called Jesus
of Nazareth.
Again Pilate asked, “ What accusation bring ye
against this man?”
The priests did not answer his
question, but in words that showed their irritation
they said, “ If He were not a malefactor, we would not
have delivered Him up unto thee.”
When those
IN PILATE’ S JUDGMENT HALL.
865
55
866
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
composing the Sanhedrim, the first men of the na
tion, bring to you a man they deem worthy of death,
is there need to ask for an accusation against him?
They hoped to impress Pilate with a sense of their
importance, and thus lead him to accede to their
request without going through many preliminaries.
They were eager to have their sentence ratified; for
they knew that the people who had witnessed Christ’s
marvelous works could tell a story very different
from the
fabrication they themselves were
now
rehearsing.
The priests thought that with the weak and vacil
lating Pilate they could carry through their plans
without trouble.
Before this he had signed the
death warrant hastily, condemning to death men they
knew were not worthy of death.
In his estimation
the life of a prisoner was of little account; whether
he were innocent or guilty was of no special conse
quence.
Ih e priests hoped that Pilate would now
inflict the death penalty on Jesus without giving
Him a hearing.
This they besought as a favor on
the occasion of their great national festival.
But there was something in the prisoner that held
Pilate back from this.
He dared not do it.
He
read the purpose of the priests.
He remembered
how, not long before, Jesus had raised Lazarus, a
man that had been dead four days; and he deter
mined to know, before signing the sentence of con
demnation, what were the charges against Him, and
whether they could be proved.
If your judgment is sufficient, he said, why bring
the prisoner to me?
“ Take ye Him, and judge Him
according to your law.”
Thus pressed, the priests
said they had already passed sentence upon Him,
but that they must have Pilate’s sentence to render
in p ir a t e’ s judgment h a l l.
867
their condemnation valid.
What is your sentence?
Pilate asked.
The death sentence, they answered,
but it is not lawful for us to put any man to death.
I hey asked Pilate to take their word as to Christ’s
guilt, and enforce their sentence.
They would take
the responsibility of the result
Pilate was not a just or a conscientious judge; but
weak though he was in moral power, he refused to
grant this request.
He wrould not condemn Jesus
until a charge had been brought against Him.
The priests were in a dilemma.
They saw that
they must cloak their hypocrisy under the thickest
concealment.
They must not allow it to appear that
Christ
had
been arrested on religious grounds.
Were this put forward as a reason, their proceedings
would have no weight with Pilate.
They must make
it appear that Jesus was working against the common
law; then He could be punished as a political of
fender.
Tumults and insurrection against the Ro
man government were constantly arising among the
Jews.
With these revolts the Romans had dealt
very rigorously, and they were constantly on the
watch to repress everything that could lead to an
outbreak.
Only a few days before this the Pharisees had
tried to entrap Christ with the question, “ Is it law
ful for us to give tribute unto Caesar?”
But Christ
had unveiled their hypocrisy.
The Romans who
were present had seen the utter failure of the plotters,
and their discomfiture at H is answer, “ Render there
fore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s.” 1
Now the priests thought to make it appear that on
this occasion Christ had taught what they hoped
H e would teach.
In their extremity they called
1 Luke 20:22-25.
868
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
false witnesses to their aid, ‘‘and they began to ac
cuse Him, saying, We found this fellow perverting
the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar,
saying that He Himself is Christ a king.”
Three
charges, each without foundation.
The priests knew
this, but they were willing to commit perjury could
they but secure their end.
Pilate saw through their purpose.
He did not
believe that the prisoner had plotted against the gov
ernment.
His meek and humble appearance was
altogether out of harmony with the charge.
Pilate
was convinced that a deep plot had been laid to de
stroy an innocent man who stood in the way of the
Jewish dignitaries.
Turning to Jesus he asked,
“ Art Thou the King of the Jews?”
The Saviour
answered, “ Thou sayest it.”
And as He spoke, His
countenance lighted up as if a sunbeam were shining
upon it.
When they heard His answer, Caiaphas and those
that were with him called Pilate to witness that Jesus
had admitted the crime with which He was charged.
With noisy cries, priests, scribes, and rulers de
manded that He be sentenced to death.
The cries
were taken up by the mob, and the uproar was deafen
ing.
Pilate was confused.
Seeing that Jesus made
no answer to His accusers, Pilate said to Him, “An-
swerest Thou nothing? behold how many things they
witness against
Thee.
But
Jesus yet answered
nothing.”
* Standing behind Pilate, in view of all the court,
Christ heard the abuse; but to all the false charges
against Him, He answered not a word.
His whole
bearing gave evidence of conscious innocence.
He
stood unmoved by the fury of the waves that beat
about Him.
It was as if the heavy surges of wrath,
rising higher and higher, like the waves of the bois
terous ocean, broke about Him, but did not touch
Him.
He stood silent, but His silence was elo
quence.
It was as a light shining from the inner to
the outer man.
Pilate was astonished at His bearing.
Does this
man disregard the proceedings because He does not
care to save His life? he asked himself.
As he looked
at Jesus, bearing insult and mockery without retalia
tion, he felt that He could not be as unrighteous
and unjust as were the clamoring priests.
Hoping
to gain the truth from Him and to escape the tumult
of the crowd, Pilate took JeSus aside with him, an*J
again questioned, “ Art Thou the King of the Jews?”
Jesus did not directly answer this question.
He
knew that the Holy Spirit was striving with Pilate,
and He gave him opportunity to acknowledge his
conviction.
“Sayest thou this thing of thyself,” He
asked, “or did others tell it thee of M e?”
That is,
was it the accusations of the priests, or a desire to
receive light from Christ, that prompted Pilate’s
question?
Pilate understood Christ’s meaning; but
pride arose in his heart.
He would not acknowledge
the conviction that pressed upon him.
“ Am I a
Jew?” he said.
“ Thine own nation and the chief
priests have delivered Thee unto me.
What hast
Thou done?”
Pilate’s
golden opportunity had
passed.
Yet
Jesus did not leave him without further light.
While
He did not directly answer Pilate’s question, He
plainly stated His own mission.
He gave Pilate to
understand that He was not seeking an earthlv
throne.
“ My kingdom is not of this world,” He said; “if
My kingdom were of this world, then would My
i n p i l a t e ’ s ju d g m e n t h a l l .
869
870
T H E D ESIR E OF AGES.
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the
Jews; but now is My kingdom not from hence.
Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a king
then?
Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a
king.
To this end was I born, and for this cause
came I into the world, that I should bear witness
unto the truth.
Every one that is of the truth hear-
eth My voice.”
Christ affirmed that His word was in itself a key
which would unlock the mystery to those who were
prepared to receive it.
It had a self-commending
power, and this was the secret of the spread of His
kingdom of truth.
He desired Pilate to understand
that only by receiving and appropriating truth could
his ruined nature be reconstructed.
Pilate had a desire to know the truth.
His mind
was confused.
He eagerly grasped the words of the
Saviour, and his heart was stirred with a great long
ing to know what it really was, and how he could
obtain it.
“ What is truth?” he inquired.
But he
did not wait for an answer.
The tumult outside re
called him to the interests of the hour; for the priests
were clamorous for immediate action.
Going out to
the Jews, he declared emphatically, “ I find in Him
no fault at all.”
These words from a heathen judge were a scathing
rebuke to the perfidy and falsehood of the rulers of
Israel who were . accusing
the Saviour.
As the
priests and elders heard this from Pilate, their dis
appointment and rage knew no bounds.
They had
long plotted and waited for this opportunity.
As
they saw the prospect of the release of Jesus, they
seemed ready to tear Him in pieces.
They loudly
denounced Pilate, and threatened him with the cen
sure of the Roman government.
They accused him
of refusing to condemn Jesus, who, they affirmed,
had set Himself up against Caesar.
Angry voices were now heard, declaring that the
seditious influence of Jesus was well known through
out the country.
The priests said, “ He stirreth up
the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning
from Galilee to this place.”
Pilate at this time had no thought of condemning
Jesus.
He knew that the Jews had accused Him
through hatred and prejudice.
He knew what his
duty was.
Justice demanded that Christ should be
immediately released.
But
Pilate dreaded the ill
will of the people.
Should he refuse to give Jesus
into their hands, a tumult would be raised, and this
he feared to meet.
When he heard that Christ was
from Galilee, he decided to send Him to Herod, the
ruler of that province, who was then in Jerusalem.
By this course, Pilate thought to shift the responsi
bility of the trial from himself to Herod.
He also
.thought this a good opportunity to heal an old quar
rel between himself and Herod.
And so it proved.
The two magistrates made friends over the trial of
the Saviour.
Pilate delivered Jesus again to the soldiers, and
amid the jeers and insults of the mob He was hurried
to the judgment-hall of Herod.
“ When Herod saw
Jesus, he was exceeding glad.”
He had never be
fore met the Saviour, but “ he was desirous to see
Him of a long season, because he had heard many
things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some
miracle done by Him.”
This Herod was he whose
hands were stained with the blood of John the Bap
tist.
When Herod first heard of Jesus, he was
terror-stricken, and said, “ It is John, whom I be
headed; he is risen from the dead;” “ therefore mighty
i n p i l a t e ’ s ju d g m e n t h a l l .
871
872
THE D ESIRE OF AGES.
works do show forth themselves in him.” 2
Yet
Herod desired to see Jesus.
Now there was oppor
tunity to save the life of this prophet, and the king
hoped to banish forever from his mind the memory
of that bloody head brought to him in a charger.
He also desired to have his curiosity gratified, and
thought that if Christ were given any prospect of
release, He would do anything that was asked of
Him.
A large company of the priests and elders had ac
companied Christ to Herod.
And when the Saviour
was brought in, these dignitaries, all speaking ex
citedly, urged their accusations against Him.
But
Herod paid little regard to their charges.
He com
manded silence, desiring an opportunity to question
Christ.
He ordered that the fetters of Christ should
be unloosed, at the same time charging His enemies
with roughly treating Him.
Looking with compas
sion into the serene face of the world’s Redeemer,
he read in it only wisdom and purity.
He as well
as Pilate was satisfied that Christ had been accused
through malice and envy.
Herod
questioned
Christ in many words, but
throughout the Saviour maintained a profound si
lence.
At the command of the king, the decrepit
and maimed were then called in, and Christ was
ordered to prove His claims by working a miracle.
Men say that Thou canst heal the sick, said Herod.
I am anxious to see that Thy wide-spread fame has
not been belied.
Jesus did not respond, and Herod
still continued to urge: If Thou canst work miracles
for others, work them now for Thine own good, and
it will serve Thee a good purpose.
Again he com
manded, Show us a sign that Thou hast the power
* Mark 6:16, Matt. 14:2.
with which rumor hath accredited Thee.
But Christ
was as one who heard and saw not.
The Son of
God had taken upon Himself man’s nature.
He
must do as man must do in like - circumstances.
Therefore Pie would not work a miracle to save Him
self the pain and humiliation that man must endure
when placed in a similar position.
Herod promised that if Christ would perform
some miracle in his presence, He should be released.
Christ’s accusers had seen with their own eyes the
mighty works wrought by His power.
They had
heard Him command the grave to give up its dead.
They had seen the dead come forth obedient to His
voice.
Fear seized them lest He should now work
a miracle.
Of all things they most dreaded an ex
hibition of His power.
Such a manifestation would
prove a death-blow to their plans, and would per
haps cost them their lives.
Again the priests and
rulers, in great anxiety, urged their accusations
against Him.
Raising their voices, they declared,
Pie is a traitor, a blasphemer.
He works His mir
acles through the power given Him by Beelzebub,
the prince of the devils.
The hall became a scene of
confusion, some crying one thing and some another.
Herod’s conscience was now far less sensitive than
when he had trembled with horror at the request of
Herodias for the head of John the Baptist.
For a
time he had felt the keen stings of remorse for his
terrible act; but his moral perceptions had become
more and more degraded by his licentious life.
Now
his heart had become so hardened that he could
even boast of the punishment he had afflicted upon
John for daring to reprove him.
And he now threat
ened Jesus, declaring repeatedly that he had power
to release or to condemn Him.
But no sign from
Jesus gave evidence that He heard a word.
in p i l a t e ’ s ju d g m e n t h a l l .
873
874
T H E
d e s i r e of a g e s .
Herod was irritated by this silence.
It seemed to
indicate utter indifference to his authority.
To the
vain and pompous king, open rebuke would have
been less offensive than to be thus ignored.
Again
he angrily threatened Jesus, who still remained un
moved and silent.
The mission of Christ in this world was not to
gratify idle curiosity.
He came to heal the broken-
hearted.
Could He have spoken any word to heal
the bruises of sin-sick souls, He would not have kept
silent.
But He had no words for those who would
but trample the truth under their unholy feet.
Christ might have spoken words to Herod that
would have pierced the ears of the hardened king.
He might have stricken him with fear and trem
bling by laying before him the full iniquity of his
life, and the horror of his approaching doom.
But
Christ’s silence was the severest rebuke that He
could have given.
Herod had rejected the truth
spoken to him by the greatest of the prophets, and
no other message was he to receive.
Not a word
had the Majesty of Heaven for him.
That ear that
had ever been open to human woe, had no room for
Herod’s commands.
Those eyes that had ever rested
upon the penitent sinner in pitying, forgiving love,
had no look to bestow upon Herod.
Those lips
that had uttered the most impressive truth, that in
tones of tencerest entreaty had pleaded with the most
sinful and the most degraded, were closed to the
haughty king who felt no need of a Saviour.
Herod’s face grew dark with passion.
Turning
to the multitude, he angrily denounced Jesus as an
impostor.
Then to Christ he said, If you will give
no evidence of your claim, I will deliver you up to
the soldiers and the people.
They may succeed in
i n
p i l a t e ’ s j u d g m e n t
h a l l .
875
making you speak.
If you are an impostor, death
at their hands is only what you merit; if you are the
Son of God, save yourself by working a miracle.
No sooner were these words spoken, than a rush
was made for Christ
Like wild beasts, the crowd
darted upon their prey.
Jesus was dragged this way
and that, Herod joining the mob in seeking to hu
miliate the Son of God.
Had not the Roman sol
diers interposed, and forced
back the maddened
throng, the Saviour would have been torn in pieces.
“ Herod with his men of war set Him at naught,
and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous
robe.”
The Roman soldiers joined in this abuse.
All that these wicked, corrupt soldiers, helped on by
Herod and the Jewish dignitaries, could instigate,
was heaped upon the Saviour.
Yet His divine pa
tience failed not.
Christ’s persecutors had tried to measure His char
acter by their own; they had represented Him as vile
as themselves.
But back of all the present appear
ance another scene intruded itself,— a scene which
they will one day see in all its glory. There were some
who trembled in Christ’s presence.
While the rude
throng were bowing in mockery before Him, some
who came forward for that purpose turned back,
afraid and silenced.
Herod was convicted.
The
last rays of merciful light were shining upon his sin-
hardened heart.
He felt that this was no common
man; for divinity had flashed through
humanity.
At the very time when Christ was encompassed by
mockers, adulterers, and murderers, Herod felt that
he was beholding a God upon His throne.
Hardened as he was, Herod dared not ratify the
condemnation of Christ.
He wished to relieve him
self of the terrible responsibility, and he sent jesus
back to the Roman judgment-hall.
876
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
Pilate was disappointed
and
much
displeased.
When the Jews returned with their prisoner, he asked
impatiently what they would have him do.
He re
minded them that he had already examined Jesus,
and found no fault in Him; he told them that they
had brought complaints against Him, but they had
not been able to prove a single charge.
He had sent
Jesus to Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, and one of
their own nation, but he also had found in Him
nothing worthy of death. • ‘‘I will therefore chastise
Him,” Pilate said, “ and release Him.”
Here Pilate showed his weakness.
He had de
clared that Jesus was innocent, yet he was willing
for Him to be scourged to pacify His accusers.
He
would sacrifice justice and principle, in order to
compromise with the mob.
This placed him at a
disadvantage.
The crowd presumed upon his in
decision, and clamored the more for the life of the
prisoner.
If at the first Pilate had stood firm, refus
ing to condemn a man whom he found guiltless, he
would have broken the fatal chain that was to bind
him in remorse and guilt as long as he lived.
Had
he carried out his convictions of right, the Jews
would not have presumed to dictate to him.
Christ
would have been put to death, but the guilt would
not have rested upon Pilate.
But Pilate had taken
step after step in the violation of his conscience.
He
had excused himself from judging with justice and
equity, and he now found himself almost helpless in
the hands of the priests and rulers.
His wavering
and indecision proved his ruin.
Even now Pilate was not left to act blindly.
A
message from God warned him from the deed he was
about to commit.
In answer to Christ’s prayer, the
wife of Pilate had been visited by an angel from
heaven, and in a dream she had beheld the Saviour
and conversed with Him.
Pilate’s wife was not a
Jew, but as she looked upon Jesus in her dream, she
had no doubt of His character or mission.
She
knew Him to be the Prince of God.
She saw Him
on trial in the judgment-hall.
She saw the hands
tightly bound as the hands of a criminal.
She saw
Herod and his soldiers doing their dreadful work.
She heard the priests and rulers, filled with envy
and malice, madly accusing.
She heard the words,
“ We have a law, and by our law He ought to die.”
She saw Pilate give Jesus to the scourging, after he
had declared, “ I find no fault in Him.”
She heard
the condemnation pronounced by Pilate, and saw
him give Christ up to His murderers.
She saw
the cross uplifted on Calvary.
She saw the earth
wrapped in darkness, and heard the mysterious cry,
“ It is finished.”
Still another scene met her gaze.
She saw Christ seated upon the great white cloud,
while the earth reeled in space, and His murderers
fled from the presence of His glory.
With a cry of
horror she awoke, and at once wrote to Pilate words
of warning.
While Pilate was hesitating as to what he should
do, a messenger pressed through the crowd, and
handed him the letter from his wife, which read,—
“ Have tliou nothing to do with that just man; for
I have suffered many things this day in a dream
because of Him.”
Pilate’s face grew pale.
Pie was confused by his
own conflicting emotions.
But while he had been de
laying to act, the priests and rulers were still further
inflaming the minds of the people.
Pilate was forced
to action.
He now bethought himself of a custom
which might serve to secure Christ’s release.
It
IN PILA T E ’ S JUDGMENT H ALL.
877
878
THE D ESIR E OF AGES.
was customary at this feast to release some one pris
oner whom the people might choose.
This cusiom
was of pagan invention; there was not a shadow of
justice in it, but it was greatly prized by the Jews.
The Roman authorities at this time held a prisoner
named Barabbas, who was under sentence of death.
This man had claimed to be the Messiah.
He claimed
authority to establish a different order of things, to
set the world right.
Under Satanic delusion he
claimed that whatever he could obtain by theft and
robbery was his own.
He had done wonderful
things through Satanic agencies, he had gained a
following among the people, and had excited sedi
tion against the Roman government.
Under cover
of religious enthusiasm he was a hardened and des
perate villain, bent on rebellion and cruelty.
By
giving the people a choice between this man and the
innocent Saviour, Pilate thought to arouse them to a
sense of justice.
He hoped to gain their sympathy
for Jesus in opposition to the priests and rulers.
So,
turning to the crowd, he said with great earnestness,
“ Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas,
or Jesus which is called Christ?”
Like the bellowing of wild beasts came the answer
of the mob, Release unto us Barabbas.
Louder and
louder swelled the cry, Barabbas! Barabbas!
Think
ing that the people had not understood his question,
Pilate asked, “ Will ye that I release unto you the
King of
the jew s?”
But they cried out again,
“ Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas!”
“What shall I do then with Jesus which is called
Christ?” Pilate asked.
Again the surging multi
tude roared like demons.
Demons themselves, in
human form, were in the crowd, and what could be
expected but the answer, “ Let Him be crucified” ?
Pilate was troubled.
He had not thought it would
come to that.
He shrank from delivering an inno
cent man to the most ignominious and cruel death
that could be inflicted.
After the roar of voices had
ceased, he turned to the people, saying, “ Why, what
evil hath He done?”
But the case"had gone too far
for argument.
It was not evidence of Christ’s inno
cence that they wanted, but His condemnation.
Still Pilate endeavored to save Him.
“He said
unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath He
done?
I have found no cause of death in Him.
I
will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go.”
But
the very mention of Plis release stirred the people to
a tenfold frenzy.
“ Crucify Him, crucify Him,” they
cried.
Louder and louder swelled the storm that
Pilate’s indecision had called forth.
Jesus was taken, faint with weariness and covered
with wounds, and scourged in the sight of the multi
tude.
“ And the soldiers led Him into the hall, called
Praetorium, and they call together the whole band.
And they clothed Him with purple, and platted a
crown of thorns, and put it about His head, and be
gan to salute Him, Hail, King of the Jews.
And
they
. . .
did spit upon Him, and bowing their
knees worshiped Him.”
Occasionally some wicked
hand snatched the reed that had been placed in His
hand, and struck the crown upon His brow, forcing
the thorns into His temples, and sending the blood
trickling down His face and beard.
Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, O earth!
Behold the oppressor and the oppressed.
A mad
dened throng enclose the Saviour of the world.
Mocking and jeering are mingled with the coarse
oaths of blasphemy.
His lowly birth and humble
life are commented upon by the unfeeling mob.
His
i n p i l a t e ’ s ju d g m e n t h a l l .
879
88o
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
claim to be the Son of God is ridiculed, and the vulgar
jest and insulting sneer are passed from lip to lip.
Satan led the cruel mob in its abuse of the Saviour.
It was his purpose to provoke Him to retaliation if
possible, or to drive Him to perform a miracle to re
lease Himself, and thus break up the plan of salva
tion.
One stain upon His human life, one failure of
His humanity to endure the terrible test, and the
Lamb of God would have been an imperfect offer
ing, and the redemption of man a failure.
But He
who by a command could bring the heavenly host to
His aid,— He who could have driven that mob in ter
ror from His sight by the flashing forth of His divine
majesty,— submitted with perfect calmness to the
coarsest insult and outrage.
Christ’s enemies had demanded a miracle as evi
dence of His divinity.
They had evidence far greater
than any they had sought.
As their cruelty degraded
His torturers below humanity into the likeness of
Satan, so did His meekness and patience exalt Jesus
above humanity, and prove His kinship to God.
His abasement was the pledge of His exaltation.
The blood-drops of agony that from His wounded
temples flowed down His face and beard were the
pledge of His anointing with “ the oil of gladness”3
as our great high priest.
Satan’s rage was great as he saw that all the abuse
inflicted upon the Saviour had not forced the least
murmur from His lips.
Although He had taken
upon Him the nature of man, He was sustained by a
Godlike fortitude, and departed in no particular from
the will of His Father.
When Pilate gave Jesus up to be scourged and
mocked, he thought to excite the pity of the multi-
3 Heb. 1:9.
tude.
He hoped they would decide that this was
sufficient
punishment.
Even
the malice of
the
priests, he thought, would now be satisfied.
But
with keen perception the Jews saw the weakness of
thus punishing a man who had been declared inno
cent.
they knew that Pilate was trying to save the
life of the prisoner, and they were determined that
Jesus should not be released.
To please and satisfy
us, Pilate has scourged Him, they thought, and if we
press the matter to a decided issue, we shall surely
gain our end.
Pilate now sent for Barabbas to be brought into
the court.
He then presented the two prisoners side
by side, and pointing to the Saviour he said in a
voice of solemn entreaty, “ Behold the man.”
“ I
bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that I
find no fault in Him.”
There stood the Son of God, wearing the robe of
mockery and the crown of thorns.
Stripped to the
waist, His back showed the long cruel stripes, from
which the blood flowed freely.
His face was stained
with blood, and bore the marks of exhaustion and
pain; but never had it appeared more beautiful than
now.
The Saviour’s visage was not marred before
His enemies.
Every feature expressed gentleness
and resignation and the tenderest pity for His cruel
foes.
In His manner there was no cowardly weak
ness, but the strength and dignity of longsuffering.
In striking contrast was the prisoner at His side.
Every line of the countenance of Barabbas pro
claimed him the hardened ruffian that he was.
The
contrast spoke to every beholder.
Some of the spec
tators were weeping.
As they looked upon Jesus,
their hearts were full of sympathy.
Even the priests
and rulers were convicted that He was all that He
claimed to be.
56
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. 8 8 1
882
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The Roman soldiers that surrounded Christ were
not all hardened; some were looking earnestly into
His face for one evidence that He was a criminal or
dangerous character.
From time to time they would
turn and cast a look of contempt upon Barabbas.
It needed no deep insight to read him through
and through.
Again they would turn to the One
upon trial.
They looked at the divine sufferer with
feelings of deep pity.
The silent submission of
Christ stamped upon their minds the scene, never to
be effaced until they either acknowledged Him as the
Christ, or by rejecting Him decided their own
destiny.
Pilate was filled with amazement at the uncom
plaining patience of the Saviour.
He did not doubt
that the sight of this man, in contrast with Barabbas,
would move the Jews to sympathy.
But he did not
understand the fanatical hatred of the priests for
Him, who, as the light of the world, had made mani
fest their darkness and error.
They had moved the
mob to a mad fury, and again priests, rulers, and
people raised that awful cry, “ Crucify Him! crucify
Him!”
At last, losing all patience with their un
reasoning cruelty, Pilate
cried out
despairingly,
“ Take ye Him, and crucify Him; for I find no fault
in Him.”
The Roman governor, though familiar with cruel
scenes, was moved with sympathy for the suffering
prisoner, who, condemned and scourged, with bleed
ing brow and lacerated back, still had the bearing of
a king upon his throne.
But the priests declared,
“We have a law, and by our law He ought to die,
because He made Himself the Son of God.”
Pilate was startled.
He had no correct idea of
Christ and His mission; but he had an indistinct
faith in God and in beings superior to humanity.
A
thought that had once before passed through his
mind now took more definite shape.
He questioned
whether it might not be a divine being that stood
before him, clad in the purple robe of mockery, and
crowned with thorns.
Again he went into the judgment-hall, and said to
Jesus, “ Whence art Thou?”
But Jesus gave him no
answer.
The Saviour had spoken freely to Pilate,
explaining Plis own mission as a witness to the truth.
Pilate had disregarded the light.
He had abused
the high office of judge by yielding his principles
and authority to the demands of the mob.
Jesus
had no further light for him.
Vexed at His silence,
Pilate said haughtily:—
“ Speakest Thou not unto me? knowest Thou not
that I have power to crucify Thee, and have power
to release Thee?”
Jesus answered, “Thou couldst have no power at
all against Me, except it were given thee from above;
therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath the
greater sin.”
Thus the pitying Saviour, in the midst of His in
tense suffering and grief, excused as far as possible
the act of the Roman governor who gave Him up to
be crucified.
What a scene was this to hand down
to the world for all time!
What a light it sheds upon
the character of Him who is the Judge of all the
earth!
“ He that delivered Me unto thee,” said Jesus,
“ hath the greater sin.”
By this Christ meant Cai-
aphas, who, as high priest, represented the Jewish
nation.
They knew the principles that controlled the
Roman authorities.
They had had light in the
prophecies that testified of Christ, and in His own
IN PILA TE’ S JUDGMENT H ALL.
883
88 4
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
teachings and miracles.
The Jewish judges had re
ceived unmistakable evidence of the divinity of Him
whom they condemned to death.
And according to
their light would they be judged.
The greatest guilt and heaviest responsibility be
longed to those who stood in the highest places in the
nation, the depositaries of sacred trusts that they
were basely betraying.
Pilate, Herod, and the Ro
man soldiers were comparatively ignorant of Jesus.
They thought to please the priests and rulers by
abusing Him.
They had not the light which the
Jewish nation had so abundantly received.
Had the
light been given to the soldiers, they would not have
treated Christ as cruelly as they did.
Again Pilate proposed to release the Saviour.
“ But the Jews cried out saying, If thou let this man
go, thou art not Caesar’s friend.”
Thus these hypo
crites pretended to be jealous for the authority of
Caesar.
Of all the opponents of the Roman rule, the
Jews were most bitter.
When it was safe for them
to do so, they were most tyrannical in enforcing their
own national and religious requirements; but when
they desired to bring about some purpose of cruelty,
they exalted the power of Caesar.
T o accomplish
the destruction of Christ, they would profess loyalty
to the foreign rule which they hated.
“ Whosoever maketh himself a king,” they con
tinued, “ speaketh against Caesar.”
This was touch
ing Pilate in a weak point.
He was under sus
picion by the Roman government, and he knew that
such a report would be ruin to him.
He knew that
if the Jews were thwarted, their rage would be turned
against him.
They would leave nothing undone to
accomplish their revenge.
He had before him an
example of the persistence with which they sought
the life of One whom they hated without reason.
Pilate then took his place on the judgment-seat,
and again presented Jesus to the people, saying,
“ Behold your King.”
Again the mad cry was heard,
“ Away with Him! crucify Him!”
In a voice that
was heard far and near, Pilate asked, “ Shall I crucify
your King?”
But from profane, blasphemous lips
w^ent forth the wrords, “ We have no king but Caesar.”
Thus by choosing a heathen ruler, the Jewish na
tion had withdrawn from the theocracy.
They had
rejected God as their king.
Henceforth they had no
deliverer.
They had no king but Caesar.
To this
the priests and teachers had led the people.
For
this, with the fearful results that followed, they were
responsible.
A nation’s sin and a nation’s ruin were
due to the religious leaders.
“ When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing,
but that rather a tumult was made, he took water,
and washed his hands before the multitude, saying,
I am innocent of the blood of this just person; see
ye to it.”
In fear and self-condemnation Pilate
looked upon the Saviour.
In the vast sea of up
turned faces, Plis alone was peaceful.
About His
head a soft light seemed to shine.
Pilate said in his
heart, He is a God.
Turning to the multitude he de
clared, I am clear of His blood.
Take ye Him, and
crucify Him.
But mark ye, priests and rulers, I
pronounce Him a just man.
May He whom He
claims as His Father judge you and not me for this
day’s work.
Then to Jesus he said, Forgive me for
this act; I cannot save you.
And when he had again
scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
Pilate longed to deliver Jesus.
But he saw that
he could not do this, and yet retain his own position
and honor.
Rather than lose his worldly power, he
chose to sacrifice an innocent life.
How many, to
IN PILA TE’ S JUDGMENT H A LL.
885
886
TH E D ESIR E OF AGES.
escape loss or suffering, in like manner sacrifice prin
ciple.
Conscience and duty point one way, and self-
interest points another.
The current sets strongly
in the wrong direction, and he who compromises with
evil is swept away into the thick darkness of guilt.
Pilate yielded to the demands of the mob.
Rather
than risk losing his position, he delivered Jesus up to
be crucified.
But in spite of his precautions, the
very thing he dreaded afterward came upon him.
His honors were stripped from him, he was cast
down from his high office, and, stung by remorse and
wounded pride, not long after the crucifixion he
ended his own life.
So all who compromise with
sin will gain only sorrow and ruin.
“There is a
way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death.”4
When Pilate declared himself innocent of the blood
of Christ, Caiaphas answered defiantly, “ His blood
be on us, and on our children.”
The awful words
were taken up by the priests and rulers, and echoed
by the crowd in an inhuman roar of voices.
The
whole multitude answered and said, “ His blood be
on us, and on our children.”
The
people of
Israel had made their choice.
Pointing to Jesus they had said, “ Not this man, but
Barabbas."
Barabbas, the robber and murderer, was
the representative of Satan.
Christ was the repre
sentative of God.
Christ had been rejected; Barab
bas, had been chosen.
Barabbas they were to have.
In making this choice they accepted him who from
the beginning was a liar and a murderer.
Satan
was their, leader.
As a nation they would act out his
dictation.
His works they would do.
His rule they
must endure.
That people who chose Barabbas in
‘ Prov. 14:12.
the place of Christ were to feel the cruelty of Barab
bas as long as time should last
Looking upon the smitten Lamb of God, the Jews
had cried, “ His blood be on us, and on our children.
That awful cry ascended to the throne of God.
That
sentence, pronounced upon themselves, was written
in heaven.
That prayer was heard.
The blood of
the Son of God was upon their children and their
children’s children, a perpetual curse.
Terribly was it realized in the destruction of Jeru
salem.
Terribly has it been manifested in the condi
tion of the Jewish nation for eighteen hundred years,
__a branch severed from the vine, a dead, fruitless
branch, to be gathered up and burned.
From land
to land throughout the world, from century to cen
tury, dead, dead in trespasses and sin!
Terribly will that prayer be fulfilled in the great
Judgment day.
When Christ shall come to the earth
again, not as a prisoner surrounded by a rabble will
men see Him.
They will see Him then as heaven’s
King.
Christ will come in His own glory, in the
glory of His Father, and the glory of the holy angels.
Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands of angels, the beautiful and triumphant
sons of God, possessing surpassing loveliness and
glory, will escort Him on His way.
Then shall He
sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him
shall be gathered all nations. Then every eye shall
see Him, and they also that pierced Him.
In the -
place of a crown of thorns, He will wear a crown of
glory,— a crown within a crown.
In place of that
old purple kingly robe, He will be clothed in raiment
of whitest white, “ so as no fuller on earth can white
them.” 5
And on Flis vesture and on His thigh a
5 Mark 9:3.
in p i l a t e ’ s ju d g m e n t h a l l .
887
888
TH E D ESIRE OF AGES.
name will be written, “ King of kings, and Lord of
lords.” 9
Those who mocked and smote Him will be
there.
The priests and rulers will behold again the
scene in the judgment-hall.
Every circumstance will
appear before them, as if written in letters of fire.
Then those who prayed, “ His blood be on us, and on
our children,” will receive the answer to their prayer.
Then the whole world will know and understand.
They will realize who and what they, poor, feeble
finite beings have been warring against.
In awful
agony and horror they will cry to the mountains and
rocks, “ Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him
that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the
Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come, and
who shall be able to stand?” 7
6 Rev. 19:16.
7 Rev. 6:16, 17.
CALVARY.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT.
“ And when they were come to the place, which is
called Calvary, there they crucified Him.”
“ That He might sanctify the people with His own
blood,” Christ “suffered without the gate.” 1
For
transgression of the law of God, Adam and Eve were
banished from Eden.
Christ, our substitute, was to
suffer without the boundaries of Jerusalem.
He died
outside the gate, where felons and murderers were
executed.
Full of significance are the words, “ Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us.”2
A vast multitude followed Jesus from the judg
ment-hall to Calvary.
The news of His condemna
tion had spread throughout Jerusalem, and people
of all classes and all ranks flocked toward the place
of crucifixion.
The priests and rulers had been
bound by a promise not to molest Christ’s followers
if He Himself were delivered to them, and the dis
ciples and believers from the city and the surrounding
region joined the throng that followed the Saviour.
As Jesus passed the gate of Pilate’s court, the
cross which had been prepared for Barabbas was
laid upon His bruised and bleeding shoulders.
Two
This chapter is based on Matt. 27:31-53; Mark 15:20-38;
Luke 23:26-46; John 19:16-30.
7Heb. 13:12.
3 Gal. 3:13.
(889)
companions of Barabbas were to suffer death at the
same time with Jesus, and upon them also crosses
were placed.
The Saviour’s burden was too heavy
for Him in His weak and suffering condition.
Since
the Passover supper with His disciples, he had taken
neither food nor drink.
He had agonized in the gar
den of Gethsemane in conflict with Satanic agencies.
He had endured the anguish of the betrayal, and had
seen His disciples forsake Him and flee.
He had
been taken to Annas, then to Caiaphas, and then to
Pilate.
From Pilate He had been sent to Herod,
then sent again to Pilate.
From insult to renewed
insult, from mockery to mockery, twice tortured by
the scourge,— all that night there had been scene
after scene of a character to try the soul of man to
the uttermost.
Christ
had
not failed.
He had
spoken no word but that tended to glorify God.
All
through the disgraceful farce of a trial He had borne
Himself with firmness and dignity.
But when after
the second scourging the cross was laid upon Him,
human nature could bear no more.
He fell fainting
beneath the burden.
The crowd that followed the Saviour saw His weak
and staggering steps, but they manifested no com
passion.
They taunted and reviled Him because He
could not carry the heavy cross.
Again the burden
was laid upon Him, and again He fell fainting to the
ground.
His persecutors saw that it was impossible
for Him to carry His burden farther.
They were
puzzled to find any one who would bear the humili
ating load.
The Jews themselves could not do this,
because the defilement would prevent them from
keeping the Passover.
None even of the mob that
followed Him would stoop to bear the cross.
At this time a stranger, Simon a Cyrenian, com
89O
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
CALVARY.
891
ing in from the country, meets the throng.
He hears
the taunts and ribaldry of the crowd; he hears the
words contemptuously repeated, Make way for the
King of the Jews.
He stops in astonishment at the
scene; and as he expresses his compassion, they seize
him and place the cross upon his shoulders.
Simon had heard of Jesus.
His sons were be
lievers in the Saviour, but he himself was not a dis
ciple.
The bearing of the cross to Calvary was a
blessing to Simon, and he was ever after grateful for
this providence.
It led him to take upon himself the
cross of Christ from choice, and ever cheerfully stand
beneath its burden.
Not a few women are in the crowd that follow the
Uncondemned to His cruel death.
Their attention
is fixed upon Jesus.
Some of them have seen Him
before.
Some have carried to Him their sick and
suffering ones.
Some have themselves been healed.
The story of the scenes that have taken place is re
lated.
They wonder at the hatred of the crowd
toward Him for whom their own hearts are melting
and ready to break.
And notwithstanding the action
of the maddened throng, and the angry words of the
priests and rulers, these women give expression to
their sympathy.
As Jesus falls fainting beneath the
cross, they break forth into mournful wailing.
This was the only thing that attracted Christ’s at
tention.
Although full of suffering, while bearing
the sins of the world, He was not indifferent to the
expression of grief.
He looked upon these women
with tender compassion.
They were not believers
in Him; He knew that they were not lamenting
Him as one sent from God, but were moved by feel
ings of human pity.
He did not despise their sym
pathy, but it awakened in His heart a deeper sym-
pathy for them.
“ Daughters of Jerusalem,” He
said, “ weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and
for your children.”
From the scene before Him,
Christ looked forward to the time of Jerusalem’s
destruction.
In that terrible scene, many of those
who were now weeping for Him, were to perish with
their children.
From the fall of Jerusalem the thoughts of Jesus
passed to a wider judgment.
In the destruction of
the impenitent city He saw a symbol of the final de
struction to come upon the world.
He said, “Then
shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us;
and to the hills, Cover us.
For if they do these
things in a green tree, what shall be done in the
dry?”
By the green tree, Jesus represented Him
self, the innocent Redeemer.
God suffered His
wrath against transgression to fall on His beloved
Son.
Jesus was to be crucified for the sins of men.
What suffering, then, would the sinner bear who con
tinued in sin?
All the impenitent and unbelieving
would know a sorrow and misery that language
would fail to express.
Of the multitude that followed the Saviour to Cal
vary, many had attended Him with joyful hosannas
and the waving of palm branches, as He rode tri
umphantly into Jerusalem.
But not a few who had
then shouted His praise because it was popular to
do so, now swelled the cry of “ Crucify Him! crucify
Him!”
When Christ rode into Jerusalem, the hopes
of the disciples had been raised to the highest pitch.
They had pressed close about their Master, feeling
that it was a high honor to be connected with Him.
Now in His humiliation they followed Him at a dis
tance.
They were filled with grief, and bowed down
with disappointed hopes.
How were the words of
892
t h e d e s i r e o f a g e s .
CALVARY.
893
Jesus verified: “All ye shall be offended because of
Me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shep
herd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered
abroad.” 3
Arriving at the place of execution, the prisoners
were bound to the instruments of torture.
The two
thieves wrestled in the hands of those who placed
them on the cross; but Jesus made no resistance.
The mother of Jesus, supported by John the beloved
disciple, had followed the steps of her Son to Cal
vary.
She had seen Him fainting under the burden
of the cross, and had longed to place a supporting
hand beneath His wounded head, and to bathe that
brow which had once been pillowed upon her bosom.
But she was not permitted this mournful privilege.
With the disciples she still cherished the hope that
Jesus would manifest His power, and deliver Him
self from His enemies.
Again her heart would sink
as she recalled the words in which He had foretold
the very scenes that were then taking place.
As
the thieves were bound to the cross, she looked on
with agonizing suspense.
Would He who had given
life to the dead, suffer Himself to be crucified?
Would the Son of God suffer Himself to be thus
cruelly slain?
Must she give up her faith that Jesus
was the Messiah?
Must she witness His shame and
sorrow, without even the privilege of ministering to
Him in His distress?
She saw His hands stretched
upon the cross; the hammer and the nails were
brought, and as the spikes were driven through the
tender flesh, the heart-stricken disciples bore away
from the cruel scene the fainting form of the mother
of Jesus.
The Saviour made no murmur of complaint.
His
3 Matt. 26:31.
894
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
face remained calm and serene, but great drops of
sweat stood upon His brow.
There was no pitying
hand to wipe the death-dew from His face, nor words
of sympathy and unchanging fidelity to stay His
human heart.
While the soldiers were doing their
fearful work, Jesus prayed for His enemies, “ Father,
forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
His mind passed from His own suffering to the sin
of His persecutors, and the terrible retribution that
would be theirs.
No curses were called down upon
the soldiers who were handling Him so roughly.
No vengeance was invoked upon the priests and
rulers, who were gloating over the accomplishment
of their purpose.
Christ pitied them in their igno
rance and guilt.
He breathed only a plea for their
forgiveness,—“for they know not what they do.0
Had they known that they were putting to torture
One who had come to save the sinful race from
eternal ruin, they would have been seized with re
morse and horror.
But their ignorance did not re
move their guilt; for it was their privilege to know
and accept Jesus as their Saviour.
Some of them
would yet see their sin, and repent, and be converted.
Some by their impenitence would make it an im
possibility for the prayer of Christ to be answered for
them.
Yet just the same God’s purpose was reach
ing its fulfilment.
Jesus was earning the right to
become the advocate of men in the Father’s presence.
That prayer of Christ for Flis enemies embraced
the world.
It took in every sinner that had lived or
should live, from the beginning of the world to the
end of time.
Upon all rests the guilt of crucifying
the Son of God.
To all, forgiveness is freely offered.
“ Whosoever will” may have peace with God, and in
herit eternal life.
CALVARY.
895
As soon as Jesus was nailed to the cross, it was
lifted by strong men, and with great violence thrust
into the place prepared for it.
This caused the most
intense agony to the Son of God.
Pilate then wrote
an inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and
placed it upon the cross, above the head of Jesus.
It read, “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.”
This inscription irritated the Jews.
In Pilate’s court
they had cried “ Crucify Him!”
“We have no king
but Caesar.” 4
They had declared
that whoever
should acknowledge any other king was a traitor.
Pilate wrote out the sentiment they had expressed.
No offense was mentioned, except that Jesus was the
King of the Jews.
The inscription was a virtual
acknowledgment of the allegiance of the Jews to the
Roman power.
It declared that whoever might
claim to be the King of Israel, would be judged by
them worthy of death.
The priests had overreached
themselves.
When they were plotting the death of
Christ; Caiaphas had declared it expedient that one
man should die to save the nation.
Now their hy
pocrisy was revealed.
In order to destroy Christ,
they had been ready to sacrifice even their national
existence.
The priests saw what they had done, and asked
Pilate to change the inscription.
They said, “ Write
not, The King of the Jews; but that H e said, I am
King of the Jews.”
But Pilate was angry with him
self because of his former weakness, and he thor-
oughly despised the jealous and artful priests and
rulers.
He replied coldly, “What I have written I
have written.”
A higher power than Pilate or the Jews had di
rected the placing of that inscription above the head
4 John 19:15.
896
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S .
of Jesus.
In the providence of God it was to awaken
thought, and investigation of the Scriptures.
The
place where Christ was crucified was near to the city.
Thousands of people from all lands were then at
Jerusalem, and the inscription declaring Jesus of
Nazareth the Messiah would come to their notice.
It was a living truth, transcribed by a hand that God
had guided.
In the sufferings of Christ upon the cross, prophecy
was fulfilled.
Centuries before the crucifixion, the
Saviour had foretold the treatment He was to re
ceive.
He said, “ Dogs have compassed Me: the
assembly of the wicked have enclosed Me; they
pierced My hands and My feet.
I may tell all My
bones; they look and stare upon Me.
They part My
garments among them, and cast lots upon My ves
ture.” 5
The prophecy concerning His garments was
carried out without counsel or interference from the
friends or the enemies of the Crucified One.
To the
soldiers who had placed Him upon the cross, His
clothing was given.
Christ heard the men’s conten
tion as they parted the garments among them.
His
tunic was woven throughout without seam, and they
said, “ Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it
shall be.”
In another prophecy the Saviour declared, “ Re
proach hath broken My heart; and I am full of
heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but
there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave Me also gall for My meat; and in My
thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.” 6
To those
who suffered death by the cross, it was permitted tc
give a stupefying potion, to deaden the sense of pain.
This was offered to Jesus; but when He had tasted it.
6 Ps. 22:16-18.
6 Ps. 69:20, 21.
C A L V A R Y .
897
He refused it.
He would receive nothing that could
becloud His mind.
His faith must keep fast hold
upon God.
This was His only strength.
To be
cloud His senses would give Satan an advantage.
The enemies of Jesus vented their rage upon Him
as He hung upon the cross.
Priests, rulers, and
scribes joined with the mob in mocking the dying
Saviour.
At the baptism and at the transfiguration
the voice of God had been heard proclaiming Christ
as His Son.
Again, just before Christ’s betrayal,
the Father had spoken, witnessing to His divinity.
But now the voice from heaven was silent.
No tes
timony in Christ’s favor was heard.
Alone He suf
fered abuse and mockery from wicked men.
“ If Thou be the Son of God,” they said, “come
down from the cross.”
“ Let Him save Himself, if
He be Christ, the chosen of God.”
In the wilder
ness of temptation Satan had declared, “ If Thou be
the Son of God, command that these stones be made
bread.”
“ If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself
down” from the pinnacle of the temple.7
And Satan
with his angels, in human form, was present at the
cross.
The archfiend and his hosts were co-operating
with the priests and rulers.
The teachers of the
people had stimulated the ignorant mob to pronounce
judgment against One upon whom many of them
had never looked, until urged to bear testimony
against Him.
Priests, rulers, Pharisees, and the
hardened rabble were confederated together in a
Satanic frenzy.
Religious rulers united with Satan
and his angels.
They were doing his bidding.
Jesus, suffering and dying, heard every word as
the priests declared, “ He saved others; Himself He
cannot save.
Let Christ the King of Israel descend
7 Matt. 4:3, 6.
57
8 98
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
Christ could have come down from the cross.
But
it is because He would not save Himself that the
sinner has hope of pardon and favor with God.
In their mockery of the Saviour, the men who pro
fessed to be the expounders of prophecy were repeat
ing the very words which inspiration had foretold
they would utter upon this occasion.
Yet in their
blindness they did not see that they were fulfilling the
prophecy.
Those who in derision uttered the words,
“ He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if
He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of
God,” little thought that their testimony would sound
down the ages.
But although spoken in mockery,
these words led men to search the Scriptures as they
had never done before.
Wise men heard, searched,
pondered, and prayed.
There were those who never
rested until, by comparing scripture with scripture,
they saw the meaning of Christ’s mission.
Never
before was there such a general knowledge of Jesus
as when He hung upon the cross.
Into the hearts
of many who beheld the crucifixion scene, 'and who
heard Christ’s words, the light of truth was shining.
To Jesus in His agony on the cross there came one
gleam of comfort.
It was the prayer of the penitent
thief.
Both the men who were crucified with Jesus
had at first railed upon Him; and one under his suf
fering, only became more desperate and defiant.
But
not so with his companion.
This man was not a
hardened criminal; he had been led astray by evil
associations, but he was less guilty than many of
those who stood beside the cross reviling the Sa
viour.
He had seen and heard Jesus, and had been
convicted by His teaching, but he had been turned
away from Him by the priests and rulers.
Seeking
CALVARY.
8 99
to stifle conviction, he had plunged deeper and deeper
into sin, until he was arrested, tried as a criminal,
and condemned to die on the cross.
In the judgment-
hall and on the way to Calvary he had been in com
pany with Jesus.
He had heard Pilate declare, “I
find no fault in Him.” 8
He had marked His God
like bearing, and His pitying forgiveness of His tor
mentors.
On the cross he sees the many great
religionists shoot out the tongue with scorn, and
ridicule the Lord Jesus.
He sees the wagging head.
He hears the upbraiding speeches taken up by his
companion in guilt: “ If Thou be Christ, save Thy
self and us.”
Among the passers-by he hears many
defending Jesus.
He hears them repeat His words,
and tell of His works.
The conviction comes back
to him that this is the Christ.
Turning to his fellow
criminal he says, “ Dost thou not fear God, seeing
thou art in the same condemnation?”
The dying
thieves have no longer anything to fear from man.
But upon one of them presses the conviction that
there is a God to fear, a future to cause him to trem
ble.
And now, all sin-polluted as it is, his life-history
is about to close.
“ And we indeed justly,” he moans;
“ for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this
man hath done nothing amiss.”
There is no question now.
There are no doubts,
no reproaches.
When condemned for his crime, the
thief
had become hopeless and despairing;
but
strange, tender thoughts now spring up.
He calls
to mind all he has heard of Jesus, how He has healed
the sick and pardoned sin.
He has heard the words
of those who believed in Jesus and followed Him
weeping.
He has seen and read the title above the
Saviour’s head.
He has heard the passers-by repeat
8John 19:4.
900
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
it, some with grieved, quivering lips, others with jest
ing and mockery.
The Holy Spirit illuminates his
mind, and little by little the chain of evidence is
joined together.
In Jesus, bruised, mocked, and
hanging upon the cross, he sees the Lamb of God,
that taketh away the sin of the world.
Hope is min
gled with anguish in his voice as the helpless, dying
soul casts himself upon a dying Saviour.
“Lord,
remember me,” he cries, "when Thou comest into
Thy kingdom.’'
Quickly the answer came.
Soft and melodious
the tone, full of love, compassion, and power the
words: Verily I say unto thee to-day, Thou shalt be
with Me in Paradise.
For long hours of agony, reviling and mockery
have fallen upon the ears of Jesus.
As He hangs
upon the cross, there floats up to Him still the sound
of jeers and curses.
With longing heart He has lis
tened for some expression of faith from His disciples.
He has heard only the mournful words, “ We trusted
that it had been He which should have redeemed
Israel.”
How grateful then to the Saviour was the
utterance of faith and love from the dying thief.
While the leading Jews deny Him, and even the dis
ciples doubt His divinity, the poor thief, upon the
brink of eternity, calls Jesus Lord.
Many were
ready to call Him Lord when He wrought miracles,
and after He had risen from the grave; but none ac
knowledged Him as Fie hung dying upon the cross
save the penitent thief who was saved at the eleventh
hour.
The bystanders caught the words as the thief called
Jesus Lord.
The tone of the repentant man arrested
their attention.
Those who at the- foot of the cross
had been quarreling over Christ’s garments, and
CALVARY.
90 x
casting lots upon His vesture, stopped to listen.
Their angry tones were hushed.
With bated breath
they looked upon Christ, and waited for the response
from those dying lips.
As He spoke the words of promise, the dark cloud
that seemed to enshroud the cross was pierced by a
bright and living light.
To the penitent thief came
the perfect peace of acceptance with God.
Christ
in His humiliation was glorified.
He who in all
other eyes appeared to be conquered, was a Con
queror.
He was acknowledged as the Sin-bearer.
Men may exercise power over His human body.
They may pierce the holy temples with the crown of
thorns.
They may strip from Him His raiment,
and quarrel over its division.
But they cannot rob
Him of His power to forgive sins.
In dying He bears
testimony to His own divinity and to the glory of the
Father.
His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear,
neither His arm shortened that it cannot save.
It
is His royal right to save unto the uttermost all who
come unto God by Him.
I say unto thee to-day, Thou shalt be with Me in
Paradise.9
Christ did not promise that the thief
should be with Him in Paradise that day.
He Him
self did not go that day to Paradise.
He slept in the
tomb, and on the morning of the resurrection He
said, “ I am not yet ascended to My Father.” 10
But
on the day of the crucifixion, the day of apparent de
feat and darkness, the promise was given, “ To-day,”
while dying upon the cross as a malefactor, Christ
assures the poor sinner, “Thou shalt be with Me in
Paradise.”
The thieves crucified with Jesus were placed “on
9 See Appendix, Note 4.
19John 20:17.
902
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
either side one, and Jesus in the midst.”
This was
done by the direction of the priests and rulers.
Christ’s position between the thieves was to indi
cate that He was the greatest criminal of the
three.
Thus was fulfilled the scripture, “ He was
numbered with the transgressors.” 11
But the full
meaning of their act the priests did not see.
As Jesus, crucified with the thieves, was placed
“ in the midst, so His cross was placed in the
midst of a world lying in sin.
And the words
of pardon spoken to the penitent thief, kindled a
light that will shine to the earth’s remotest bounds.
With amazement the angels beheld the infinite
love of Jesus, who, suffering the most intense agony
of mind and body, thought only of others, and en
couraged the penitent soul to believe.
In His hu
miliation
He as a
prophet
had
addressed
the
daughters of Jerusalem; as priest and advocate He
had pleaded with the Father to forgive His mur
derers; as a loving Saviour He had forgiven the sins
of the penitent thief.
As the eyes of Jesus wandered over the multitude
about Him, one figure arrested His attention.
At the
foot of the cross stood His mother, supported by the
disciple John.
She could not endure to remain away
from her Son; and John, knowing that the end was
near, had brought her again to the cross.
In His
dying hour, Christ remembered His mother.
Look
ing into her grief-stricken face and then upon John,
He said to her, “Woman, behold thy son;” then to
John,
“ Behold
thy
mother.”
John
understood
Christ’s words, and accepted the trust.
He at once
took Mary to his home, and from that hour cared
for her tenderly.
O pitiful, loving Saviour; amid all
11 Isa. 53:12.
CALVARY.
9 °3
His physical pain and mental anguish, He had a
thoughtful care for His mother.
He had no money
with which to provide for her comfort; but He was
enshrined in the heart of John, and He gave His
mother to him as a precious legacy.
Thus He pro
vided for her that which she most needed,—the ten
der sympathy of one who loved her because she loved
Jesus.
And in receiving her as a sacred trust, John
was receiving a great blessing.
She was a constant
reminder of his beloved Master.
The perfect example of Christ’s filial love shines
forth with undimmed luster from the mist of ages.
For nearly thirty years Jesus by His daily toil had
helped bear the burdens of the home.
And now,
even in His last agony, He remembers to provide for
His sorrowing, widowed mother.
The same spirit
will be seen in every disciple of our Lord.
Those
who follow Christ will feel that it is a part of their
religion to respect and provide for their parents.
From the heart where His love is cherished, father
and mother will never fail of receiving thoughtful
care and tender sympathy.
And now the Lord of Glory was dying, a ransom
for the race.
In yielding up His precious life, Christ
was not upheld by triumphant joy.
All was oppress
ive gloom.
It was not the dread of death that
weighed upon Him.
It was not the pain and igno
miny of the cross that caused His inexpressible
agony.
Christ was the prince of sufferers; but His
suffering was from a sense of the malignity of sin, a
knowledge that through familiarity with evil, man
had become blinded to its enormity.
Christ saw
how deep is the hold of sin upon the human heart,
how few would be willing to break lu->m its power.
He knew that without help from God, humanity must
904
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
perish, and He saw multitudes perishing within reach
of abundant help.
Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid
the iniquity of us all.
He was counted a transgressor,
that He might redeem us from the condemnation of
the law.
The guilt of every descendant of Adam
was pressing upon His heart.
The wrath of God
against sin, the terrible manifestation of His dis
pleasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His
Son with consternation.
All His life Christ had been
publishing to a fallen world the good news of the
Father’s mercy and pardoning love.
Salvation for
the chief of sinners was His theme.
But now with
the terrible weight of guilt He bears, He cannot see
the Father’s reconciling face.
The withdrawal of
the divine countenance from the Saviour in this hour
of supreme anguish pierced His heart with a sorrow
that can never be fully understood by man.
So great
was this agony that His physical pain was hardly
felt.
Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart
of Jesus.
The Saviour could not see through the
portals of the tomb.
Hope did not present to Him
His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell
Flim of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice.
He
feared that sin was so offensive to God, that their
separation was to be eternal.
Christ felt the anguish
which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer
plead for the guilty race.
It was the sense of sin,
bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s sub
stitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and
broke the heart of the Son of God.
With amazement angels witnessed the Saviour’s
despairing agony.
The hosts of heaven veiled their
faces from the fearful sight.
Inanimate nature ex
CALVARY.
905
pressed sympathy with its insulted and dying Author.
The sun refused to look upon the awful scene.
Its
'full, bright rays were illuminating the earth at mid
day, when suddenly it seemed to be blotted out.
Complete darkness, like a funeral pall, enveloped
the cross.
“ There was darkness over all the land
until the ninth hour.”
There was no eclipse or other
natural cause for this darkness, which was as deep
as midnight without moon or stars.
It was a mi
raculous testimony given by God that the faith of
after-generations might be confirmed.
In that thick darkness God’s presence was hidden.
He makes darkness His pavilion, and conceals His
glory from human eyes.
God and His holy angels
were beside the cross.
The Father was with His
Son.
Yet His presence was not revealed,
Had His
glory flashed forth from, the cloud, every human be
holder would have been destroyed.
And in that
dreadful hour Christ was not to be comforted with
the Father’s presence.
He trod the wine-press alone,
and of the people there was none with Him.
In the thick darkness, God veiled the last human
agony of His Son.
All who had seen Christ in His
suffering had been convicted of His divinity.
That
face, once beheld by humanity, was never forgotten.
As the face of Cain expressed his guilt as a murderer,
so the face of Christ revealed innocence, serenity,
benevolence,—the image of God.
But His accusers
would
not
give
heed to the signet of
heaven.
Through long hours of agony Christ had been gazed
upon by the jeering multitude.
Now He was merci
fully hidden by the mantle of God.
The silence of the grave seemed to have fallen upon
Calvary.
A nameless terror held the throng that was
gathered about the cross.
The cursing and reviling
906
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ceased in the midst of half-uttered sentences.
Men,
women, and children fell prostrate upon the earth.
Vivid lightning's occasionally flashed forth from the
cloud, and revealed the cross and the crucified Re
deemer.
Priests, rulers, scribes, executioners, and
the mob, all thought that their time of retribution
had come.
After a while some whispered that Jesus
would now come down from the cross.
Some at
tempted to grope their way back to the city, beating
their breasts and wailing in fear.
At the ninth hour the darkness lifted from the peo
ple, but still enveloped the Saviour.
It was a symbol
of the agony and horror that weighed upon His
heart.
No eye could pierce the gloom that sur
rounded the cross, and none could penetrate the
deeper gloom that enshrouded the suffering soul of
Christ.
The angry lightnings seemed to be hurled
at Him as He hung upon the cross.
Then “Jesus
cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama
sabachthani?”
“ My God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?”
As the outer gloom settled about
the Saviour, many voices exclaimed, “The vengeance
of Heaven is upon Him.
The bolts of God’s wrath
are hurled at Him, because He claimed to be the
Son of God.”
Many who believed on Him heard
His despairing cry.
Hope left them.
If God had
forsaken Jesus, in what could His followers trust?
When the darkness lifted from the oppressed spirit
of Christ, He revived to a sense of physical suffering,
and said, “ I thirst.”
One of the Roman soldiers,
touched with pity as he looked at the parched lips,
took a sponge on a stalk of hyssop, and dipping it
in a vessel of vinegar, offered it to Jesus.
But the
priests mocked at His agony.
When darkness cov
ered the earth, they had been filled with fear; as their
terror abated, the dread returned that Jesus would
CALVARY.
907
yet escape them.
His words, “ Eloi, Eloi, lama
sabachthani,” they had misinterpreted.
With bitter
contempt and scorn they said, “This man calleth for
Elias.”
The last opportunity to relieve His suffer
ings they refused.
“ Let be,” they said, “let us see
whether Elias will come to save Him.”
The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His
flesh lacerated with stripes; those hands so often
reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars;
those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to
the tree; that royal head pierced by the crown of
thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe.
And all that He endured,—the blood drops that
flowed from His head, His hands, His feet, the agony
that racked His frame, and the unutterable anguish
that filled His soul at the hiding of His Father’s face,
— speaks to each child of humanity, declaring, It is
for thee that the Son of God consents to bear this
burden of guilt; for thee He spoils the domain of
death, and opens the gates of Paradise.
He who
stilled the angry waves and walked the foam-capped
billows, who made devils tremble and disease flee,
who opened blind eyes and called forth the dead to
life,— offers Himself upon the cross as a sacrifice,
and this from love to thee.
He, the Sin-bearer, en
dures the wrath of divine justice, and for thy sake
becomes sin itself.
In silence the beholders watched for the end of the
fearful scene.
The sun shone forth; but the cross
was still enveloped in darkness.
Priests and rulers
looked toward Jerusalem; and lo, the dense cloud
had settled over the city, and the plains of Judea.
The Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the World,
was withdrawing His beams from the once favored
city of Jerusalem.
The fierce lightnings of God’s
wrath were directed against the fated city.
908
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Suddenly the gloom lifted from the cross, and in
clear, trumpet-like tones, that seemed to resound
throughout creation, Jesus cried, “ It is finished.”
“ Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.”
A
light encircled the cross, and the face" of the Saviour
shone with a glory like the sun.
He then bowed
His head upon His breast, and died.
Amid the awful darkness, apparently forsaken of
God, Christ had drained the last dregs in the cup of
human woe.
In those dreadful hours He had re
lied upon the evidence of His Father’s acceptance
heretofore given Him.
He was acquainted with the
character of His Father; He understood His justice,
His mercy, and His great love.
By faith He rested
in Him whom it had ever been His joy to obey.
And as in submission He committed Himself to God,
the sense of the loss of His Father’s favor was with
drawn.
By faith, Christ was victor.
Never before had the earth witnessed such a scene.
The multitude stood paralyzed,
and with bated
breath gazed upon the Saviour.
Again darkness
settled upon the earth, and a hoarse rumbling, like
heavy thunder, was heard.
There was a violent
earthquake.
The people were shaken together in
heaps.
The wildest confusion and consternation en
sued.
In the surrounding mountains, rocks were
rent asunder, and went crashing down into the plains.
Sepulchers were broken open, and the dead were cast
out of their tombs.
Creation seemed to be shivering
to atoms.
Priests, rulers, soldiers, executioners, and
people, mute with terror, lay prostrate upon the
ground.
When the loud cry, “It is finished,” came from the
lips of Christ, the priests were officiating in the tem
ple.
It was the hour of the evening sacrifice.
The
lamb representing Christ had been brought to be
CALVARY.
slain.
Clothed in his significant and beautiful dress,
the priest stood with lifted knife, as did Abraham
when he was about to slay his son.
With intense
interest the people were looking on.
But the earth
trembles and quakes; for the Lord Himself draws
near.
With a rending noise the inner veil of the
temple is torn from top to bottom by an unseen hand,
throwing open to the gaze of the multitude a place
once filled with the presence of God.
In this place
the shekinah had dwelt.
Here God had manifested
His glory above the mercy-seat.
No one but the
high priest ever lifted the veil separating this apart
ment from the rest of the temple.
He entered in
once a year to make an atonement for the sins of the
people.
But lo, this veil is rent in twain.
The most
holy place of the earthly sanctuary is no longer
sacred.
All is terror and confusion.
The priest is about
to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his
nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes.
Type has met
antitype in the death of God’s Son.
The great sacri
fice has been made.
The way into the holiest is laid
open.
A new and living way is prepared for all.
No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await the
coming of the high priest.
Henceforth the Saviour
was to officiate as priest and advocate in the heaven
of heavens.
It was as if a living voice had spoken
to the worshipers: There is now an end to all sacri
fices and offerings for sin.
The Son of God is come
according to His word, “ Lo, I come (in the volume
of the book it is written of Me,) to do Thy will, O
God.”
“ By His own blood” He entereth “ in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemp
tion for us.” 12
909
12Heb. 107; 9:12.
IT IS FINISHED.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE.
Christ did not yield up His life until He had accom
plished the work which He came to do, and with His
parting breath He exclaimed, “ It is finished.” 1
The
battle had been won.
His right hand and His holy
arm had gotten Him the victory.
As a Conqueror
He planted His banner on the eternal heights.
Was
there not joy among the angels? All heaven tri
umphed in the Saviour’s victory.
Satan was de
feated, and knew that his kingdom was lost.
l o the angels and the unfallen worlds the cry, “It
is finished,” had a deep significance.
It was for them
as well as for us that the great work of redemption
had been accomplished.
They with us share the
fruits of Christ’s victory.
Not until the death of Christ was the character of
Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the un
fallen worlds.
The arch-apostate had so clothed
himself with deception that even holy beings had not
understood his. principles.
They had not clearly
seen the nature of his rebellion.
It was a being of wonderful power and glory that
had set himself against God.
Of Lucifer the Lord
says, “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and
perfect in beauty.”2
Lucifer had been the covering
cherub.
He had stood in the light of God’s pres-
Hohn 19:30.
2Eze. 28:12.
( 910)
IT IS FINISHED.
ence.
He had been the highest of all created beings,
and had been foremost in revealing God’s purposes
to the universe.
After he had sinned, his power to
deceive was the more deceptive, and the unveiling of
his character was the more difficult, because of the
exalted position he had held' with the Father.
God could have destroyed Satan and his sympa
thizers as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth;
but He did not do this.
Rebellion was not to be
overcome by force.
Compelling power is found
only under Satan s government.
The Lord’s prin
ciples are not of this order.
His authority rests upon
goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of
these principles is the means to be used.
God’s gov
ernment is moral, and truth and love are to be the
prevailing power.
It was God’s purpose to place things on an eternal
basis of security, and in the councils of heaven it
was decided that time must be given for Satan to
develop the principles which were the foundation of
his system of government.
He had claimed that
these were superior to God’s principles.
Time was
given for the working of Satan’s principles, that they
might be seen by the heavenly universe.
Satan led men into sin, and the plan of redemption
was put in operation.
For four thousand years,
Christ was working for man’s uplifting, and Satan for
his ruin and degradation.
And the heavenly uni
verse beheld it all.
When Jesus came into the world, Satan's power
was turned against Him.
From the time when He
appeared as a babe in Bethlehem, the usurper worked
to bring about His destruction.
In every possible
way he sought to prevent Jesus from developing a
perfect childhood, a faultless manhood, a holy min-
911
912
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
istry, and an unblemished sacrifice.
But he was de
feated.
He could not lead Jesus into sin.
He could
not discourage Him, or drive Him from a work He
had come on earth to do.
From the desert to Cal
vary, the storm of Satan’s wrath beat upon Him, but
the more mercilessly it- fell, the more firmly did the
Son of God cling to the hand of His Father, and
press on in the blood-stained path.
All the efforts
of Satan to oppress and overcome Him, only brought
out in a purer light His spotless character.
All heaven and the unfallen worlds had been wit
nesses to the controversy.
With what intense inter
est did they follow the closing scenes of the conflict.
They beheld the Saviour enter the garden of Geth-
semane, His soul bowed down with the horror of a
great darkness.
They heard His bitter cry, “ Father,
if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me.” 3 As the
Father’s presence was withdrawn, they saw Him sor
rowful with a bitterness of sorrow exceeding that of
the last great struggle with death.
The bloody
sweat was forced from His pores, and fell in drops
upon the ground.
Thrice the prayer for deliverance
was wrung from His lips.
Heaven could no longer
endure the sight, and a messenger of comfort was
sent to the Son of God.
Heaven beheld the Victim betrayed into the hands
of the murderous mob, and with mockery and vio
lence hurried from one tribunal to another.
It heard
the sneers of His persecutors because of His lowly
birth.
It heard the denial with cursing and swear
ing by one of His best-loved disciples.
It saw the
frenzied work of Satan, and his power over the hearts
of men.
O, fearful scene! the Saviour seized at mid
night in Gethsemane, dragged to and fro from palace
3 Matt. 26:39.
IT IS FINISHED.
913
to judgment-hall, arraigned twice before the priests,
twice before the Sanhedrim, twice before Pilate, and
once before Herod, mocked, scourged, condemned,
and led out to be crucified, bearing the heavy burden
of the cross, amid the wailing of the daughters of
Jerusalem and the jeering of the rabble.
Heaven viewed with grief and amazement Christ
hanging upon the cross, blood flowing from His
wounded temples, and sweat tinged with blood stand
ing upon FI is brow.
From His hands and feet the
blood fell, drop by drop, upon the rock drilled for
the foot of the cross.
The wounds made by the
nails gaped as the weight of His body dragged upon
His hands.
His labored breath grew quick and deep,
as His soul panted under the burden of the sins of
the world.
All heaven was filled with wonder when
the prayer of Christ was offered in the midst of His
terrible suffering,— “ Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do.”4
Yet there stood men
formed in the image of God, joining to crush out the
life of His only begotten Son.
What a sight for the
heavenly universe!
The principalities and powers of darkness were as
sembled around the cross, casting the hellish shadow
of unbelief into the hearts of men.
When the Lord
created these beings to stand before His throne, they
were beautiful and glorious.
Their loveliness and
holiness were in accordance with their exalted sta
tion.
They were enriched with the wisdom of God,
and girded with the panoply of heaven.
They were
Jehovah’s ministers.
But who could recognize in
the fallen angels the glorious seraphim that once
ministered in the heavenly courts?
Satanic agencies confederated with evil men in
4 Luke 23:34.
58
9 i 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sin
ners, and to make Him the object of detestation.
Those who mocked Christ as He hung upon the cross
were imbued with the spirit of the first great rebel.
He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches.
He
inspired their taunts.
But by all this he gained
nothing.
Could one sin have been found in Christ, had He
in one particular yielded to Satan to escape the terri
ble torture, the enemy of God and man would have
triumphed.
Christ bowed His head and died, but He
held fast His faith and His submission to God.
“And
I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of His Christ; for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our
God day and night.” 5
Satan saw that his disguise was torn away.
His
administration was laid open before the unfallen an
gels and before the heavenly universe.
He had re
vealed himself as a murderer.
By shedding the
blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself
from the sympathies of the heavenly beings,
Hence-
i forth his work was restricted.
Whatever attitude he
might assume, he could no longer await the angels
as they came from the heavenly courts, and before
them accuse Christ’s brethren of being clothed with
the garments -of blackness and the defilement of sin.
The last link of sympathy between Satan and the
heavenly world was broken.
Yet Satan was not then destroyed.
The angels did
not even then understand all that was involvedm the 6
great controversy.
The principles at stake were to
be more fully revealed.
And tor the sake of man,
6 Rev. 12:10.
IT IS FINISHED.
9^5
Satan’s existence must be continued.
Man as well
as angels must see the contrast between the Prince of
Light and the prince of darkness.
H e must choose
whom he will serve.
In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had
declared that the law of God could not be obeyed,
that justice was inconsistent with mercy, and that,
should the law be broken, it would be impossible for
the sinner to be pardoned.
Every sin must meet its
punishment, urged Satan; and if God should remit
the punishment of sin, He would not be a God of
truth and justice.
When men broke the law of God,
and defied his will, Satan exulted.
It was proved, he
declared, that the law could not be obeyed: man could
not be forgiven.
Because he, after his rebellion, had
been banished from heaven, Satan claimed that the
human race must be forever shut out from God’s fa
vor.
God could not be just, he urged, and yet show
mercy to the sinner.
But even as a sinner, man was in a different posi
tion from that of Satan. Lucifer in heaven had sinned
in the light of God’s glory.
To him as to no other
created being was given a revelation of God’s love.
Understanding the character of God, knowing His
goodness, Satan chose to follow his own selfish, inde
pendent will.
This choice was final.
There was no
more that God could do to save him.
But man was
deceived; his mind was darkened by Satan’s sophis
try.
The height and depth of the love of God he did
not know.
For him there was hope in a knowledge
of God’s love.
By beholding His character he might
be drawn back to God.
Through Jesus, God’s, mercy was manifested to-
men; but mercy does not set aside justice.
The law!
reveals the attributes of God’s character, and not a
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
jot or tittle of it could be changed to meet man in his
fallen condition.
God did not change His law, but
He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man’s redemp
tion.
“ God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
Himself.” 6
The law requires righteousness,— a righteous life,
a perfect character; and this man has not to give.
He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law.
But
Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life,
and developed a perfect character.
These He offers
as a free gift to all who will receive them.
His life
stands for the life of men.
Thus they have remission
of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.
More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes
of God.
He builds up the human character after the
similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of
spiritual strength and beauty.
Thus the very right
eousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in
Christ.
God can “be just, and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus.’’7
God’s love has been expressed in His justice no less'
than in His mercy.
Justice is the foundation of His
throne, and the fruit of His love.
It had been Satan’s
purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice.
He
sought to prove that the righteousness of God’s law
is an enemy to peace.
But Christ shows that in
God’s plan they are indissolubly joined together; the
one cannot exist without the other.
“ Mercy and
truth are met together; righteousness and peace have
kissed each other.” 6
j
By His life and His death, Christ proved that God’s
{justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could
be forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be
perfectly
obeyed.
Satan’s charges
wore refuted.
6 2 Cor. 5:19.
7 Rom. 3:26.
8 Ps. 85:10.
916
IT IS F IN IS H E D .
917
God had given man unmistakable evidence of His
love.
Another, deception was now to be brought forward.
Satan declared that mercy destroyed justice, that the
death of Christ abrogated the Father’s law.
Had it
been possible for the law to be changed or abrogated,
then Christ need not have died.
But to abrogate the
law would be to immortalize transgression, and place
the world under Satan’s control.
It was because the
law was changeless, because man could be saved only
through obedience to its precepts, that Jesus was
lifted up on the cross.
Yet the very means by which
Christ established the law, Satan represented as de
stroying it.
Here will come the last conflict of the
gTgSTcffnfroversy between Chnst and Satan..
That the law which' was spoken by God’s own voice
is faulty, that some specification has been set aside, is
the claim which, Satan now puts forward.
It is the
last great deception that he will bring upon the world.
He needs not to assail, the whole law; if he can lead
men to disregard one precept, his purpose is gained.
For “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet of
fend in one point, he is guilty of all.” 9
By consent
ing to break one precept, men are brought under
Satan’s power.
By substituting human law for God’s
law, Satan will seek to control the world.
This work
is foretold in prophecy.
Of the great apostate power
which is the representative of Satan, it is declared,
“ He shall speak great words against the Most High,
think to change times and laws; and they shall be
given Into his hand.’’10
Men will surely set up their laws to counterwork
the laws of God.
They will seek; to compel the um-
•James 2:10.
* 18 Dan. 7:25.
9 1 8
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
sciences of others, and in their zeal to enforce these
laws they will oppress their fellow-men.
The warfare against drop’s law, which was begun
in heaven, will be continued until the end of time,
j Every man will be tested.
Obedience or disobedience
is the question to be decided by the whole world.
All
will be called to choose between the law of God and
the laws of men.
Hdre the dividing line will be
drawn.
There wjJKbe but two classes.
Every char
acter will be^ftrlly developed; and all will show
whether they have chosen the side of loyalty or that
of rebellion.
Xfren the end will come.
God will vindicate His
law and defiver'"tdis people.
Satan and all who have
joined him in rebellion will be cut off.
Sin and sin
ners will perish, root and branch,11— Satan the root,
and his followers the branches.
The word will be ful
filled to the prince of evil, “ Because thou hast set
thine heart as the heart of God;
. . .
I will de
stroy thee, 0 covering cherub, from the midst of the
stones of fire.
.
.
.
Thou slialt be a terror, and
never shalt thou be any more.”
Then “the wicked
shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his
place, and it shall not be;” “they shall be as though
they had not been.” 12
This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part
of God.
The rejecters of His mercy reap that which
they have sown.
God is the fountain of life; and
when one chooses the service of sin, he separates fr.om
God, and thus cuts himself off from life.
He is “alien
ated from the life of God.”
Christ says, “ All they
that hate Me love death.” 13
God gives them exist
ence for a time that they may develop their character
11 Mai. 4:1.
12Eze. 28:6-19; Ps. 37:10; Obadiah 16.
l3Eph. 4:18; Prov. 8:36.
IT IS FINISHED.
9 19
and reveal their principles.
This accomplished, they
receive the results of their own choice.
By a life of
rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place
themselves so out of harmony with God that His very
presence is to them a consuming fire.
The glory of
Him who is love will destroy them.
At the beginning of the great controversy, the
angels did not understand this.
Had Satan and his
host then been left to reap the full result of their sin,
they would have perished; but it would not have
been apparent to heavenly beings that this was the
inevitable result of sin.
A doubt of God’s goodness
would have remained in their minds as evil seed, to
produce its deadly fruit of sin and woe.
But not so when the great controversy shall be
ended.
Then, the plan of redemption having been
completed, the character of God is revealed to all cre
ated intelligences.
The precepts of His law are seen
to be perfect and immutable.
Then sin has made
manifest its nature, Satan his character.
Then the
extermination of sin will vindicate God’s love and
establish His honor before a universe of beings who
delight to do His will, and in whose heart is His law.
Well, then, might the angels rejoice as they looked
upon the Saviour’s cross; for though they did not
then understand all, they knew that the destruction
of sin and Satan was forever made certain, that the
redemption of man was assured, and that the universe
was made eternally secure.
Christ Himself fully com
prehended the results of the sacrifice made upon Cal
vary.
To all these He looked forward when upon the
cross He cried out, “ It is finished.”
TO THE FATHER’S THRONE.
From the Burial to the Ascension.
“ I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God,
and your God.”
“ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
John 20:17; Matt. 28:19.
IN JOSEPH’S TOMB.
CHAPTER EIGHTY.
At last Jesus was at rest.
The long day of shame
and torture was ended.
As the last rays of the set
ting sun ushered in the Sabbath, the Son of God lay
in quietude in Joseph’s tomb.
His work completed,
His hands folded in peace, He rested through the
sacred hours of the Sabbath day.
In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested
upon the Sabbath after their work of creation. When
“ the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the
host of them,” 1 the Creator and all heavenly beings
rejoiced in contemplation of the glorious scene.
“ The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy.” 2
Now Jesus rested from the
work of redemption; and though there was grief
among those who loved Him on earth, yet there was
joy in heaven.
Glorious to the eyes of heavenly be
ings was the promise of the future.
A restored cre
ation, a redeemed race, that having conquered sin
could never fall,— this, the result to flow from Christ’s
completed work, God and angels saw.
With this
scene the day upon which Jesus rested is forever
linked.
For “ His work is perfect;” and “whatso-
soever God doeth, it shall be forever.” 3
When there
shall be a “ restitution of all things which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since
1 Gen. 2:1.
2Job 38:7.
3 Deut. 32:4; Eccl. 3:14.
(9 2 3 )
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
the world began,”4 the creation Sabbath, the day on
which Jesus lay at rest in Joseph’s tomb, will still be
a day of rest and rejoicing.
Heaven and earth will
unite in praise, as “ from one Sabbath to another,”5
the nations of the saved shall bow in joyful worship
to God and the Lamb.
In the closing events of the crucifixion day, fresh
evidence was given of the fulfillment of prophecy,
and new witness borne to Christ’s divinity.
When
the darkness had lifted from the cross, and the
Saviour’s dying cry had been uttered, immediately
another voice was heard, saying, “ Truly this was the
Son of God.”
These words were said in no whispered tones.
All
eyes were turned to see whence they came.
Who had
spoken?
It was the centurion, the Roman soldier.
The divine patience of the Saviour, and His sudden
death, with the cry of victory upon His lips, had im
pressed this heathen.
In the bruised, broken body
hanging upon the cross, the centurion recognized the
form of the Son of God.
He could not refrain from
confessing his faith.
Thus again evidence was given
that our Redeemer was to see of the travail of His
soul.
Upon the very day of His death, three men,
differing widely from one another, had declared their
faith,—he who commanded the Roman guard, he who
bore the cross of the Saviour, and he who died upon
the cross at His side.
As evening drew on, an unearthly stillness hung
over Calvary.
The crowd dispersed, and many re
turned to Jerusalem greatly changed in spirit from
what they had been in the morning.
Many had
flocked to the crucifixion from curiosity, and not from
hatred toward Christ.
Still they believed the accu-
4 Acts 3:21.
6 Isa. 66:23.
924
in Jo se p h’ s t o m b.
925
sations of the priests, and looked upon Christ as a
malefactor.
Under an unnatural excitement they
had united with the mob in railing against Him.
But
when the earth was wrapped in blackness, and they
stood accused by their own consciences, they felt
guilty of a great wrong.
No jest or mocking laugh
ter was heard in the midst of that fearful gloom; and
when it was lifted, they made their way to their homes
in solemn silence.
They were convinced that the
charges of the priests were false, that Jesus was no
pretender; and a few weeks later, when
Peter
preached upon the day of Pentecost, they were
among the thousands who became converts to Christ.
But the Jewish leaders were unchanged by the
events they had witnessed.
Their hatred of Jesus had
not abated.
The darkness that had mantled the
earth at the crucifixion was not more dense than that
which still enveloped the minds of the priests and
rulers.
At His birth the star had known Christ, and
had guided the wise men to the manger where He
lay.
The heavenly hosts had known Him, and had
sung His praise over the plains of Bethlehem.
The
sea had known His voice, and had obeyed His com
mand.
Disease and death had recognized His au
thority, and had yielded to Him their prey.
The sun
had known Him, and at the sight of His dying
anguish, had hidden its face of light.
The rocks had
known Him, and had shivered into fragments at His
cry.
Inanimate nature had known Christ, and had
borne witness to His divinity.
But the priests and
rulers of Israel knew not the Son of God.
Yet the priests and rulers were not at rest.
They
had carried out their purpose in putting Christ to
death; but they did not feel the sense of victory they
had expected.
Even in the hour of their apparent
926
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
triumph, they were harassed with doubts as to what
would next take place.
They had heard the cry, “ It
is finished.”
“ Father, into Thy hands I commend
My spirit.”6
They had seen the rocks rent, and had
felt the mighty earthquake, and they were restless
and uneasy.
They had been jealous of Christ’s influence with the
people when living; they were jealous of Him even
in death.
They dreaded the dead Christ more, far
more, than they had ever feared the living Christ.
They dreaded to have the attention of the people di
rected any further to the events attending His cruci
fixion.
They feared the results of that day’s work.
Not on any account would they have had His body
remain on the cross during the Sabbath.
The Sab
bath was now drawing on, and it would be a violation
of its sanctity for the bodies to hang upon the cross.
So, using, this as a pretext, the leading Jews requested
Pilate that the death of the victims might be hastened,
and their bodies be removed before the setting of the
sun.
Pilate was as unwilling as they for the body of
Jesus to remain upon the cross.
His consent having
been obtained, the legs of the two thieves were broken
to hasten their death; but Jesus was found to be al
ready dead.
The rude soldiers had been softened by
what they had heard and seen of Christ, and they
were restrained from breaking His limbs.
Thus in
the offering of the Lamb of God was fulfilled the law
of the Passover, “They shall leave none of it unto the
morning, nor break any bone of it; according to all
the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.” 7
The priests and rulers were amazed to find that
Christ was dead.
Death by the cross was a lingering
‘ John 19:30; Luke 23:46.
7 Num. 9:12.
process; it was difficult to determine when life had
ceased.
It was an unheard-of thing for one to die
within six hours of crucifixion.
The priests wished
to make sure of the death of Jesus, and at their sug
gestion a soldier thrust a spear into the Saviour’s
side.
From the wound thus made, there flowed two
copious and distinct streams, one of blood, the other
of water.
This was noted by all the beholders, and
John states the occurrence very definitely.
He says,
“ One of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side,
and forthwith came there out blood and water.
And
he that saw it bare record, and his record is true; and
he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
For these things were done, that the scripture should
be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken.
And
again another scripture saith, They shall look on Him
whom they pierced.” '6
After the resurrection the priests and rulers circu
lated the report that Christ did not die upon the cross,
that He merely fainted, and was afterward revived.
Another report affirmed that it . was not a real body
of flesh and bone, but the likeness of a body, that was
laid in the tomb.
The action of the Roman soldiers
disproves these falsehoods.
They broke not His legs,
because He was already dead.
To satisfy the priests,
they pierced His side.
Had not life been already ex
tinct, this wound would have caused instant death.
But it was not the spear thrust, it was not the pain
of the cross, that caused the death of Jesus.
That
cry, uttered “ with a loud voice,” 9 at the moment of
death, the stream of blood and water that flowed from
His side, declared that He died of a broken heart.
His heart was broken by mental anguish.
He was
slain by the sin of the world.
‘ John 19:34-37.
9 Matt. 27:50; Luke 23:46.
in Jo seph’ s tomb.
,
927
928
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
With the death of Christ the hopes of His disciples
perished.
They looked upon His closed eyelids and
drooping head, His hair matted with blood, His
pierced hands and feet, and their anguish was inde
scribable.
Until the last they had not believed that
He would die; they could hardly believe that He was
really dead.
Overwhelmed with sorrow, they did
not recall His words foretelling this very scene.
Nothing that He had said, now gave them comfort.
They saw only the cross and its bleeding victim. The
future seemed dark with despair.
Their faith in Jesus
had perished; but never had they loved their Lord as
now.
Never before had they so felt His worth, and
their need of His presence.
Even in death, Christ’s body was very precious to
His disciples.
They longed to give Him an honored
burial, but knew not how to accomplish this.
Trea
son against the Roman government was the crime
for which Jesus was condemned, and persons put to
death for this offense were consigned to a burial-
ground especially provided for such criminals.
The
disciple John with the women from Galilee had re
mained at the cross.
They could not leave the body
of their Lord to be handled by the unfeeling soldiers,
and buried in a dishonored grave.
Yet they could
not prevent it.
They could obtain no favors from the
Jewish authorities, and they had no influence with
Pilate.
In this emergency, Joseph of Arimathea and Nico-
demus came to the help of the disciples.
Both these
men were members of the Sanhedrim, and were ac
quainted with Pilate.
Both were men of wealth and
influence.
They were determined that the body of
Jesus should have an honorable burial.
Joseph went boldly to Pilate, and begged from him
in Jo se p h’ s t o m b.
929
the body of Jesus.
P'or the first time, Pilate learned
that Jesus was really dead.
Conflicting reports had
reached him in regard to the events attending the
crucifixion, but the knowledge of Christ’s death had
been purposely kept from him.
Pilate had been
warned by the priests and rulers against deception by
Christ’s disciples in regard to His body.
Upon hear
ing Joseph’s request, he therefore sent for the centu
rion who had charge at the cross, and learned for a
certainty of the death of Jesus.
He also drew from
him an account of the scenes of Calvary, confirming
the testimony of Joseph.
The request of Joseph was granted.
While John
was troubled about the burial of his Master, Joseph
returned with Pilate’s order for the body of Christ;
and Nicodemus came bringing a costly mixture of
myrrh and aloes, of about a hundred pounds’ weight,
for His embalming.
The most honored in all Jeru
salem could not have been shown more respect in
death.
The disciples were astonished to see these
wealthy rulers as much interested as they themselves
in the burial of their Lord.
Neither Joseph nor Nicodemus had openly ac
cepted the Saviour while Pie was living.
They knew
that such a step would exclude them from the Sanhe
drim, and they hoped to protect Him by their influ
ence in its councils.
For a time they had seemed to
succeed; but the wily priests, seeing their favor to
Christ, had thwarted their plans.
In their absence
Jesus had been condemned and delivered to be cru
cified.
Now that He was dead, they no longer con
cealed their attachment to Him.
While the disciples
feared to show themselves openly as His followers,
Joseph and Nicodemus came boldly to their aid.
The
help of these rich and honored men was greatly
59
930
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
needed at this time.
They could do for their dead
Master what it was impossible for the poor disciples
to do; and their wealth and influence protected them,
in a great measure, from the malice of the priests and
rulers.
Gently and reverently they removed with their own
hands the body of Jesus from the cross.
Their tears
of sympathy fell fast as they looked upon His bruised
and lacerated form.
Joseph owned a new tomb, hewn
in a rock.
This he was reserving for himself, but it
was near Calvary, and he now prepared it for Jesus.
The body, together with the spices brought by Nico-
demus, was carefully wrapped in a linen sheet, and
the Redeemer was borne to the tomb.
There the
three disciples straightened the mangled limbs, and
folded the bruised hands upon the pulseless breast.
The Galilean women came to see that all had been
done that could be done for the lifeless form of their
beloved Teacher.
Then they saw the heavy stone
rolled against the entrance of the tomb, and the
Saviour was left at rest.
The women were last at
the cross, and last at the tomb of Christ.
While the
evening shades were gathering, Mary Magdalene and
the other Marys lingered about the resting-place of
their Lord, shedding tears of sorrow over the fate of
Him whom they loved.
“ And they returned,
.
.
.
and rested the Sabbath day, according to the com
mandment.”10
That was a never-to-be-forgotten Sabbath to the
sorrowing disciples, and also to the priests, rulers,
scribes, and people.
At the setting of the sun on the
evening of the preparation day the trumpets sounded,
signifying that the Sabbath had begun.
The Pass-
over was observed as it had been for centuries, while
10 Luke 23:56.
IN JOSEPH’ S TOMB.
931
He to whom it pointed had been slain by wicked
hands, and lay in Joseph’s tomb.
On the Sabbath
the courts of the temple were filled with worshipers.
The high priest from Golgotha was there, splendidly
robed in his sacerdotal garments.
White-turbaned
priests, full of activity, performed their duties.
But
some present were not at rest, as the blood of bulls and
goats was offered for sin.
They were not conscious
that type had met antitype, that an infinite sacrifice
had been made for the sins of the world.
They knew
not that there was no further value in the performance
of the ritual service.
But never before had that serv
ice been witnessed with such conflicting feelings.
The trumpets and musical instruments and the voices
of the singers were as loud and clear as usual.
But a
sense of strangeness pervaded everything.
One after
another inquired about a strange event that had taken
place.
Hitherto the most holy place had been sa
credly guarded from intrusion.
But now it was open
to all eyes.
The heavy veil of tapestry, made of pure
linen, and beautifully wrought with gold, scarlet, and
purple, was rent from top to bottom. The place where
Jehovah had met with the high priest, to commu
nicate His glory, the place that had been God’s sacred
audience-chamber, lay open to every eye,—a place no
longer recognized by the Lord.
With gloomy pre
sentiments the priests ministered before the altar.
The uncovering of the sacred mystery of the most
holy place filled them with dread of coming calamity.
Many minds were busy with thoughts started by
the scenes of Calvary.
From the crucifixion to the
resurrection many sleepless eyes were constantly
searching the prophecies, some to learn the full
meaning of the feast they were then celebrating,
some to find evidence that Jesus was not what He
932
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
claimed to be; and others with sorrowful hearts were
searching for proofs that He was the true Messiah.
Though searching with different objects in view, all
were convicted of the same truth,— that prophecy had
been fulfilled in the events of the past few days, and
that the Crucified One was the world’s Redeemer.
Many who at that time united in the service never
again took part in the paschal rites.
Many even of
the priests were convicted of the true character of
Jesus.
Their searching of the prophecies had not
been in vain, and after His resurrection they acknowl
edged Him as the Son of God.
Nicodemus, when he saw Jesus lifted up on the
cross, remembered His words spoken by night in the
Mount of Olives: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not per
ish, but have eternal life.” 11
On that Sabbath, when
Christ lay in the grave, Nicodemus had opportunity
for reflection.
A clearer light' now illuminated his
mind, and the words which Jesus had spoken to him
were no longer mysterious.
He felt that he had lost
much by not connecting himself with the Saviour
during His life.
Now he recalled the events of Cal
vary.
The prayer of Christ for His murderers, and
His answer to the petition of the dying thief, spoke
to the heart of the learned councilor.
Again He
looked upon the Saviour in His agony; again he
heard that last cry, “ It is finished,” spoken like the
words of a conqueror.
Again he beheld the reeling
earth, the darkened heavens, the rent veil, the shiv
ered rocks, and his faith wras forever established.
The very event that destroyed the hopes of the dis
ciples, convinced Joseph and Nicodemus of the di-
11 John 3:14, 15.
vinity of Jesus.
Their fears were overcome by the
courage of a firm and unwavering faith.
Never had Christ attracted the attention of the mul
titude as now that He was laid in the tomb.
Accord
ing to their practise, the people brought their sick and
suffering ones to the temple courts, inquiring, W ho
can tell us of Jesus of Nazareth?
Many had come
from far to find Him who had healed the sick and
raised the dead.
On every side was heard the cry,
We want Christ the Healer.
Upon this occasion
those who were thought to show indications of the
leprosy were examined by the priests.
Many were
foiced to hear their husoands, wives, or children pro
nounced leprous, and doomed to go forth from the
shelter of their homes and the care of their friends,
to warn off the stranger with the mournful cry, “ Un
clean, unclean!”
The friendly hands of Jesus of
Nazareth, that never refused to touch with healing
the loathsome leper, were folded on His breast.
The
lips that had answered his petition with the comfort
ing words, “I will; be thou clean,” 12 were now silent.
Many appealed to the chief priests and rulers for sym
pathy and relief, but in vain.
Apparently they were
determined to have the living Christ among them
again.
With persistent earnestness they asked for
Him.
They would not be turned away.
But they
were driven from the temple courts, and soldiers were
stationed at the gates to keep back the multitude that
came with their sick and dying, demanding entrance.
The sufferers who had come to be healed by the
Saviour, sank under their disappointment. The streets
were filled with mourning.
The sick were dying for
want of the healing touch of Jesus.
Physicians were
consulted in vain; there was no skill like that of Him
who lay in Joseph’s tomb.
12 Matt. 8:3.
IN JOSEPH'S TOMB.
9 3 3
9 3 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
The mourning cries of the suffering ones brought
home to thousands of minds the conviction that a
great light had gone out of the world.
Without
Christ, the earth was blackness and darkness.
Many
whose voices had swelled the cry of “ Crucify Him!
crucify Him!” now realized the calamity that had
fallen upon them, and would as eagerly have cried,
Give us Jesus, had He still been alive.
When the people learned that Jesus had been put
to death by the priests, inquiries were made regard
ing His death.
The particulars of His trial were kept
as private as possible; but during the time when He
was in the grave, His name was on thousands of lips,
and reports of His mock trial, and of the inhumanity
of the priests and rulers, were circulated everywhere.
By men of intellect these priests and rulers were
called upon to explain the prophecies of the Old Tes
tament concerning the Messiah, and while trying to
frame some falsehood in reply, they became like men
insane.
The prophecies that pointed to Christ’s suf
ferings and death they could not explain, and many
inquirers were convinced that the Scriptures had been
fulfilled.
The revenge which the priests had thought would
be so sweet, was already bitterness to them.
They
knew that they were meeting the severe censure of the
people, they knew that the very ones whom they had
influenced against Jesus were now horrified by their
own shameful work.
These priests had tried to be
lieve Jesus a deceiver; but it was in vain.
Some of
them had stood by the grave of Lazarus, and had seen
the dead brought back to life.
They trembled for
fear that Christ would Himself rise from the dead,
and again appear before them.
They had heard Him
declare that He had power to lay down His life and to
in Joseph’ s to m b.
9 3 5
take it again.
They remembered that He had said,
Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up.’ 3,5
Judas had told them the words spoken by
Jesus to the disciples while on the last journey to
Jerusalem: “ Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the
Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests
and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to
death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles, to mock,
and to scourge, and to crucify Him.
And the third
day He shall rise again.” 14
When they heard these
words, they had mocked and ridiculed.
But now
they remembered that Christ’s predictions had so far
been fulfilled.
He had said that He would rise again
the third day, and who could say that this also would
not come to pass?
They longed to shut out these
thoughts, but they could not.
Like their father, the
devil, they believed and trembled.
Now that the frenzy of excitement was past, the
image of Christ would intrude upon their minds.
They beheld Him as He stood serene and uncom
plaining before His enemies, suffering without a mur
mur their taunts and abuse.
All the events of His
trial and crucifixion came back to them with an over
powering conviction that He was the Son of God.
'they felt that He might at any time stand before
them, the accused to become the accuser, the con
demned to condemn, the slain to demand justice in
the death of His murderers.
They could rest little upon the Sabbath.
Though
they would not step over a Gentile’s threshold for
fear of defilement, yet they held a council concerning
the body of Christ.
Death and the grave must hold
Him whom they had crucified.
“The chief priests
and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir,
we remember that that deceiver said, while He was
“ John 2:19.
“ Matt. 20:18, 19.
93^
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
Com
mand therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until
the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and
steal Him away, and say unto the people, He is risen
from the dead.
So the last error shall be worse than
the first.
Pilate said unto them, Y e have a watch:
go your way, make it as sure as ye can.” 18
The priests gave directions for securing the sepul
cher.
A great stone had been placed before the open
ing.
Across this stone they placed cords, securing
the ends to the solid rock, and sealing them with the
Roman seal.
The stone could not be moved without
breaking the seal.
A guard of one hundred soldiers
was then stationed around the sepulcher to prevent
it from being tampered with.
The priests did all
they could to keep Christ’s body where it had been
laid.
He was sealed as securely in His tomb as if
He were to remain there through all time.
So weak men counseled and planned.
Little did
these murderers realize the uselessness of their efforts.
But by their action God was glorified.
The very ef
forts made to prevent Christ’s resurrection are the
most convincing arguments in its proof.
The greater
the number of soldiers placed around the tomb, the
stronger would be the testimony that He had risen.
Hundreds of years before the death of Christ, the
Holy Spirit had declared through the psalmist, “ Why
do the heathen- rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and
the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord,
and against His anointed.
. . .
He that sitteth
in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have
them in derision.” 19
Roman guards and Roman arms
were powerless to confine the Lord of Life within
the tomb.
The hour of His release was near.
“ Matt. 27:62-65.
“ Ps. 2:1-4,
THE LORD IS RISEN.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE.
The night of the first day of the week had worn
slowly away.
The darkest hour, just before daybreak,
had come.
Christ was still a prisoner in His narrow
tomb.
The great stone was in its place; the Roman
seal was unbroken; the Roman guards were keeping
their watch. And there were unseen watchers. Hosts
of evil angels were gathered about the place.
Had it
been possible, the prince of darkness with his apostate
army would have kept forever sealed the tomb that
held the Son of God.
But a heavenly host sur
rounded the sepulcher. Angels that excel in strength
were guarding the tomb, and waiting to welcome the
Prince of Life.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake; for the
angel of the Lord descended from heaven.”
Clothed
with the panoply of God, this angel left the heavenly
courts. The bright beams of God’s glory went before
him, and illuminated his pathway.
“ His countenance
was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and be
came as dead men.”
Now, priests and rulers, where is the power of your
guard?— Brave soldiers that have never been afraid
of human power, are now as captives taken without
sword or spear.
The face they look upon is not the
This chapter is based on Matt. 28:2-4, n -15.
(937)
9 3 «
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
face of mortal warrior; it is the face of the mightiest
of the Lord’s host.
This messenger is he who fills
the position from which Satan fell.
It is he who on
the hills of Bethlehem proclaimed Christ’s birth.
The
earth trembles at his approach, the hosts of darkness
flee, and as he rolls away the stone, heaven seems to
come down to the earth.
The soldiers see him re
moving the stone as he would a pebble, and hear him
cry, Son of God, come forth; Thy Father calls Thee.
They see Jesus come forth from the grave, and hear
Him proclaim over the rent sepulcher, “ I am the
resurrection and the life.”
As He comes forth in
majesty and glory, the angel host bow low in adora
tion before the Redeemer, and welcome Him with
songs of praise.
An earthquake marked the hour when Christ laid
down His life, and another earthquake witnessed the
moment when He took it up in triumph.
He who
had vanquished death and the grave came forth from
the tomb with the tread of a conqueror, amid the
reeling of the earth, the flashing of lightning, and the
roaring of thunder.
When He shall come to the
earth again, He will shake “not the earth only, but
also heaven.” 1
“The earth shall reel to and fro like
a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage.”
“ The heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll;”
“ the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth
also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up.”
But “the Lord will be the hope of His people,
and the strength of the children of Israel.” 2
At the death of Jesus the soldiers had beheld the
earth wrapped in darkness at midday; but at the resur
rection they saw the brightness of the angels illumi-
1 Heb. 12:26.
'Isa. 24:20; 34:4; 2 Peter 3:10; Joel 3:16.
THE LORD IS RISEN.
9 3 9
nate the night, and heard the inhabitants of heaven
singing with great joy and triumph: “Thou hast van
quished Satan and the powers of darkness; Thou hast
swallowed up death in victory!”
Christ came forth from the tomb glorified, and the
Roman guard beheld Him.
Their eyes were riveted
upon the lace of Him whom they had so recently
mocked and derided.
In this glorified being they
beheld the prisoner whom they had seen in the judg
ment-hall, the one for whom they had plaited a crown
of thorns.
This was the one who had stood unre
sisting before Pilate and Herod, His form lacerated
by the cruel scourge.
This was He who had been
nailed to the cross, at whom the priests and rulers,
full of self-satisfaction, had wagged their heads, say
ing, “ He saved others; Himself He cannot save.”3
This was He who had been laid in Joseph’s new tomb.
The decree of heaven had loosed the captive.
Moun
tains piled upon mountains over His sepulcher could
not have prevented Him from coming forth.
At sight of the angels and the glorified Saviour
the Roman guard had fainted and become as dead
men.
When the heavenly train was hidden from their
view, they arose to their feet, and as quickly as their
trembling limbs could carry them, made their way to
the gate of the garden.
Staggering like drunken
men, they hurried on to the city, telling those whom
they met the wonderful news.
They were making
their way to Pilate, but their report had been carried
to the Jewish authorities, and the chief priests and
rulers sent for them to be brought first into their pres
ence.
A strange appearance those soldiers presented.
Trembling with fear, their faces colorless, they bore
testimony to the resurrection of Christ.
The soldiers
3Matt. 27:42.
940
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
told all, just as they had seen it; they had not had time
to think or speak anything but the truth.
With pain
ful utterance they said, It was the Son of God who
was crucified; we have heard an angel proclaiming
Him as the Majesty of heaven, the King of Glory.
The faces of the priests were as those of the dead.
Caiaphas tried to speak.
His lips moved, but they
uttered no sound.
The soldiers were about to leave
the council room, when a voice stayed them.
Cai
aphas had at last found speech.
Wait, wait, he said.
Tell no one the things you have seen.
A lying report was then given to the soldiers.
“ Say ye,” said the priests, “ His disciples came by
night, and stole Him away while we slept.”
Here the
priests overreached themselves.
How could the sol
diers say that the disciples had stolen the body while
they slept?
If they were asleep, how could they
know?
And if the disciples had been proved guilty
of stealing Christ’s body, would not the priests have
been first to condemn them?
Or if the sentinels had
slept at the tomb, would not the priests have been
foremost in accusing them to Pilate?
The soldiers were horrified at the thought of bring
ing upon themselves the charge of sleeping at their
post.
This was an offense punishable with death.
Should they bear false witness, deceiving the people,
and placing their own lives in peril?
Had they not
kept their w.eary watch
with sleepless vigilance?
How could they stand the trial, even for the sake of
money, if they perjured themselves?
In order to silence the testimony they feared, the
priests promised to secure the safety of the guard,
saying that Pilate would not desire to have such a re
port circulated any more than they did.
The Roman
soldiers sold their integrity to the Jews for money.
THE LORD IS RISEN.
They came in before the priests burdened with a
most startling message of truth; they went out with
a burden of money, and on their tongues a lying re
port which had been framed for them by the priests.
Meanwhile the report of Christ’s resurrection had
been carried to Pilate.
Though Pilate was respon
sible for having given Christ up to die, he had been
comparatively unconcerned.
While
he
had con
demned the Saviour unwillingly, and with a feeling
of pity, he had felt no real compunction until now.
In terror he now shut himself within his house, deter
mined to see no one.
But the priests made their way
into his presence, told the story which they had in
vented, and urged him to overlook the sentinels’
neglect of duty.
Before consenting to this, he him
self privately questioned the guard.
They, fearing
for their own safety, dared not conceal anything, and
Pilate drew from them an account of all that had
taken place.
He did not prosecute the matter further,
but from that time there was no peace for him.
When Jesus was laid in the grave, Satan triumphed
He dared to hope that the Saviour would not take up
His life again.
He claimed the Lord’s body, and set
his guard about the tomb, seeking to hold Christ a
prisoner.
He was bitterly angry when his angels
fled at the approach of the heavenly messenger.
When he saw Christ come forth in triumph, he knew
that his kingdom would have an end, and that he
must finally die.
The priests, in putting Christ to death, had made
themselves the tools of Satan.
Now they were en
tirely in his power.
They were entangled in a snare
from which they saw no escape but in continuing their
warfare against Christ.
When they heard the re
port of His resurrection, they feared the wrath of the
941
942
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
people.
They felt that their own lives were in dan
ger.
The only hope for them was to prove Christ an
impostor by denying that He had risen.
They bribed
the soldiers, and secured
Pilate’s silence.
They
spread their lying reports far and near.
But there
were witnesses whom they could not silence.
Many
had heard of the soldiers’ testimony to Christ’s resur
rection.
And certain of the dead who came forth
with Christ appeared to many, and declared that He
had risen.
Reports were brought to the priests of
persons who had seen these risen ones, and heard
their testimony.
The priests and rulers were in con
tinual dread, lest in walking the streets, or within the
privacy of their own homes, they should come face to
face with Christ.
They felt that there was no safety
for them.
Bolts and bars were but poor protection
against the Son of God.
By day and by night that
awful scene in the judgment-hall, when they had
cried, “ His blood be on us, and on our children,” 4
was before them.
Nevermore would the memory of
that scene fade from their minds.
Nevermore would
peaceful sleep come to their pillows.
When the voice of the mighty angel was heard at
Christ’s tomb, saying, “ Thy Father calls Thee,” the
Saviour came forth from the grave by the life that
was in Himself.
Now was proved the truth of His
words, “ I lay down My life, that I might take it again.
.
.
.
I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again.”
Now was fulfilled the
prophecy He had spoken to the priests and rulers,
“ Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise
it up.” 5
Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Christ had pro
claimed in triumph, “ I am the resurrection and the
*Matt. 27:25.
John 10:17, 18; 2:19.
THE LORD IS RISEN.
943
life.”
These words could be spoken only by the
Deity.
All created beings live by the will'and power
of God.
They are dependent recipients of the life of
God.
From the highest seraph to the humblest ani
mate being, all are replenished from the Source of
life.
Only He who is one with God could say, I have
power to lay down My life, and I have power to take
it again.
In His divinity, Christ possessed the power
to break the bonds of death.
Christ arose from the dead as the first-fruits of
those that slept.
He was the antitype of the wave-
sheaf, and His resurrection took place on the very
day when the wave-sheaf was to be presented before
the Lord.
For more than a thousand years this sym
bolic ceremony had
been
performed.
From the
harvest fields the first heads of ripened grain were
gathered, and when the people went up to Jerusalem
to the Passover, the sheaf of first-fruits was waved as
a thank-offering before the Lord.
Not until this was
presented, could the sickle be put to the grain, and it
be gathered into sheaves.
The sheaf dedicated to
God represented the harvest.
So Christ the first-
fruits represented the great spiritual harvest to be
gathered for the kingdom of God.
His resurrection
is the type and pledge of the resurrection of all the
righteous dead.
“ For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with Him.” 6
As Christ arose, He brought from the grave a mul
titude of captives.
The earthquake at His death had
rent open their graves, and when He arose, they came
forth with Him.
They were those who had been co
laborers with God, and who at the cost of their lives
had borne testimony to the truth.
Now they were to
* 1 Thess. 4:14.
9 4 4
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
be witnesses for Him who had raised them from the
dead.
During His ministry, Jesus had raised the dead to
life.
He had raised the son of the widow of Nain,
and the ruler’s daughter and Lazarus.
But these
were not clothed with immortality.
After they were
raised, they were still subject to death.
But those
who came forth from the grave at Christ’s resurrec
tion, were raised to everlasting life.
They ascended
with Him as trophies of His victory over death and
the grave.
These, said Christ, are no longer the cap
tives of Satan, I have redeemed them.
I have
brought them from the grave as the first-fruits of My
power, to be with Me where I am, never more to see
death or experience sorrow.
These went into the city, and appeared unto many,
declaring, Christ has risen from the dead, and we be
risen with Him.
Thus was immortalized the sacred
truth of the resurrection.
The risen saints bore wit
ness to the truth of the words, “ Thy dead men shall
live; together with My dead body shall they arise."
Their resurrection was an illustration of the fulfil
ment of the prophecy, “Awake and sing, ye that
dwell in dust; for thy dew.is as the dew of herbs, and
the earth shall cast out the dead.” 7
To the believer, Christ is the resurrection and the
life.
In our Saviour the life that was lost through
sin is restored; for He has life in Himself to quicken
whom He will.
He is invested with the right to give
immortality.
The life that He laid down in human
ity, He takes up again, and gives to humanity.
“ I
am come,” He said, “ that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly.”
“ Who
soever drinketh oi the water that I shall give him,
7 Isa. 26:19.
THE LORD IS RISEN.
9 4 5
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him
shall be in him a well of water springing up into ever
lasting life.”
“ Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh
My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at
the last day.” 3
To the believer, death is but a small matter.
Christ speaks of it as if it were of little moment.
“ If
a man keep My saying, he shall never see death,” “ he
shall never taste of death.”
To the Christian, death
is but a sleep, a moment of silence and darkness.
The life is hid with Christ in God, and “ when Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with Him in glory.”9
The voice that cried from the cross, “ It is finished,”
was heard among the dead.
It pierced the walls of
sepulchers, and
summoned
the sleepers to arise.
Thus will it be when the voice of Christ shall be
heard from heaven.
That voice will penetrate the
graves and unbar the tombs, and the dead in Christ
shall arise.
At the Saviour’s resurrection a few
graves were opened, but at His second coming all the
precious dead shall hear His voice, and shall come
forth to glorious, immortal life.
The same power
that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church,
and glorify it with Him, above all principalities, above
all powers; above every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in the world to come.
Bjohn 10:10; 4:14; 6:54.
‘ John 8:51, 52; Col. 3:4.
60
WHY WEEPEST THOU?
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO.
The women who had stood by the cross of Christ
waited and watched for the hours of the Sabbath to
pass.
On the first day of the week,1 very early, they
made their way to the tomb, taking with them pre
cious spices to anoint the Saviour’s body.
They did
not think about His rising from the dead.
The sun
of their hope had set, and night had settled down on
their hearts.
As they walked, they recounted Christ’s
works of mercy and His words of comfort.
But the>
remembered not His words, “ I will see you again.”2
Ignorant of what was even then taking place, they
drew near the garden, saying as they went, “ Who
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the
sepulcher?”
They knew that they could not remove
the stone, yet they kept on their way.
And lo, the
heavens were suddenly alight with glory that came
not from the rising sun.
The earth trembled.
They
saw that the great stone was rolled away.
The grave
was empty.
The women had not all come to the tomb from the
same direction.
Mary Magdalene was the first to
reach the place; and upon seeing that the stone was
removed, she hurried away to tell the disciples.
This chapter is based on Matt. 28:1, 5-8; Mark 16:1-8;
Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18.
1 See Appendix, Note 5.
JJohn 16:22.
(946)
WHY WEEPEST THOU?
947
Meanwhile the other women came up.
A light was
shining about the tomb, but the body of Jesus was
not there.
As they lingered about the place, sud
denly they saw that they were not alone.
A young
man clothed in shining garments was sitting by the
tomb.
It was the angel who had rolled away the
stone.
He had taken the guise of humanity that he
might not alarm these friends of Jesus.
Yet about
him the light of the heavenly glory was still shining,
and the women were afraid.
They turned to flee, but
the angel’s words stayed their steps.
“ Fear not ye,”
he said; “for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was
crucified.
He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.
Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go
quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from
the dead.”
Again they look into the tomb, and again
they hear the wonderful news.
Another angel in
human form is there, and he says, “W hy seek ye the
living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen;
remember how He spake unto you when He was yet
in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the
third day rise again.”
He is risen, He is risen!
The women repeat the
words again and again.
No need now for the anoint
ing spices.
The Saviour is living, and
not dead.
They remember now that when speaking of His death
He said that He would rise again.
What a day is this
to the world!
Quickly the women departed from the
sepulcher “with fear and great joy, and did run to
bring His disciples word.”
Mary had not heard the good news.
She went to
Peter and John with the sorrowful message, “ They
have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and
we know not where they have laid Him.”
The dis
948
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ciples hurried to the tomb, and found it as Mary had
said.
They saw the shroud and the napkin, but they
did not find their Lord.
Yet even here was testi
mony that He had risen.
The grave clothes were
not thrown heedlessly aside, but carefully folded, each
in a place by itself.
John “ saw and believed.”
He
did not yet understand the scripture that Christ must
rise from the dead; but he now remembered the Sa
viour’s words foretelling His resurrection.
It was Christ Himself who had placed those grave
clothes with such care.
When the mighty angel
came down to the tomb, he was joined by another,
who with his company had been keeping guard over
the Lord’s body.
As the angel from heaven rolled
away the stone, the other entered the tomb, and un
bound the wrappings from the body of Jesus.
But
it was the Saviour’s hand that folded each, and laid it
in its place.
In His sight who guides alike the star
and the atom, there is nothing unimportant.
Order
and perfection are seen in all His work.
Mary had followed John and Peter to the tomb;
when they returned to Jerusalem, she remained.
As
she looked into the empty tomb, grief filled her heart.
Looking in, she saw the two angels, one at the head
and the other at the foot where Jesus had lain.
“Woman, why weepest thou?” they asked her.
“ Be
cause they have taken away my Lord,” she answered,
“and I know not where they have laid Him.”
Then she turned away, even from the angels, think
ing that she must find, some one who could tell her
what had been done with the body of Jesus.
An
other voice addressed her, “ Woman, why weepest
thou? whom seekest
thou?”
Through
her tear-
dimmed eyes, Mary saw the form of a man, and think
ing that it was the gardener, she said, “ Sir, if thou
WHY WEEPEST THOU ?
9 4 9
have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid
Him, and I will take Him away.”
If this rich man’s
tomb was thought too honorable a burial-place for
Jesus, she herself would provide a place for Him.
There was a grave that Christ’s own voice had made
vacant, the grave where Lazarus had lain.
Might
she not there find a burial-place for her Lord?
She
felt that to care for His precious crucified body would
be a great consolation to her in her grief.
But now in His own familiar voice Jesus said to
her, “ Mary.”
Now she knew that it was not a
stranger who was addressing her, and turning she saw
before her the living Christ.
In her joy she forgot
that He had been crucified.
Springing toward Him,
as if to embrace His feet, she said, “ Rabboni.”
But
Christ raised His hand, saying, Detain Me not; “for
I am not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My
brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My
Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your
God.”
And Mary went her way to the disciples with
the joyful message.
Jesus refused to receive the homage of His people
until He had the assurance that His sacrifice was ac
cepted by the Father.
He ascended to the heavenly
courts, and from God Himself heard the assurance
that His atonement for the sins of men had been am
ple, that through His blood all might gain eternal life.
The Father ratified the covenant made with Christ,
that He would receive repentant and obedient men,
and wouKl love them even as He loves His Son.
Christ was to complete His work, and fulfil His pledge
to “ make a man more precious than fine gold; even
a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.”3
All power
in heaven and on earth was given to the Prince of
' Isa. 13:12.
95°
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Life, and He returned to His followers in a world of
sin, that He might impart to them of His power and
glory.
While the Saviour was in God’s presence, receiving
gifts for His church, the disciples thought upon His
empty tomb, and mourned and wept.
The day that
was a day of rejoicing to all heaven was to the dis
ciples a day of uncertainty, confusion, and perplexity.
Their unbelief in the testimony of the women gives
evidence of how low their faith had sunk.
The news
of Christ’s resurrection was so different from what
they had anticipated, that they could not believe it.
It was too good to be true, they thought.
They had
heard so much of the doctrines and the so-called
scientific theories of the Sadducees, that the impres
sion made on their minds in regard to the resurrection
was vague.
They scarcely knew what the resurrec
tion from the dead could mean.
They were unable
to take in the great subject.
“ Go your way,” the angels had said to the women,
“tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you
into Galilee; there shall ye see Him, as He said unto
you.”
These angels had been with Christ as guard
ian angels throughout His life on earth.
They had
witnessed His trial and crucifixion.
They had heard
His words to His disciples.
This was shown by their
message to the disciples, and should have convinced
them of its truth.
Such words could have come only
from the messengers of their risen Lord.
“Tell His disciples and Peter,” the angels said.
Since the death of Christ, Peter had been bowed down
with remorse.
His shameful denial of the Lord, and
the Saviour’s look of love and anguish, were ever be
fore him.
Of all the disciples he had suffered most
bitterly.
To him the assurance is given that his re
WHY WEEPEST THOU?
951
pentance is accepted and his sin forgiven. He is men
tioned by name.
“Tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before
you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him.”
All the
disciples had forsaken Jesus, and the call to meet Him
again includes them all.
He has not cast them off.
When Mary Magdalene told them she had seen the
Lord, she repeated the call to the meeting in Galilee.
And a third time the message was sent to them.
After He had ascended to the Father, Jesus appeared
to the other women, saying, “All hail.
And they
came and held Him by the feet, and worshiped Him.
Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid; go tell My
brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they
see Me.”
Christ’s first work on earth after His resurrection
was to convince His disciples of His undiminished
love and tender regard for them.
T o give them proof
that He was their living Saviour, that He had broken
the fetters of the tomb, and could no longer be held
by the enemy death; to reveal that He had the same
heart of love as when He was with them as their be
loved Teacher, He appeared to them again and again.
He would draw the bonds of love still closer around
them.
Go tell My brethren, He said, that they meet
Me in Galilee.
As they heard this appointment, so definitely given,
the disciples began to think of Christ’s words to them
foretelling His resurrection.
But even now they did
not rejoice.
They could not cast off their doubt and
perplexity.
Even when the women declared that they
had seen the Lord, the disciples would not believe.
They thought them under an illusion.
Trouble seemed crowding upon trouble.
On the
sixth day of the week they had seen their Master die;
952
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
on the first day of the next week they found them
selves deprived of His body, and they were accused
of having stolen it away for the sake of deceiving the
people.
They despaired of ever correcting the false
impressions that were gaining ground against them.
They feared the enmity of the priests and the wrath of
the people.. They longed for the presence of Jesus,
who had helped them in every perplexity.
Often they repeated the words, “ We trusted that it
had been He which should have redeemed Israel.”
Lonely and sick at heart they remembered His words,
“ If they do these things in a green tree, what shall
be done in the dry?” 1
They met together in the
upper chamber, and closed and fastened the doors,
knowing that the fate of their beloved Teacher might
at any time be theirs.
And all the time they might have been rejoicing in
the knowledge of a risen Saviour.
In the garden,
Mary had stood weeping, when Jesus was close beside
her.
Her eyes were so blinded by tears that she did
not discern Him.
And the hearts of the disciples
were so full of grief that they did not believe the an
gels’ message or the words of Christ Himself.
How many are still doing what these disciples did.
How many echo Mary’s despairing cry, “ They have
taken away the Lord,
.
.
.
and we know not
where they have laid Him.”
To how many might
the Saviour’s words be spoken, “ Why weepest thou?
whom seekest thou?”
He is close beside them, but
their tear-blinded eyes do not discern Him.
He
speaks to them, but they do not understand.
O that the bowed head might be lifted, that the eyes
might be opened to behold Him, that the ears might
listen to His voice!
“ Go quickly, and tell His dis-
4Luke 24:21; 23:31.
WHY WEEPEST THOU?
9 5 3
ciples that He is risen.”
Bid them look not to
Joseph’s new tomb, that was closed with a great
stone, and sealed with the. Roman seal.
Christ is not
there. Look not to the empty sepulcher.
Mourn not
as those who are hopeless and helpless.
Jesus lives,
and because He lives, we shall live also.
From grate
ful hearts, from lips touched with holy fire, let the
glad song ring out, Christ is risen!
He lives to make
intercession for us.
Grasp this hope, and it will hold
the soul like a sure, tried anchor.
Believe, and thou
shalt see the glory of God.
THE WALK TO EMMAUS.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE.
Late in the afternoon of the day of the resurrection,
two of the disciples were on their way to Emmaus, a
little town eight miles from Jerusalem.
These dis
ciples had had no prominent place in Christ’s work,
but they were earnest believers in Him.
They had
come to the city to keep the Passover, and were
greatly perplexed by the events that had recently
taken place.
They had heard the news of the morn
ing in regard to the removal of Christ’s body from the
tomb, and also the report of the women who had seen
the angels and had met Jesus.
They were now re
turning to their homes to meditate and pray.
Sadly
they pursued their evening walk, talking over the
scenes of the trial and the crucifixion.
Never before
had they been so utterly disheartened.
Hopeless and
faithless, they were walking in the shadow of the
cross.
They had not advanced far on their journey when
they were joined by a stranger, but they were so ab
sorbed in their gloom and disappointment that they
did not observe him closely.
They continued their
conversation, expressing the thoughts of their hearts.
They were reasoning in regard to the lessons that
Christ had given, which they seemed unable to com
prehend.
As they talked of the events that had taken
This chapter is based on Luke 24: 13-33.
( 954)
THE WALK TO EMMAUS.
9 5 5
place, Jesus longed to comfort them.
He had seen
their grief; He understood the conflicting, perplex
ing ideas that brought to their minds the thought,
Can this man, who suffered Himself to be so humili
ated, be the Christ?
Their grief could not be re
strained, and they wept.
Jesus knew that their hearts
were bound up with Him in love, and He longed to
wipe away their tears, and fill them with joy and glad
ness.
Rut He must first give them lessons they would
never forget.
“ He said unto them, What manner of communica
tions are these, that ye have one to another, as yc
walk, and are sad?
And the one of them, whose
name was Clecpas, answering said unto Him, Art
Thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not
known the things which are come to pass there in
these days.1"’
t hey told Him of their disappointment
in regard to their Master, “ which was a prophet
mighty in deed and word before God and all the peo
ple;” but “the chief priests and our rulers,” they said,
“ delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have
crucified Him.”
With hearts sore with disappoint
ment, and with quivering lips, they added, “ We
trusted that it had been He which should have re
deemed Israel.
And beside all this, to-day is the
third day since these things wrere done.”
Strange that the disciples did not remember Christ’s
wfords, and realize that He had foretold the events
which had come to pass.
1'hey did not realize that
the last part of His disclosure would be just as verily
fulfilled as the first part, that the third day He would
rise again.
This was the part they should have re
membered.
The priests and rulers did not forget this.
On the day “that followed the day of the preparation,
the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto
95&
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver
said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will
rise again.”1
But the disciples did not remember
these words.
‘‘Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken;
ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to
enter into His glory?"’
The disciples wondered who
this stranger could be, that He should penetrate to
their very souls, and speak with such earnestness, ten
derness, and sympathy, and with such hopefulness.
For the first time since Christ’s betrayal, they began
to feel hopeful.
Often they looked earnestly at their
companion, and thought that His words were just the
words that Christ would have spoken.
They were
filled with amazement, and their hearts began to throb
with joyful expectation.
Beginning at Moses, the very Alpha of Bible his
tory, Christ expounded in all the Scriptures the
things concerning Himself.
Had He first made Him
self known to them, their hearts would have been
satisfied.
In the fulness of their joy they would have
hungered for nothing more.
But it was necessary for
them to understand the witness borne to Him by the
types and prophecies of the Old Testament.
Upon
these their faith must be established.
Christ per
formed no miracle to convince them, but it was His
first work to explain the Scriptures.
They had looked
upon His death as the destruction of all their hopes.
Now He showed from the prophets that this was the
very strongest evidence for their faith.
In teaching these disciples, Jesus showed the im
portance of the Old Testament as a witness to His
mission.
Man}r professed Christians now discard the
1 Matt. 27:62, 63.
THE WALK TO EMMAUS.
9 5 7
Old Testament, claiming that it is no longer of any
use.
But such is not Christ’s teaching.
So highly
did He value it, that at one time He said, “ If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be
persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” 2
It is the voice of Christ that speaks through patri
archs and prophets, from the days of Adam even to
the closing scenes of time.
The Saviour is revealed
in the Old Testament as clearly as in the New.
It is
the light from the prophetic past that brings out the
life of Christ and the teachings of the New Testament
with clearness and beauty.
The miracles of Christ
are a proof of His divinity; but a stronger proof that
He is the world’s Redeemer is found in comparing
the prophecies of the Old Testament with the history
of the New.
Reasoning from prophecy, Christ gave His dis
ciples a correct idea of what He was to be in human
ity.
Their expectation of a Messiah who was to take
His throne and kingly power in accordance with the
desires of men, had been misleading.
It would
interfere with a correct apprehension of His descent
from the highest to the lowest position that could be
occupied.
Christ desired that the ideas of His dis
ciples might be pure and true in every specification.
They must understand as far as possible in regard to
the cup of suffering that had been apportioned to
Him.
He showed them that the awful conflict which
they could not yet comprehend, was the fulfilment of
the covenant made before the foundation of the world
was laid.
Christ must die, as every transgressor of
tfre law must die if he continues in sin.
All this was
to be, but it was not to end in defeat, but in glorious,
eternal victory.
Jesus told them that every effort
2 Luke 16:31.
95«
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
must be made to save the world from sin.
His fol
lowers must live as He lived, and work as He worked,
with intense, persevering effort.
Thus Christ discoursed to His disciples, opening
their minds that they might understand the Scrip
tures.
The disciples were weary, but the conversa
tion did not flag.
Words of life and assurance fell
from the Saviour's lips.
But still their eyes were
holden.
As He told them of the overthrow of Jeru
salem, they looked upon the doomed city with weep
ing.
But little did they yet suspect who their travel
ing companion was.
They did not think that the sub
ject of their conversation was walking by their side;
for Christ referred to Himself as though He were
another person.
They thought that He was one of
those who had been in attendance at the great feast,
and who was now returning to his home.
He walked
as carefully as they over the rough stones, now and
then halting with them for a little rest.
Thus they
proceeded along the mountainous road, while the
One who was soon to take His position at God’s
right hand, and who could say, “All power is given
unto Me in heaven and in earth,” 3 walked beside
them.
During the journey the sun had gone down, and
before the travelers reached their place of rest, the
laborers in the fields had left their work.
As the dis
ciples were about to enter their home, the stranger
appeared as though He would continue His journey.
But the disciples felt drawn to Him.
Their souls
hungered to hear more from Him.
“Abide with us,”
they said.
He did not seem to accept the invitation,
but they pressed it upon Him, urging, “ It is toward
evening, and the day is far spent.”
Christ yielded to
this entreaty and, “went in to tarry with them.”
3 Matt. 28:18.
THE WALK TO EMMAUS.
959
Had the disciples failed to press their invitation,
they would not have known that their traveling com
panion was the risen Lord.
Christ never forces His
company upon any one.
He interests Himself in
those who need Him.
Gladly will He enter the hum
blest home, and cheer the lowliest heart.
But if men
are too indifferent to think of the heavenly guest, or
ask Him to abide with them, He passes on.
Thus
many meet with great loss.
They do not know Christ
any more than did the disciples as He walked with
them by the way.
The simple evening meal of bread is soon prepared.
It is placed before the guest, who has taken His seat
at the head of the table.
Now He puts forth His
hands to bless the food.
The disciples start back in
astonishment.
Their companion spreads forth His
hands in exactly the same way as their Master used
to do.
They look again, and lo, they see in His hands
the print of nails.
Both exclaim at once, It is the
Lord Jesus!
hie has risen from the dead!
They rise to cast themselves at His feet and worship
Him, but He has vanished out of their sight.
They
look at the place which had been occupied by One
whose body had lately lain in the grave, and say to
each other, “ Did not our heart burn within us, while
He talked with us by the way, and while He opened
to us the Scriptures?”
But with this great news to communicate they can
not sit and talk.
Their weariness and hunger are
gone.
They leave their meal untasted, and full of
joy immediately set out again on the same path by
which they came, hurrying to tell the tidings to the
disciples in the city.
In some parts the road is not
safe, but they climb over the steep places, slipping on
the smooth rocks.
They do not see, they do not
960
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
know, that they have the protection of Him who has
traveled the foad with them.
W ith their pilgrim staff
in hand, they press on, desiring to go faster than they
dare.
They lose their track, but find it again.
Some
times running, sometimes stumbling, they press for
ward, their unseen companion close beside them all
the way.
The night is dark, but the Sun of Righteousness is
shining upon them.
Their hearts leap for joy.
They
seem to be in a new world.
Christ is a living Sa
viour.
They no longer mourn over Him as dead.
Christ is risen—over and over again they repeat it.
This is the message they are carrying to the sorrow
ing ones.
They must tell them the wonderful story
of the walk to Emmaus.
They must tell who joined
them by the way.
They carry the greatest message
ever given to the world, a message of glad tidings
upon which the hopes of the human family for time
and for eternity depend.
PEACE BE UNTO YOU.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR.
On reaching Jerusalem the two disciples enter at
the eastern gate, which is open at night on festal
occasions.
The houses are dark and silent, but the
travelers make their way through the narrow streets
by the light of the rising moon.
They go to the
upper chamber, where Jesus spent the hours of the
last evening before His death.
Here they know that
their brethren are to be found.
Late as it is, they
know that the disciples will not sleep till they learn
for a certainty what has become of the body of their
Lord.
They find the door of the chamber securely
barred.
They knock for admission, but no answer
comes.
All is still.
Then they give their names.
The door is carefully unbarred, they enter, and An
other, unseen, enters with them.
Then the door is
again fastened, to keep out spies.
The travelers find all in surprised excitement.
The
voices of those in the room break out into thanks
giving and praise, saying, “ The Lord'is risen indeed,
and hath appeared to Simon.”
Then the two travel
ers, panting with the haste with which they have made
their journey, tell the wondrous story of how Jesus
has appeared to them.
They have just ended, and
some are saying that they cannot believe it, for it is
too good to be true, when behold, another person
This chapter is based on Luke 24:33-48; John 20:19-29.
61
(961)
962
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
stands before them.
Every eye is fastened upon the
stranger.
No one has knocked for entrance.
No
footstep has been heard.
The disciples are startled,
and wonder what it means.
Then they hear a voice
which is no other than the voice of their Master.
Clear and distinct the words fall from His lips, “ Peace
be unto you.”
“ But they were terrified and affrighted, and sup
posed that they had seen a spirit.
And He said unto
them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts
arise in your hearts?
Behold My hands and My feet,
that it is I Myself; handle Me and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.
And
when He had thus spoken, He showed them His
hands and His feet.”
They beheld the hands and feet marred by the
cruel nails.
They recognized His voice, like no other
they had ever heard.
“And while they yet believed
not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have
ye here any meat?
And they give Him a piece of a
broiled fish and of an honeycomb.
And He took it,
and did eat before them.”
“Then were the disciples
glad when they saw the Lord.”
Faith and joy
took the place of unbelief, and with feelings which no
words could express they acknowledged their risen
Saviour.
At the birth pf Jesus the angel announced, Peace
on earth, and good will to men.
And now at His first
appearance to the disciples after His resurrection,
the Saviour addressed them with the blessed words,
“ Peace be unto you.”
Jesus is ever ready to speak
peace to souls that are burdened with doubts and
fears.
He waits for us to open the door of the heart
to Him, and say, Abide with us.
He says, “ Behold,
1 stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear My
PEACE BE UNTO YOU.
963
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
sup with him, and he with Me.” 1
The resurrection of Jesus was a type of the final
resurrection of all who sleep in Him.
The counte
nance of the risen Saviour, His manner, His speech
were all familiar to His disciples.
As Jesus 'arose
Irom the dead, so those who sleep in Him are to rise
again.
\\ e shall know our friends, even as the dis
ciples knew Jesus.
They may have been deformed
diseased, or disfigured, in this mortal life, and thev
rise m perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glori-
fied body their identity will be perfectly preserved,
i hen shall we know even as also we are known.2
In
the face radiant with the light shining from the face
ot Jesus, we shall recognize the lineaments of those
we love.
When Jesus met with His disciples, He reminded
them of the words He had spoken to them before
His death, that all things must be fulfilled which were
written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and
m the Psalms concerning Him.
“Then opened He
their understanding, that they might understand the
Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written
and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from
the dead the third day; and that repentance and
1 emission of sins should be preached in His name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
And ve
are witnesses of these things.”
The disciples began to realize the nature and extent
of their work
They were to proclaim to the world
the wonderful truths which Christ had entrusted to
them.
The events of His life, His death and resu °
rection, the prophecies that pointed to these events
the sacredness of the law of God, the mysteries of the
‘ Rev. 3:20.
81 Cor. 13:12.
964
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
plan of salvation, the power of Jesus for the remis
sion of sins,— to all these things they were witnesses,
and they were to make them known to the world.
They were to proclaim the gospel of peace and salva
tion through repentance and the power of the Saviour.
“And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto
them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are
retained.”
The Holy Spirit was not yet fully mani
fested; for Christ had not yet been glorified.
The
more abundant impartation of the Spirit did not take
place till after Christ’s ascension.
Not until this was
received could the disciples fulfil the commission to
preach the gospel to the world.
But the Spirit was
now given for a special purpose.
Before the disciples
could fulfil their official duties in connection with the
church, Christ breathed His Spirit upon them.
He
was committing to them a most sacred trust, and He
desired to impress them with the fact that without the
Holy Spirit this work could not be accomplished.
The Holy Spirit is the breath of spiritual life in the
soul.
The impartation of the Spirit is the imparta
tion of the life of Christ.
It imbues the receiver with
the attributes of Christ.
Only those who are thus
taught of God, those who possess the inward working
of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is mani
fested, are to stand as representative men, to minister
in behalf of the church.
“Whose soever sins ye remit,” said Christ, “they
are remitted;
.
.
.
and whose soever sins ye
retain, they are retained.”
Christ here gives no lib
erty for any man to pass judgment upon others.
In
the sermon on the mount He forbade this.
It is the
prerogative of God.
But on the church in its organ-
PEACE BE UNTO YOU.
96 5
ized capacity He places a responsibility for the indi
vidual members.
Toward those who fall into sin,
the church has a duty, to warn, to instruct, and if
possible to restore.
“ Reprove, rebuke, exhort,” the
Lord says, “with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
Deal faithfully with wrong-doing.
Warn every soul
that is in danger.
Leave none to deceive themselves.
Call sin by its right name. Declare what God has said
in regard to lying, Sabbath-breaking, stealing, idola
try, and every other evil. “They which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” 4
If they per
sist in sin, the judgment you have declared from
God’s word is pronounced upon them in heaven.
In
choosing to sin, they disown Christ; the church must
show that she does not sanction their deeds, or she
herself dishonors her Lord.
She must say about sin
what God says about it.
She must deal with it as
God directs, and her action is ratified in heaven.
He
who despises the authority of the church, despises the
authority of Christ Himself.
But there is a brighter side to the picture. “Whose
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted.”
Let this
thought be kept uppermost.
In labor for the erring,
let every eye be directed to Christ.
Let the shep
herds have a tender care for the flock of the Lord’s
pasture.
Let them speak to the erring of the forgiv
ing mercy of the Saviour.
Let them encourage the
sinner to repent, and believe in Him who can pardon.
Let them declare, on the authority of God’s word, “ If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all' unrighteous
ness.”5
All who repent have the assurance, “ He will
have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniqui
ties; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths
of the sea.” 0
3 2 Tim. 4:2. 4Gal. 5:21. 5i John 1:9. «Micah 7:19.
966
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Let the repentance of the sinner be accepted by the
church with grateful hearts.
Let the repenting one
be led out from the darkness of unbelief, into the light
of faith and righteousness.
Let his trembling hand
be placed in the loving hand of Jesus.
Such a remis
sion is ratified in heaven.
Only in this sense has the church power to absolve
the sinner.
Remission of sins can be obtained only
through the merits of Christ.
To no man, to no body
of men, is given power to free the soul from guilt.
Christ charged His disciples to preach the remission
of sins in His name among all nations; but they them
selves were not empowered to remove one stain of
sin.
The name of Jesus is the only “ name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.”7
When Jesus first met the disciples in the upper
chamber, Thomas was not with them.
He heard the
reports of the others, and received abundant proof
that Jesus had risen; but gloom and unbelief filled his
heart.
As he heard the disciples tell of the wonder
ful manifestations of the risen Saviour, it only
plunged him in deeper despair.
If Jesus had really
risen from the dead, there could be no further hope of
a literal earthly kingdom.
And it wounded his van
ity to think that his Master should reveal Himself to
all the disciples except him.
He was determined not
to believe, and for a whole week he brooded over his
wretchedness, which seemed all the darker in contrast
with the hope and faith of his brethren.
During this time he repeatedly declared, “ Except
I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and
put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust
my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
He would
7 Acts 4:12.
PEACE BE UNTO YOU.
967
not see through the eyes of his brethren, or exercise
faith which was dependent upon their testimony.
He
ardently loved His Lord,, but he had allowed jealousy
and unbelief to take possession of his mind and heart.
A number of the disciples now made the familiar up
per chamber their temporary home, and at evening all
except Thomas gathered here.
One evening Thomas
determined to meet with the others.
Notwithstand
ing his unbelief, he had a faint hope that the good
news was true.
While the disciples were taking their
evening meal, they talked of the evidences which
Christ had given them in the prophecies.
“Then
came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the
midst, and said, Peace be unto you.”
Turning to Thomas He said, “Reach hither thy
finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into My side; and be not faithless,
but believing.”
These words showed that He was
acquainted with the thoughts and words of Thomas.
The doubting disciple knew that none of his com
panions had seen Jesus for a week.
They could not
have told the Master of his unbelief.
He recognized
the One before him as his Lord.
He had no desire
for further proof.
His heart leaped for joy, and he
cast himself at the feet of Jesus crying, “ My Lord
and my God!”
Jesus accepted his acknowledgment, but gently
reproved his unbelief:
“Thomas, because thou hast
seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that
have not seen, and yet have believed.”
The faith of
Thomas would have been more pleasing to Christ if
he had been willing to believe upon the testimony of
his brethren.
Should the world now follow the ex
ample of Thomas, no one would believe unto salva
tion; for all who receive Christ must do so through
the testimony of others.
968
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
Many who are given to doubt excuse themselves by
saying that if they had the evidence which Thomas
had from his companions, they would believe.
They
do pot realize that they have not only that evidence,
but much more.
Many who, like Thomas, wait for
all cause of doubt to be removed, will never realize
their desire.
They gradually become confirmed in
unbelief.
Those who educate themselves to look
on the dark side, and murmur and complain, know
not what they do.
They are sowing the seeds of
doubt, and they will have a harvest of doubt to reap.
At a time when faith and confidence are most essen
tial, many will thus find themselves powerless to hope
and believe.
In His treatment of Thomas, Jesus gave a lesson
for His followers. His example shows how we should
treat those whose faith is weak, and who make their
doubts prominent.
Jesus did not overwhelm Thomas
with reproach, nor did He enter into controversy with
him.
He revealed Himself to the doubting one.
Thomas had been most unreasonable in dictating the
conditions of his faith, but Jesus, by His generous
love and consideration, broke down all the barriers.
Unbelief is seldom overcome by controversy.
It is
rather put upon self-defense, and finds new support
and excuse.
But let Jesus, in His love and mercy, be
revealed as the crucified Saviour, and from many
once unwilling lips will be heard the acknowledgment
of Thomas, “ My Lord and my God."
BY THE SEA ONCE MORE.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE.
Jesus had appointed to meet His disciples in Gal
ilee; and soon after the Passover week was ended,
they bent their steps thither.
Their absence from
Jerusalem during the feast, would have, been inter
preted as disaffection and heresy, therefore they re
mained till its close; but this over, they gladly turned
homeward to meet the Saviour as He had directed.
Seven of the disciples were in company. They were
clad in the humble garb of fishermen; they were poor
in worldly goods, but rich in the knowledge and prac
tise of the truth, which in the sight of Heaven gave
them the highest rank as teachers.
They had not
been students in the schools of the prophets, but for
three years they had been taught by the greatest edu
cator the world has ever known.
Under His in
struction they had become elevated, intelligent, and
refined, agents through whom men might be led to a
knowledge'of the truth.
Much of the time of Christ’s ministry had been
passed near the Sea of Galilee.
As the disciples
gathered in a place where they were not likely to be
disturbed, they found themselves surrounded by re
minders of Jesus and His mighty works.
On this
sea, when their hearts were filled with terror, and the
fierce storm was hurrying them to destruction, Jesus
This chapter is based on John 21:1-22.
(969)
970
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
had walked upon the billows to their rescue.
Here
the tempest had been hushed by His word.
Within
sight was the beach where above ten thousand per
sons had been fed from a few small loaves and fishes.
Not far distant was Capernaum, the scene of so many
miracles.
As the disciples looked upon the scene,
their minds were full of the words and deeds of their
Saviour.
The evening was pleasant, and Peter, who still had
much of his old love for boats and fishing, proposed
that they should go out upon the sea and cast their
nets.
In this plan all were ready to join; they were in
need of food and clothing, which the proceeds of a
successful night’s fishing would supply.
So they
went out in their boat, but they caught nothing.
All
night they toiled, without success.
Through the
weary hours they talked of their absent Lord, and re-'
called the wonderful events they had witnessed in His
ministry beside the sea.
They questioned as to their
own future, and grew sad at the prospect before them.
All the while a lone watcher upon the shore fol
lowed them with His eye, while He Himself was un
seen.
At length the morning dawned.
The boat
was but a little way from the shore, and the disciples
saw a stranger standing upon the beach, who ac
costed them with the question, “ Children, have ye any
meat?”
When they- answered, “ No,” “ He said unto
them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and
ye shall find.
They cast therefore, and now they were
not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”
John recognized the stranger, and exclaimed to
Peter:
“ It is the Lord.”
Peter was so elated and so
glad that in his eagerness he cast himself into the
water and was soon standing by the side of his Master.
The other disciples came in their boat, dragging the
BY THE SEA ONCE MORE.
971
net with fishes.
“As soon as they were come to land,
they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon
and bread.”
They were too much amazed to question whence
came the fire and the food.
“Jesus saith unto them,
Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.” Peter
rushed for the net, which he had dropped, and helped
his brethren drag it to the shore.
After the work was
done, and the preparation made, Jesus bade the dis
ciples come and dine.
He broke the food, and di
vided it among them, and was known and acknowl
edged by all the seven.
The miracle of feeding the
five thousand on the mountain-side was now brought
to their minds; but a mysterious awe was upon them,
and in silenefi they gazed upon the risen Saviour.
Vividly they recalled the scene beside the sea when
Jesus had bidden them follow Him.
They remem
bered how, at His command, they had launched out
into the deep, and had let down their net, and the
catch had been so abundant as to fill the net, even to
breaking.
Then Jesus had called them to leave their
fishing boats, and had promised to make them fishers
of men.
It was to bring this scene to their minds,
and to deepen its impression, that He had again per
formed the miracle.
His act was a renewal of the
commission to the disciples.
It showed them that
the death of their Master had not lessened their obli
gation to do the work He had assigned them.
Though they were to be deprived of His personal
companionship, and of the means of support by their
former employment, the risen Saviour would still
have a care for them.
While they were doing His
work, He would provide for their needs.
And Jesus
had a purpose in bidding them cast their net on the
right side of the ship.
On that side He stood upon
9 7 2
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
the shore.
That was the side of faith.
If they la
bored in connection with Him,— His divine power
combining with their human effort,—they could not
fail of success.
Another lesson Christ had to give, relating es
pecially to Peter.
Peter’s denial of his Lord had
been in shameful contrast to his former professions
of loyalty.
He had dishonored Christ, and had in
curred the distrust of his brethren.
They thought he
would not be allowed to take his former position
among them, and he himself felt that he had forfeited
his trust.
Before being called to take up again his
apostolic work, he must before them all give evidence
of his repentance.
Without this, his sin, though re
pented of, might have destroyed his influence as a
minister of Christ.
The Saviour gave him opportu
nity to regain the confidence of his brethren, and, so
far as possible, to remove the reproach he had
brought upon the gospel.
Here is given a lesson for all Christs followers.
The gospel makes no compromise with evil.
It can
not excuse sin.
Secret sins are to be confessed in
secret to God; but for open sin, open confession is
required.
The reproach of the disciple’s sin is cast
upon Christ.
It causes Satan to triumph, and wav
ering souls to stumble.
By giving proof of repent
ance, the disciple, so far as lies in his power, is to
remove this reproach.
While Christ and the disciples were eating together
by the seaside, the Saviour said to Peter,
Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?” re
ferring to his brethren.
Peter had once declared,
“ Though all men shall be offended because of Thee,
yet will I never be offended.” 1
But he now put a
1 Matt. 26:33.
BY THE SEA ONCE MORE.
973
truer estimate upon himself.
“ Yea, Lord,” he said,
“ Thou knowest that I love Thee.”
There is no ve
hement assurance that his love is greater than that of
his brethren.
He does not express his own opinion
of his devotion.
To Him who can read all the mo
tives of the heart he appeals to judge as to his sincer
ity,— “Thou knowest that I love Thee.”
And Jesus
bids him, “ Feed My lambs.”
Again Jesus applied the test to Peter, repeating
His former words:
“ Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou Me?”
This time He did not ask Peter whether
he loved Him better than did his brethren.
The sec
ond response was like the first, free from extravagant
assurance: “ Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love
Thee.”
Jesus said to him, “ Feed My sheep.”
Once
more the Saviour put the trying question: “ Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?”
Peter was grieved;
he thought that Jesus doubted his love.
He knew
that his Lord had cause to distrust him, and with an
aching heart he answered, “ Lord, Thou knowest all
things; Thou knowest that I love Thee.”
Again
Tesus said to him, “ Feed My sheep.”
Three times Peter had openly denied his Lord, and
three times Jesus drew from him the assurance of his
love and loyalty, pressing home that pointed question,
like a barbed arrow to his wounded heart.
Before
the assembled disciples Jesus revealed the depth of
Peter’s repentance, and showed how thoroughly hum
bled was the once boasting disciple.
Peter was naturally forward and impulsive, and
Satan had taken advantage of these characteristics
to overthrow him.
Just before the fall of Peter, Jesus
had said to him, “ Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art con
974
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
verted, strengthen thy brethren.” 2
That time had
now come, and the transformation in Peter was evi
dent.
The close, testing questions of the Lord had
not called out one forward, self-sufficient reply; and
because of his humiliation and repentance, Peter was
better prepared than ever before to act as shepherd
to the flock.
Ih e first work that Christ entrusted to Peter on
restoring him to the ministry was to feed the lambs.
This was a work in which Peter had little experience.
It would require great care and tenderness, much
patience and perseverance.
It called him to minis
ter to those who were young in the faith, to teach
the ignorant, to open the Scriptures to them, and to
educate them for usefulness in Christ’s service. Here
tofore Peter had not been fitted to do this, or even to
understand its importance.
But this was the work
which Jesus now called upon him to do.
For this
work his own experience of suffering and repentance
had prepared him.
Before his fall, Peter was always speaking unad
visedly, from the impulse of the moment.
He was
always ready to correct others, and to express his
mind, before he had a clear comprehension of himself
or of what he had to say.
But the converted Peter
was very different.
He retained his former fervor,
but the grace of Christ regulated his zeal.
He was
no longer impetuous, self-confident, and self-exalted,
but calm, self-possessed, and teachable.
He could
then feed the lambs as well as the sheep of Christ’s
tlock.
The Saviour’s manner of dealing with Peter had a
lesson for him and for his brethren.
It taught them
to meet the transgressor with patience, sympathy, and
2 Luke 22:31, 32.
BY THE SEA ONCE MORE.
975
forgiving love.
Although Peter had denied his Lord,
the love which Jesus bore him never faltered.
Just
such love should the under-shepherd feel for the sheep
and lambs committed to his care.
Remembering
his own weakness and failure, Peter was to deal with
his flock as tenderly as Christ had dealt with him.
The question that Christ had put to Peter was sig
nificant.
He mentioned only one condition of disci-
pleship and service.
“ Lovest thou M e?” He said.
This is the essential qualification.
Though 'Peter
might possess every other, yet without the love of
Christ he could not be a faithful shepherd over the
Lord s flock.
Knowledge, benevolence, eloquence,
gratitude, and zeal are all aids in the good work; but
without the love of Jesus in the heart, the work of the
Christian minister is a failure.
Jesus walked alone with Peter, for there was some
thing which He wished to communicate to him only.
Before His death, Jesus had said to him, “Whither
I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but thou shalt
follow Me afterward.”
To this Peter had replied,
“ Lord,, why cannot I follow Thee now?
I will lay
down my life for Thy sake.”3
When he said this, he
little knew to what heights and depths Christ’s feet
would lead the way.
Peter had failed when the test
came, but again he was to have opportunity to
prove his love for Christ.
That he might be strength
ened for the final test of his faith, the Saviour opened
to him his future.
He told him that after living a life
of usefulness, when age was telling upon his strength,
he would indeed follow his Lord.
Jesus said, “ When
thou was young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst
whither thou wouldst; but when thou shalt be old,
thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall
3 John 13:36, 37.
976
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldst not.
This spake He, signifying by what death he should
glorify God.”
Jesus thus made known to Peter the very manner
of his death; he even foretold the stretching forth of
his hands upon the cross.
Again He bade His dis
ciple, “ Follow Me.”
Peter was not disheartened by
the revelation.
He felt willing to suffer any death
for his Lord.
Heretofore Peter had known Christ after the flesh,
as many know Him now; but he was no more to be
thus limited.
He knew Him no more as he had
known Him in his association with Him in humanity.
He had loved Him as a man, as a heaven-sent teacher;
he now loved Him as God.
He had been learning
the lesson that to him Christ was all in all.
Now he
was prepared to share in his Lord’s mission of sac
rifice.
When at last brought to the cross, he was, at
his own request, crucified with his head downward.
He thought it too great an honor to suffer in the
same way as his Master did.
To Peter the words “ Follow Me” were full of in
struction.
Not only for his death, but for every step
of his life, was the lesson given.
Hitherto Peter had
been inclined to act independently.
He had tried to
plan for the work of God, instead of waiting to follow
out God’s plan.
But he could gain nothing by rush
ing on before the Lord.
Jesus bids him, “ Follow
Me.”
Do not run ahead of Me.
Then you will not
have the hosts of Satan to meet alone.
Let Me go
before you, and you will not be overcome by the
enemy.
As Peter walked beside Jesus, he saw that John was
following.
A desire came over him to know his fu
ture, and he “saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this
BY THE SEA ONCE MORE.
man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry
till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me.”
.Peter should have considered that his Lord would
ieveal to him all that was best for him to know.
It is the duty of every one to follow Christ, without
undue anxiety as to the work assigned to others.
In
saying of John, “ If I will that he tarry till I come,”
Jesus gave no assurance that this disciple should live
until the Lord's second coming.
He merely asserted
His own supreme power, and that even if He should
will this to be so, it would in no way affect Peter’s
work.
The future of both John and Peter was in
the hands of their Lord.
Obedience in following
Him was the duty required of each.
How many to-day are like Peter.
They are inter
ested in the affairs of others, and anxious to know’
their duty, while they are in danger of neglecting
their own.
It is our work to look to Christ and fol
low Him.
W e shall see mistakes in the lives of
others, and defects in their character.
Humanity is
encompassed with infirmity.
But in Christ we shall
find perfection.
Beholding Him, we shall become
transformed.
John lived to be very aged.
He witnessed the de
struction of Jerusalem, and the ruin of the stately tem
ple,— a symbol of the final ruin of the world.
To his
latest days John closely followed his Lord.
The bur
den of his testimony to the churches was, “ Beloved,
let us love one another;” “he that dwelleth in love,
dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 4
Peter had been restored to his apostleship, but the
honor and authority he received from Christ had not
given him supremacy over his brethren.
This Christ
had made plain when in answer to Peter’s question,
* r John 4:7, 16.
62
977
“What shall this man do?” He had said, “ What is
that to thee? follow thou Me.”
Peter was not hon
ored as the head of the church.
The favor which
Christ had shown him in forgiving his apostasy, and
entrusting him with the feeding of the flock, and
Peter’s own faithfulness in following Christ, won for
him the confidence of his brethren.
He had much
influence in the church.
But the lesson which Christ
had taught him by the Sea of Galilee Peter carried
with him throughout his life.
Writing by the Holy
Spirit to the churches, he said:—
“The elders which are among you I exhort, who
am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being
ensamples to the flock.
And when the Chief Shep
herd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away.” 8
51 Peter 5:1-4.
978
TH E D ESIR E OF AGES.
GO TEACH ALL NATIONS.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX.
Standing but a step from His heavenly throne,
Christ gave the commission to His disciples.
“All
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth,” He
said.
“ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
“ Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature.” 1
Again and again the words were re
peated, that the disciples might grasp their signifi
cance.
Upon all the inhabitants of the earth, high
and low, rich and poor, was the light of heaven to
shine in clear, strong rays.
The disciples were to be
co-laborers with their Redeemer in the work of saving
the world.
The commission had been given to the twelve when
Christ met with them in the upper chamber; but it
was now to be given to a larger number. At the meet
ing on a mountain in Galilee, all the believers who
could be called together were assembled.
Of this
meeting Christ Himself, before His death, had desig
nated the time and place.
The angel at the tomb re
minded the disciples of His promise to meet them in
Galilee.
The promise was repeated to the believers
who were gathered at Jerusalem during the Passover
week, and through them it reached many lonely ones
who were mourning the death of their Lord.
With
This chapter is based on Matt. 28:16-20.
1 Mark 16:15.
( 9 7 9 )
980
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
intense interest all looked forward to the interview.
They made their way to the place of meeting by cir
cuitous routes, coming in from every direction, to
avoid exciting the suspicion of the jealous Jews.
With wondering hearts the^ came, talking earnestly
together of the news that had reached them concern
ing Christ.
At the time appointed, about five hundred believers
were collected in little knots on the mountain-side,
eager to learn all that could be learned from those
who had seen Christ since His resurrection.
From
group to group the disciples passed, telling all they
had seen and heard of Jesus, and reasoning from the
Scriptures as He had done with them.
Thomas re
counted the story of his unbelief, and told how his
doubts had been swept away.
Suddenly Jesus stood
among them.
No one could tell whence or how He
came.
Many who were present had never before
seen Him; but in His hands and feet they beheld the
marks of the crucifixion; His countenance was as the
face of God, and when they saw Him, they worshiped
, Him.
But some doubted.
So it will always be.
There
are those who find it hard to exercise faith, and they
place themselves on the doubting side.
These lose
much because of their unbelief.
This was the only interview that Jesus, had with
many of the believers after His resurrection.
He
came and spoke to them saying, “ All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth.”
The disciples had
worshiped Him before He spoke, but His words, fall
ing from lips that had been closed in death, thrilled
them with peculiar power.
He was now the risen
Saviour.
Many of them had seen Him exercise His
power in healing the sick and controlling Satanic
G O T E A C H A L L N A T IO N S .
agencies.
They believed that He possessed power to
set up His kingdom at Jerusalem, power to quell all
opposition, power over the elements of nature.
He
had stilled the angry waters; He had walked upon the
white-crested billows; He had raised the dead to life.
Now He declared that “ all power” was given to Him.
H is words carried the minds of His hearers above
earthly and temporal things to the heavenly and eter
nal.
They were lifted to the highest conception of
His dignity and glory.
Christ’s words on the mountain-side were the an
nouncement that His sacrifice in behalf of man was
full and complete.
The conditions of the atonement
had been fulfilled; the work for which He came to
this world had been accomplished.
H e was on His
way to the throne of God, to be honored by angels,
principalities, and powers.
He had entered upon His
mediatorial work.
Clothed with boundless authority,
He gave His commission to the disciples: “ Go ve
therefore, and teach all nations,” “ baptizing them
into the name of the P'ather, and of the Son, and of
the H oly Ghost: teaching them to observe all things,
whatsoever I commanded you; and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world.”2
The Jewish people had been made the depositaries
of sacred truth; but Pharisaism had made them the
most exclusive, the most bigoted of all the human
race.
Everything about the priests and rulers,— their
dress, customs, ceremonies, traditions,— made them
unfit to be the light of the world.
They looked upon
themselves, the Jewish nation, as the world.
But
Christ commissioned His disciples to proclaim a faith
and worship that would have in it nothing of caste
or country, a faith that would be adapted to all peo
ples, all nations, all classes of men.
2 R. V.
981
Before leaving His disciples, Christ plainly stated
the nature of His kingdom.
He called to their minds
what He had previously told them concerning it
He
declared that it was not His purpose to establish in
this world a temporal, but a spiritual kingdom.
He
was not to reign as an earthly king on David's throne.
Again He opened to them the Scriptures, showing
that all He had passed through had been ordained in
heaven, in the councils between the Father and Him
self.
All had been foretold by men inspired by the
Holy Spirit.
He said, You see that all I have re
vealed to you concerning My rejection as the Mes
siah has come to pass.
All I have said in regard to
the humiliation I should endure and the death I should
die, has been verified.
On the third day I rose again.
Search the Scriptures more diligendy, and you will
see that in all these things the specifications of proph
ecy concerning Me have been fulfilled.
Christ commissioned His disciples to do the work
He had left in their hands, beginning at Jerusalem.
Jerusalem had been the scene of His amazing conde
scension for the human race. There He had suffered,
been rejected and condemned.
The land of Judea
was His birthplace.
There, clad in the garb of
humanity, He had walked with men, and few had
discerned how near heaven came to the earth when
Jesus was among them.
At Jerusalem the work of
the disciples must begin.
In view of all that Christ had suffered there, and
the unappreciated labor He had put forth, the disci
ples might have pleaded for a more promising field;
but they made no such plea.
The very ground where
He had scattered the seed of truth was to be culti
vated by the disciples, and the seed would spring up
and yield an abundant harvest.
In their work the
9S 2
THE DESIRE OF ACES.
disciples would have to meet persecution through the
jealousy and hatred of the Jews; but this had been
endured by their Master, and they were not to flee
from it.
The first offers of mercy must be made to
the murderers of the Saviour.
And there were in Jerusalem many who had secretly
believed on Jesus, and many who had been deceived
by the priests and rulers.
To these also the gospel
was to be presented. They were to be called to repent
ance.
The wonderful truth that through Christ alone
could remission of sins be obtained, was to be made
plain.
While all Jerusalem was stirred by the thrill
ing events of the past few weeks, the preaching of
the gospel would make the deepest impression.
But the work was not to stop here.
It was to be
extended to the earth’s remotest bounds.
To His
disciples Christ said, You have been witnesses of My
life of self-sacrifice in behalf of the world.
You have
witnessed My labors for Israel.
Although they
would not come unto Me that they might have life,
although priests and rulers have done to Me as they
listed, although they have rejected Me as the Scrip
tures foretold, they shall have still another opportunity
of accepting the Son of God.
You have seen that all
who come to Me, confessing their sins, I freely re
ceive.
Him that cometh to Me I will in nowise cast
out
All who will, may be reconciled to God, and
receive everlasting life.
To you. My disciples, I com
mit this message of mercy.
It is to be given to Israel
first and then to all nations, tongues, and peoples.
It is to be given to Jews and Gentiles.
All who be
lieve are to be gathered into one church.
Through the gift of the Holy Spirit the disciples
were to receive a marvelous power.
Their testi
mony was to be confirmed by signs and wonders.
GO T E A C H A L L N A T IO N S .
9 8 3
Miracles would be wrought, not only by the apostles,
but by those who received their message.
Jesus said,
“'in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.”3
At that time poisoning was often practised.
Un
scrupulous men did not hesitate to remove by this
means those who stood in the way of their ambition.
Jesus knew that the life of his disciples would thus
be imperiled.
Many would think it doing God serv
ice to put His witnesses to death.
He therefore
promised them protection from this danger.
The disciples were to have the same power which
Jesus had to heal “all manner of sickness and all man
ner of disease among the people.”
By healing in
His name the diseases of the body, they would testify
to His power for the healing of the soul.4
And a new
endowment was now promised.
The disciples were
to preach among other nations, and they would re
ceive power to speak other tongues.
The apostles
and their associates were unlettered men, yet through
the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost,
their speech, whether in their own or a foreign lan
guage, became pure, simple, and accurate, both in
word and in accent.
Thus Christ gave His disciples their commission.
He made full provision for the prosecution of the
work, and took upon Himself the responsibility for
its success.
So long as they obeyed His word, and
worked in connection with Him, they could not fail.
Go to all nations, He bade them.
Go to the farthest
part of the habitable globe, but know that My pres-
*Mark 16:17, 18.
‘ Matt. 4:23; 9:6
GO T E A C H A L L N A T IO N S .
9 8 5
«lice will be there.
Labor in faith and confidence,
or the time will never come when I will forsake you.
The Saviour’s commission to the disciples included
all the believers.
It includes all believers in Christ
to the end of time.
It is a fatal mistake to suppose
that the work of saving souls depends alone on the
ordained minister.
All to whom the heavenly .inspir
ation has come, are put in trust with the gospel.
All
who receive the life of Christ are ordained to work
for the salvation of their fellow-men.
hor this work
the church was established, and all who take upon
themselves its sacred vows are thereby pledged to be
co-workers with Christ.
“The Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And let
him that heareth say, Come.” 5 Every one' who hears,
is to repeat the invitation.
Whatever one’s calling in
life, his first interest should be to win souls for Christ.
He may not be able to speak to congregations, but
he can work for individuals.
To them he can com
municate the instruction received from his Lord.
Ministry does not consist alone in preaching.
Those
minister who relieve the sick and suffering, helping
the needy, speaking words of comfort to the despond
ing and those of little faith.
Nigh and afar off are
souls weighed down by a sense of guilt.
It is not
hardship, toil, or poverty that degrades humanity.
It is guilt, wrong-doing.
This brings unrest and dis
satisfaction.
Christ would have His servants minis
ter to sin-sick souls.
The disciples were to begin their work where they
were.
The hardest and most unpromising field was
not to be passed by.
So every one of Christ’s work
ers is to begin where he is.
In our own families may
be souls hungry for sympathy, starving for the bread
6 Rev. 22:17.
984
t h e d e s ir e o f a g e s .
986
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S .
of life.
There may be children to be trained for
Christ.
There are heathen at our very doors.
Let
us do faithfully the work that is nearest.
Then let
our efforts be extended as far as God’s hand may lead
the way.
The work of many may appear to be
restricted by circumstances; but wherever it is, if
performed with faith and diligence it will be felt to
the uttermost parts of the earth.
Christ’s work when
upon earth appeared to be confined to a narrow field,
but multitudes from all lands heard His message.
God often uses the simplest means to accomplish the
greatest results.
It is His plan that every part of His
work shall depend on every other part, as a wheel with
in a wheel, all acting in harmony.
The humblest
worker, moved by the Holy Spirit, will touch invisi
ble chords, whose vibrations will ring to the ends of
the earth, and make melody through eternal ages.
But the command, “ Go ye into all the world,” is
not to be lost sight of.
We are called upon to lift
our eyes to the “ regions beyond.”
Christ tears away
the wall of partition, the dividing prejudice of nation
ality, and teaches a love for all the human family.
He
lifts men from the narrow circle which their selfish
ness prescribes; He abolishes all territorial lines and
artificial distinctions of society.
He makes no differ
ence between neighbors and strangers, friends and
enemies.
He teaches usNto look upon every needy
soul as our brother, and the world as our field.
When the Saviour said, “ Go teach all nations,” He
said also, “ These signs shall follow them that believe:
In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.”
The promise is as far-reaching as the com
GO T E A C H A L L N A T IO N S .
987
mission.
Not that all the gifts are imparted to each
believer.
Ih e Sp:rit divides “ to every man severally
as He will. ’°
But the gifts of the Spirit are promised
to every believer according to his need for the Lord’s
work.
The promise is just as strong and trustworthy
now as in the days of the apostles.
“ These signs shall
follow them that believe.”
This is the privilege of
God’s children, and faith should lay hold on all that
it is possible to have as an indorsement of faith.
“ They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.”
This world is a vast lazar-house, but
Christ came to heal the sick, to proclaim deliverance
to the captives of Satan.
He was in Himself health
and strength.
He imparted His life to the sick, the
afflicted, those possessed of demons.
He turned
awray none who came to receive H is healing power.
He knew that those who petitioned Him for help had
brought disease upon themselves; yet He did not re
fuse to heal them.
And when virtue from Christ
entered into these poor souls, they were convicted
of sin, and many were healed of their spiritual disease,
as well as of their physical maladies.
The gospel still
possesses the same power, and why should we not
to-day witness the same results?
Christ feels the woes of every sufferer.
When evil
spirits rend a human frame, Christ feels the curse.
When fever is burning up the life current, He feels
the agony.
And He is just as willing to heal the
sick now, as when He was personally on earth.
Christ’s servants are His representatives, the channels
for His working.
He desires through them to exer
cise His healing power.
In the Saviour’s manner of healing, there were les
sons for H is disciples.
On one occasion He anointed
*1 Cor. 12:11.
the eyes of a blind man with clay, and bade him,
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.
.
.
.
He went
his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.”7
The cure could be wrought only by the power of the
great Healer, yet Christ made use of the simple
agencies of nature.
While He did not give counte
nance to drug medication, He sanctioned the use of
simple and natural remedies.
To many of the afflicted ones who received healing,
Christ said, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come
unto thee.”8
Thus He taught that disease is the re
sult of violating God’s laws, both natural and spiritual
Ihe great misery in the world would not exist, did
men but live in harmony with the Creator’s plan.
Christ had been the guide and teacher of ancient
Israel, and He taught them that health is the reward
of obedience to the laws of God.
The great Physi
cian who healed the sick in Palestine had spoken to
His people from the pillar of cloud, telling them what
they must do, and what God would do for them.
“If
thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord
thy God,’ He said, “ and wilt do that which is right
in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments,
and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these
diseases upon thee which I have brought upon
the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”4
Chnst gave to Israel definite instruction in regard,
to their habits of life, and He assured them,
“The Lord will take away from thee all sick
ness. 10 W hen they fulfilled the conditions, the prom
ise was verified to them.
“There was not one feeble
person among their tribes.”11
These lessons are for us.
There are conditions to
7John 9:7.
«John 5:14.
» Ex. 15:26.
“ Deut. 7:15.
11 Ps. 105:37.
9 &S
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S .
be observed by all who would presen e health.
All
hould learn what these conditions are.
The Lord is
not pleased with ignorance in regard to His laws,
either natural or spiritual.
Wre are to be workers
ogether with God for the restoration of health to the
ody as well as to the soul.
And we should teach others how to preserve and
to recover health.
For the sick we should use the
remedies which God has provided in nature, and we
should point them to Him who alone can restore.
It is our work to present the sick and suffering to
Christ in the arms of our faith.
We should teach
them to believe in the great Healer.
W e should lay
hold on His promise, and pray for the manifestation
of His power.
The very essence of the gospel is res
toration, and the Saviour would have us bid the sick,
the hopeless, and the afflicted take hold upon His
strength.
The power of love was in all Christ's healing, and
only by partaking of that love, through faith, can we
be instruments for His work. If we neglect to link
ourselves in divire connection with Christ, the cur
rent of life-giving energy cannot flow in rich streams
from us to the people.
There were places where the
Saviour Himself could not do manv mighty works be
cause of their unbelief. So now unbelief separates the
church from her divine Helper.
Her hold upon eter
nal realities is weak.
By her lack of faith, God is'dis
appointed, and robbed of His glory.
It is in doing Christ’s work that the church has the
promise of His presence.
Go teach all nations, He
said; “and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world.”
To take His yoke is one of the
first conditions of receiving His power.
The very life
of the church depends upon her faithfulness in fulfill-
G O T E A C H A L L N A T IO N S .
9 S 9
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
ing the Lord’s commission.
To neglect this work is
surely to invite spiritual feebleness and decay. Where
there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and
faith grows dim.
Christ intends chat His ministers shall be educa
tors of the church in gospel work.
They are to teach
the people how to seek and save the lost.
But is this
the work they are doing?
Alas, how many are toil
ing to fan the spark of life in a church that is ready to
die!
How many churches are tended like sick lambs
by those who ought to be seeking the lost sheep. And
all the time millions upon millions without Christ are
perishing.
Divine love has been stirred to its unfathomable
depths for the sake of men, and angels marvel to
behold in the recipients of so great love a mere sur
face gratitude.
Angels marvel at man’s shallow
appreciation of the love of God.
Heaven stands in
dignant at the neglect shown to the souls of men.
Would we know how Christ regards it?
How would
a father and mother feel, did they know that their
child, lost in the cold and the snow, had been passed
by, and left to perish, by those who might have saved
it?
Would they not be terribly grieved, wildly indig
nant?
Would they not denounce those murderers
with wrath hot as their tears, intense as their love?
The sufferings of every man are the sufferings of
God’s child, and those who reach out no helping hand
to their perishing fellow-beings provoke His right
eous anger.
This is the wrath of the Lamb.
To
those who claim fellowship with Christ, yet have been
indifferent to the needs of their fellow-men, He will
declare in the great Judgment day, *‘I know you not
whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of
iniquity.” 12
9 9 0
“ Luke 13:27.
GO TEACH ALL NATIONS.
99I
In the commission to His disciples, Christ not only
outlined their work, but gave them their message.
Teach the people, He said, “ to observe all tnings
whatsoever I have commanded you.”
The disciples
were to teach what Christ had taught.
That which
He had spoken, not only in person, but through all
the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament, is
here included.
Human teaching is shut out.
There
is no place for tradition, for man’s theories and con
clusions, or for church legislation.
No laws ordained
by ecclesiastical authority are included in the commis
sion.
None of these are Christ’s servants to teach.
“The law and the prophets,” with the record of His
own words and deeds, are the treasure committed
to the disciples to be given to the world.
Christ’s
name is their watchword, their badge of distinction,
their bond of union, the authority for their course of
action, and the source of their success.
Nothing that
does not bear His superscription is to be recognized
in His kingdom.
The gospel is to be presented, not as a lifeless the
ory, but as a living force to change the life.
God de
sires that the receivers of His grace shall be witnesses
to its power.
Those whose course has been most
offensive to Him He freely accepts; when they repent,
He imparts to them His divine Spirit, places them
in the highest positions of trust, and sends them forth
into the camp of the disloyal to proclaim His bound
less mercy.
He would have His servants bear testi
mony to the fact that through His grace men may
possess Christlikeness of character, and may rejoice
in the assurance of His great love.
He would have
ns bear testimony to the fact that He cannot be sat
isfied until the human race are reclaimed and re
instated in their holy privileges as His sons and
daughters.
992
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
In Christ is the tenderness of the shepherd, the
affection of the parent, and the matchless grace of the
compassionate Saviour.
His blessings He presents
in the most alluring terms.
He is not content
merely to announce these blessings; He presents them
in the most attractive way, to excite a desire to pos
sess them.
So His servants are to present the riches
of the glory of the unspeakable Gift.
The wonderful
love of Christ will melt and subdue hearts, when the
mere
reiteration
of
doctrines
would
accomplish
nothing.
“ Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith
your. God.”
“ O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem,
that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with
strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities
of Judah, Behold your God!
. . .
He shall feed
His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs
with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.” 13
Tell
the people of Him who is “ the Chiefest among ten
thousand,” and the One “ altogether lovely.” 14 Words
alone cannot tell it.
Let it be reflected in the char
acter and manifested in the life.
Christ is sitting for
His portrait in every disciple.
Every one God has
predestinated to be “ conformed to the image of His
Son.” 15
In every one Christ’s longsuffering love, His
holiness, meekness, mercy, and truth, are to be mani
fested to the world.
The first disciples went forth preaching the word.
They revealed Christ in their lives.
And the Lord
worked with them, “ confirming .the word with signs
following.” 1''
These disciples prepared themselves fci
their work.
Before the day of Pentecost they met
together, and put away all differences.
They were
of one accord.
They believed Christ’s promise that
13Isa. 40:1, 9-11.
MCant.5:10, 16. 15Rom.8:29. 18Marki6;2o.
GO TEACH ALL NATIONS.
993
the blessing would be given, and they prayed in faith.
They did not ask for a blessing for themselves merely;
they were weighted with the burden for the salvation
of souls. • The gospel was to be carried to the utter
most parts of the earth, and they claimed the endow
ment of power that Christ had promised.
Then it
was that the Holy Spirit was poured out, and thou
sands were converted in a day.
• So it may be now.
Instead of man’s speculations,
let the word of God be preached.
Let Christians put
away their dissensions, and give themselves to God
for the saving of the lost.
Let them in faith ask for
the blessing, and it will come.
The outpouring of
the Spirit in apostolic days was the “ former rain,” 17
and glorious was the result.
But the “latter rain”
will be more abundant.
All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God,
will be constantly receiving a new endowment of
physical and mental power.
The inexhaustible sup
plies of heaven are at their command.
Christ gives
them the breath of His own spirit, the life of His own
life.
The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies
to work in heart and mind.
The grace of God en
larges and multiplies their faculties, and every'perfec
tion of the divine nature comes to their assistance in
the work of saving souls.
Through co-operation with
Christ they are complete in Him, and in their human
weakness they are enabled to do the deeds of Om
nipotence.
The Saviour longs to manifest His grace and stamp
His character on the whole world.
It is His pur
chased possession, and He desires to make men free,
and pure, and holy.
Though Satan works to hinder
this purpose, yet through the blood shed for the world
17 Joel 2:23.
63
there are triumphs to be achieved that will bring
glory to God and the Lamb.
Christ will not be sat
isfied till the victory is complete, and “ He shall see of
the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.” 1®
All
the nations of the earth shall hear the gospel of His
grace.
Not all will receive His grace; but “a seed
shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for
a generation.”1*
“ The kingdom and dominion, and
the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most
High,” and “ the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
“ So shall
they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His
glory from the rising of the sun.” 2*
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet
of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that pub
lisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God
reigneth!
.
.
.
Break forth into joy, sing to
gether, ye waste places;
. . .
for the Lord hath
comforted His people.
.
.
.
The Lord hath made
bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and
all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our
God.”21
a Isa. 53:11. * Ps. 22:30. * Dan. 7:27; Isa. 11:9; 59:19.
* Isa. 52:7-10.
994
t h e d e s ir e o f a g e s .
TO MY FATHER AND YOUR
FATHER. '
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN.
The time had come for Christ to ascend to His
P ather s throne.
As a divine conqueror He was
about to return with the trophies of victory to the
heavenly courts.
Before His death He had declared
to His Father, “ I have finished the wrork which Thou
gavest Me to do. 1
After His resurrection He tar
ried on earth for a. season, that His disciples might
become familiar with Him in His risen and glorified
l>ody.
Now He was ready for the leave-taking.
He had authenticated the fact that He was a living
Saviour.
His disciples need no longer associate Him
with the tomb.
They could think of Him as glorified
before the heavenly universe.
As the place of His ascension, Jesus chose the spot
so often hallowed by His presence while He dwelt
among men.
Not Mount Zion, the place of David’s
city, not Mount Moriah, the temple site, was to be
thus honored.
There Christ had been mocked and re
jected.
There the waves of mercy, still returning in a
stronger tide of love, had been beaten back by hearts
as hard as rock.
Thence Jesus, weary and heart-bur
dened, had gone forth to find rest in the Mount of
This chapter is based cm Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-12.
’ John 17:4.
( 9 9 5 )
Olives.
The holy shekinah, in departing from the
first temple, had stood upon the eastern mountain, as
if loth to forsake the chosen city; so Christ stood upon
Olivet, with yearning heart overlooking Jerusalem.
The groves and-glens of the mountain had been con
secrated by His prayers and tears.
Its steeps had
echoed the triumphant shouts of the multitude that
proclaimed Him king.
On its sloping descent He
had found a home with Lazarus at Bethany.
In the
garden of Gethsemane at its foot He had prayed and
agonized alone.
From this mountain He was to as
cend to heaven.
Upon its summit His feet will rest
when He shall come again.
Not as a man of sorrows,
but as a glorious and triumphant king He will stand
upon Olivet, while Hebrew hallelujahs mingle with
Gentile hosannas, and the voices of the redeemed as
a mighty host shall swell the acclamation, “ Crown
Him Lord of all.”
Now with the eleven disciples, Jesus made His way
toward the mountain.
As they passed through the
gate of Jerusalem, many wondering eyes looked upon
the little company, led by One whom a few weeks be
fore the rulers had condemned and crucified.
The
disciples knew not that this was to be their last inter
view with their Master.
Jesus spent the time in con
versation with them, repeating His former instruction.
As they approached Gethsemane, He paused, that
they might call to mind the lessons He had given them
on the night of His great agony.
Again He looked
upon the vine by which He had then represented the
union of His church with Himself and His Father;
again He repeated the truths He had then unfolded.
All around Him were reminders of His unrequited
love.
Even the disciples who were so dear to His
heart, had, in the hour of His humiliation, reproached
and forsaken Him.
T O M Y F A T H E R A N D Y O U R F A T H E R .
997
Christ had sojourned in the world for thirty-three
years; He had endured its scorn, insult, and mockery;
He had been rejected and crucified.
Now, when
about to ascend to Flis throne of glory—as He re
views the ingratitude of the people H e came to save
—will He not withdraw from them His sympathy and
love?
Will not His affections be centered upon that
realm where He is appreciated, and where sinless
angels wait to do His bidding?— No; His promise to
those loved ones whom He leaves on earth is, “ I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” 2
Upon reaching the Mount of Olives, Jesus led the
way across the summit, to the vicinity of Bethany.
Here He paused, and the disciples gathered about
Him.
Beams of light seemed to radiate from His
countenance as He looked lovingly upon them.
He
upbraided them not for their faults and failures;
words of the deepest tenderness were the last that fell
upon their ears from the lips of their Lord.
With
hands outstretched in blessing, and as if in assurance
of His protecting care, Fie slowly ascended from
among them, drawn heavenward by a power stronger
than any earthly attraction.
As He passed upward,
the awestricken disciples looked with straining eyes
for the last glimpse of their ascending Lord.
A cloud
of glory hid Him from their sight; and the words
came back to them as the cloudy chariot of angels
received Him, “ Lo, I am with you alway, even unto
the end of the world.”
At the same time there
floated down to them the sweetest and most joyous
music from the angel choir.
While the disciples were still gazing upward, voices
addressed them which sounded like richest music.
They turned, and saw two angels in the form of men,
* Matt. 28:20.
996
T H E D E S IR E O F A G E S .
998
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
who spoke to them, saying, “Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into
heaven.”
These angels were of the company that had been
waiting in a shining cloud to escort Jesus to His
heavenly home.
The most exalted of the angel
throng, they were the two who had come to the tomb
at Christ’s resurrection, and they had been with Him
throughout His life on earth.
With eager desire all
heaven had waited for the end of His tarrying in a
world marred by the curse of sin.
The time had now
come for the heavenly universe to receive their King.
Did not the two angels long to join the throng that
welcomed Jesus?
But in sympathy and love for those
whom He Jiad left, they waited to give them comfort.
“ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” 3
Christ had ascended to heaven in the form of hu
manity.
The disciples had beheld the cloud receive
Him.
The same Jesus who had walked and talked
and prayed with them; who had broken bread with
them; who had been with them in their boats on the
lake; and who had that very day toiled with them up
the ascent of Olivet,—the same Jesus had now gone
to share His Father’s throne.
And the angels had
assured them that the very One whom they had seen
go up into heaven, would come again even as He had
ascended.
He will come “with clouds; and every eye
shall see Him.”
“ The Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch
angel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in
Christ shall rise.”
“The Son of man shall come in
3 Heb. 1:14.
TO MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER.
999
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then
shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.” 4
Thus
will be fulfilled the Lord’s own promise to His dis
ciples: “ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where
I am, there may ye be also.” 5
Well might the dis
ciples rejoice in the hope of their Lord’s return.
When the disciples went back to Jerusalem, the
people looked upon them with amazement.
After the
trial and crucifixion of Christ, it had been thought
that
they would appear downcast and
ashamed.
Their enemies expected to see upon their faces an ex
pression of sorrow and defeat.
Instead of this there
was only gladness and triumph.
Their faces were
aglow with a happiness not born of earth.
They did
not mourn over disappointed hopes, but were full of
praise and thanksgiving to God.
With rejoicing they
told the wonderful story of Christ’s resurrection and
His ascension to heaven, and their testimony was re
ceived by many.
The disciples no longer had any distrust of the fu
ture.
They knew that Jesus was in heaven, and that
His sympathies were with them still.
They knew that
they had a friend at the throne of God, and they were
eager to present their requests to the Father in the
name of Jesus.
In solemn awe they bowed in prayer,
repeating the assurance, “ Whatsoever ye shall ask
the Father in My name, He will give it you.
Hitherto
have ye asked nothing in My name; ask, and ye shall
receive, that your joy may be full.” 6
They extended
the hand of faith higher and higher, with the mighty
argument, “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God,
who also maketh intercession for us.” 7
And Pente-
‘ Rev. 1:7; 1 Jhess. 4:16; Matt. 25:31.
6John 14:3.
6John 16:23, 24.
7 Rom. 8:34.
IOOO
THE DESIRE OF AGES,
cost brought them fulness of joy in the presence of the
Comforter, even as Christ had promised.
All heaven was waiting to welcome the Saviour to
the celestial courts.
As He ascended, He led the
way, and the multitude of captives set free at His
resurrection followed.
The
heavenly
host,
with
shouts and acclamations of praise and celestial song,
attended the joyous train.
As they draw near to the city of God, the challenge
is given by the escorting angels,—
“ Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of Glory shall come in 1 ”
Joyfully the waiting sentinels respond,—
“ Who is this King of Glory? ’
This they say, not because they know not who He
is, but because they would hear the answer of exalted
praise,—
“ The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of Glory shall come in! ”
Again is heard the challenge, “ W ho is this King of
Glory?” for the angels never weary of hearing His
name exalted.
The escorting angels make reply,— '
“ The Lord of hosts;
He is the King of Glory! ” 8
Then the portals of the city of God are opened wide,
and the angelic throng sweep through the gates amid
a burst of rapturous music.
There is the throne, and around it the rainbow of
promise.
There are cherubim and seraphim.
The
8 Ps. 24:7-10.
TO MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER.
IOOI
commanders of the angel hosts, the sons of God, the
representatives of the unfallen worlds, are assembled.
The heavenly council before which Lucifer had ac
cused God and His Son, the representatives of those
sinless realms over which Satan had thought to estab
lish his dominion,— all are there to welcome the Re
deemer. They are eager to celebrate His triumph and
to glorify their King.
But He waves them back.
Not yet; He cannot
now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe.
He enters into the presence of His Father.
He points
to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred
feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the print of nails.
He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents
to God the wave-sheaf, those raised with Him as rep
resentatives of that great multitude who shall come
forth from the grave at His second coming.
He ap
proaches the Father, with whom there is joy over one
sinner that repents; who rejoices over one with sing
ing.
Before the foundations of the earth were laid,
the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to
redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan.
They had clasped their hands in a solemn pledge that
Christ should become the surety for the human race.
This pledge Christ has fulfilled.
When upon the
cross He cried out, “ It is finished,” He addressed the
Father.
The compact had been fully carried out.
Now He declares, “ Father, it is finished.
I have
done Thy will, O My God.
I have completed the
work of redemption.
If Thy justice is satisfied, ‘I
will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be
with Me where I am.’ ”8
The voice of God is heard proclaiming that justice
is satisfied.
Satan is vanquished.
Christ’s toiling,
•John 19:30; 17:24.
1002
THE DESIRE OF AGES.
struggling ones on earth are “ accepted in the Be
loved.” 10
Before the heavenly angels and the repre
sentatives of unfallen worlds, they are declared justi
fied.
Where He is, there His church shall
be.
“ Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and
peace have kissed each other.”11
The Father’s arms
encircle His Son, and the word is given, “ Let all the
angels of God worship Him.”12
With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and
powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of
life.
The angel host prostrate themselves before
Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven,
“ Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing!” 13
Songs of triumph mingle with the music from angel
harps, till heaven seems to overflow with joy and
praise.
Love has conquered.
The lost is. found.
Heaven rings with voices in lofty strains proclaiming,
“ Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto
Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb
forever and ever.” 14
From that scene of heavenly joy, there comes back
to us on earth the echo of Christ’s own wonderful
words, “I ascend to My Father, and your Father; and
to My God and your God.”
The family of heaven
and the family of earth are one.
For us our Lord
ascended, and for us He lives.
“Wherefore He is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make interces
sion for them.”
10 Eph. i :6.
M Ps. 85: io.
12 Heb. 1 :6
15Rev. 5:12.
11 Rev. 5:13.
APPENDIX.
NOTE 1.
Pa g e 132.—The church in her own sphere is of
divine ordination, “ the body of Christ,” “ the temple of God,”
the fulness of Him that filleth all in all,” deriving her power,
her authority, her direction, from Christ her head.
As the
wife's sole affections and intimacies are due to her husband
alone of all men, so is the relation of the church unto Christ.
She is to keep herself unto Him, a chaste virgin forever. No
alliances, courtships, bonds, agreements, or compromises may
exist between her and the powers of earth. If she stands true
strong, and uplifting, she must be loyal to Christ alone.
Her
purpose in the earth is to bring souls into the same divine,
perfect union with Christ which she herself possesses. She can
not do this by compromising truth or yielding purity.
The state is also ordained of God to preserve order, and to
protect men from violence. It exists because of sin; and were
there no sin, there would be no reason for its existence. Its
mission is solely the prevention of evil by evil-minded persons,
through fear of penalties. Acting in its own sphere it is always
useful, and will be as long as sin exists. In meeting its highest
purpose it could have 110 union with religion or the church.
Religion would find no place in its statute books, and the
church no recognizance.
These are the divine purposes, fully set forth in the Word,
as respects both church and state.
The divine church grows
by the life of God, and is moulded and led by the Word of God.
The state is ordained in general, according to the demands of
the period and place of its existence, exercising proper jurisdic
tion when it attends to its own affairs in civil capacity, having
naught to do with religion.
It has been Satan’s studied object to unite church and state
irom the* beginning. Separate, they are useful and helpful to
u6 F orld’s TT- United, they become a deadly poison to both
the body politic and the body ecclesiastic. From such a union
spring the great apocalyptic beasts, which cruelly tear and
ruthlessly crush out the lives of all who oppose them.
See
Daniel 7 and Revelation 12, 13, and 17.
The “ beast” of Rev. 13:1-10 is a symbol of this power
through the ages, existing under various forms, symbolized by
the seven heads. Under the dominant head of the period pre-
(1003)
1004
APPENDIX.
sented in Rev. 13:1-10, the beast is representative of the
Papacy. It exercised persecuting power for 1260 years, at the
close of which it is represented as going into captivity. That
which made it a persecuting power was the union of church and
state. The Dark Ages is a witness of its baleful effects in both
church and state.
Just at the tune when this power as a persecutor goes into
captivity (verse 10), the prophet sees another power arising in
the form of “ another beast” “ coming up out of the earth,”
having “ two horns like a lamb, and it spake as a dragon.”
There are, among other specifications worthy of note which
dearly signify to what power this symbol applies, the four
following: 1. The time of its rise; 2. The territory of its opera
tion; 3. Its professed character as indicated by its horns; 4- Its
real character and work, as shown by its voice.
1. The time of the rise of this power was when the previous
beast under the papal head was going into captivity as a perse
cuting power. This power was lost in 1798 when Pope Pius VL
was taken into captivity, since which tune the Papacy has not
been recognized by civil power as the sponsor of the faith of
the nations, and the judge of heretics. At this time—the dose
of the eighteenth century—there was but one new power of note
rising above the world's horizon, namely, the United States of
America.
2. The beasts representing the nations of the Old World,
are represented as rising out of the sea (Dan. 7:2,3, 17; Rev.
13:1), the sea, or water, being symbolical of the great moving,
changing, fluctuating tides of national ebb and flow (Rev. 17:15;
Isa. 8:7). But the two-homed beast arises to power, not among
the known nations of the world, but in a hitherto unknown part.
This verification is met in this nation and government; for h
arose, as it were, “ amid the solitudes of earth.”
3. It had two horns like a lamb, a feature marked in no
other symbol of divine prophecy. The “ lamb” is a symbol of
Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the
lamb “ having seven horns.”
Rev. 5:6. A horn is a symbol
of power, exaltation, or that which brings prominence or exal
tation. There were two principles in the doctrines of Christ,
which, adopted by any government, would give prominence to
that government, and serve to elevate it. These two principles
in the Christian religion, have, apart from its inherent divine
power, helped to win it favor wherever they” are known, and
men who do not embrace it admire it. These two principles in
this government have also won the admiration of those who
love justice in all nations, and have brought to these shoies
mnltitodes of the oppressed and liberty-loving of the Old World.
These principles are the absolute equality or brotherhood of
mankind , and perfect freedom o f choice as regards religious
ie Jief or non-belief. The first is expressed in passages like
these: “ God . . . hath made erf one blood ail nations of
men” (Acts 17:26), and “ One is your Master, even Christ;
and all ye are brethren” (Matt. 23:8). The second by these
words: “ If any man hear My words and believe not. I fudge
him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the
world.” John 12:47. “ God is no respecter of persons.” See
also John 18:36; Matt. 20:25-28; Luke 9:51-56; 2 Cor. 1:24;
5:11, 2a The work of Christ’s ministers is not to compel, but
to win; not to command, but to “ persuade” and “ beseech."
Only one religion on the face of the whole earth knows the
prindples of the equality of men and the absolute freedom of
the will, without compulsion. Only one nation on the face of
the earth of any note ever embodied in the charter of its exist
ence and the prindples of its government, these two character
istics, and that is the United States of America.
The equality o f man is set forth in the Declaration of Inde
pendence: “ YVe hold these truths to be self-evident: That all
men are created equal; that theyr are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The freedom of religion
is set forth in the first amendment to the Constitution: “ Con
gress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the free
dom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble.”
These Christtike prindples confine
the symbol of the two-homed beast to this country and no
other.
4.
“ It spake as a dragon.” The “ dragon ” is Satanic, the
symbol.of a persecuting power. Rev. 12:9, 13. “ Out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” The speaking
is the revelation of the real nature, and an after-development
in this nation.
A government speaks through its laws and
decrees.
The symbol indicates, therefore, that the United
States will yet become a persecuting pow er. Are there indica
tions that such will be the case?—Fifty years ago it could not
be said that such indications existed. Now they are legion.
It will be seen by the prophecy that the two-homed beast
makes an image to the beast, and enforces the mark of the
beast upon those within its jurisdiction. That which composed
the beast was a union of church and state, the state enforcing
the dogmas of the church. An image to the beast would be
the establishment of the same thing in this government. The
limited space of this Appendix will not permit the quotation of
proof that this is already done in principle. YVe note, however,
a tew facts: 1. In 1864 the National Reform Association was
formed. the avowed object of which is “ to secure such an amend
ment to the Constitution of the United States as will declare
APPENDIX.
IOO5
ioo6
APPENDIX.
the nation’s allegiance to Jesus Christ, and its acceptance of the
moral laws of the Christian religion, and so indicate that this is
a Christian nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions,
and usages of our government on an undeniable legal basis in
the fundamental law of the land.”
Of course the intelligent
and discerning reader will at once see that this purpose crystal
lized into law would be but man's interpretation of “ the moral
laws of the Christian religion.” Such the Dark Ages possessed
in abundance.
2. While the above association has never been numerically
great, it has disseminated its erroneous views into every relig
ious denomination, into our institutions of learning, and among
the members of every prominent organization in reform work.
The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Prohibition
Party, the great denominations of the land have, in some form
or other, favored these views, and brought pressure, through
political influence, to bear upon public officials in national and
state governments.
3. February 19, 1892, the Supreme Court of this government
declared, in the Trinity Church decision, that “ this is a Chris
tian nation,” and the following summer both houses of Congress
with the president yielded to the pressure, and declared the
Sabbath of the fourth commandment to be Sunday, the first
day of the week, thus as civil officers rendering a decision upon
a religious question, and thus committing the government to
that course of procedure.
4. Later developments, notably the official recognition and
reception of a representative of the Vatican by the government,
just previous to our war with Spain, reveals the fact that the
preliminary steps of a union of church and state—an image to
the beast—have been taken.
The mark of a power is that which is specifically set forth as
the sign of its authority.
God’s authority and jurisdiction are
vested in His all-creative power.
The sign, or mark, of that
authority is the Sabbath.
See Ex. 20:8 -11; Eze. 20:12, 20.
The mark of the beast is that which the Papacy holds forth as
the sign of her authority.
As a persecuting power, it must be
an opposing power to true Christianity.
Its mark must show
opposition or change in God’s law.
In the difference between
God’s law as given in His Word and practised by Jesus Christ,
and that same law as interpreted, taught, practised, and en
forced by the Papacy, must be found the mark of that power.
As noted above, God’s sign of power is His holy Sabbath of
the fourth commandment.
The Papal interpretation of that law
does not vary from the Word, save only in respect to this com
mand. The law of the Lord declares that “ the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”
The Roman Catholic
Church declares that to keep holy that command is “ to spend
APPENDIX.
Sunday [the first day] in prayer and other religious duties.” —
B utler's Catechism.
In proving that that “ church has power
to institute festivals of precept,” the “ Doctrinal Catechism”
says: “ Had she not such power, she could not have done that
in which all modern religionists agree with her,—she could not
have substituted the observance o f Sunday, the fir st day o f the
"w eek,for the observance o f Saturday, the seventh day, a change
for which there is no Scriptural authority."
Another Catholic
work (“ Abridgment of Christian Doctrine” ) proves the same
anthority of the church “ by the very act o f changing the
Sabbath into Sunday.
. . .
By keeping Sunday they [Pro-
estants] acknowledge the church's pow er to ordain feasts., and
to command them under sin ."
Much other testimony to the
same fact could be adduced from both Catholics and Protest
ants.
The mark of the beast, therefore, is Sunday enforced
by law.
Are there evidences that this government will do this, and
will cause all her subjects to receive this mark in the right
hand, by abstaining from all labor, or in the forehead, freely
and professedly?—There is abundance of evidence. Already
several individual states have prosecuted those who have per
formed common labor on Sunday.
Already the national gov
ernment has committed itself to the Sunday-sabbath in its
decision that the World’s Fair should be closed that day.
Already by the multiplying of judicial decisions, contrary to
the Constitution and true Americanism, and by the enormous
pressure of enthusiastic religionists upon public men, is the
nation being urged forward to the logical end of the steps
already taken, a complete union of church and state, and the
elevation of the Sunday in statute law.
What then ?—There will be those who, in conscience to God
and His Word, cannot' observe it. They cannot give their
allegiance to the banner of another power. Therefore laws
will grow more stringent; but these will be disregarded for
conscientious reasons. The blinded government, launched on
its fatal course, will find it necessary to maintain its false
dignity.
It will impose severer fines and penalties, till con
fiscation of goods, deprivation of citizenship, will follow. The
“ heretics ” must neither buy nor sell.
They will be boycotted.
Still further, if they persist in what a blinded government will
call “ obstinacy,” they will be deemed traitors, and the punish
ment due treason is death.
The prophecy declares that this government will yet say that
such shall be killed. The above shows that the course upon
uffiich this nation has entered will logically lead to this end.
Not only so, but her influence in this respect will lead the world
back to the Dark Ages, to the utter ruin of both church and
state.
Those who do not know these things may treat them as
1007
ioo8
APPENDIX.
incredible, but if they will investigate,* they may understand.
But God will care for the faithful; they need not fear.
Those
in danger are the persecutors, not the persecuted.
NOTE 2.
P a g e 265.—The wisdom of God was shown in
His choice of the time for Christ’s advent to the world.
By
His coming at so late a period, ample opportunity was given
for the witness of prophecy to His mission. A line of inspired
predictions, spanning many centuries, pointed to the events
connected with His appearance in the form of humanity.
God designed that the fulfilment of these prophecies should
strengthen the faith of the believers in Christ. Had the Saviour
come much earlier than He did, this advantage would not have
been So great.
And it was in God’s providence that Christ should come
when the Roman power held sway. The Jews, because of their
apostasy from God, had come under the dominion of a heathen
nation. Though they still had a measure of authority, yet even
the Sanhedrim could not pass judgment in a case involving
capital punishment. Controlled by bigotry and tradition, the
Jews were most cruel and unrelenting.
Their hatred of Christ
was intense.
Had they possessed supreme power, the jealous
priests and rulers would quickly have made way with such a
rival. The Saviour’s work among men would have been cut
short, and we should have had no record of His life and min
istry. And there would have been no cross of Christ upon
Calvary. Crucifixion was a Roman method of punishment.
Had the Jews possessed independent power, they would have
put Christ to death by stoning, on the false charge of breaking
the law of God. This would not have fulfilled the prophecy
that as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, so the Son
of man must be lifted up.
Again, had Christ’s coming been longer deferred, the Jews
could not have brought about His death by crucifixion.
Their
power was steadily declining, and they would not have had
sufficient influence with the Roman authorities to secure His
condemnation.
The Roman power was the instrument in God’s hand to
prevent the light of the world from going out in darkness.
According to the plan of God, the cross was uplifted in the
sight of all nations, tongues, and peoples, calling their attention
to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.
Soon after the crucifixion of Christ, the use of the cross in
Judea was discontinued. The scenes that took place at the
Saviour’s death, the intense malignity of the priests, and the
*For fuller treatment of this subject, see “ The Lord’s Day, the Test
of the Ages,’ ’ Bible Students’ Library, No. 134; and “ The Rights of the
People,” Religious Liberty Library, No. 32.
APPENDIX.
rage of the people, the convulsions of nature and the super
natural darkness, struck such terror to the Romans that the
cross as an instrument of death soon fell into disuse.
At the
destruction of Jerusalem, crucifixion was revived for a time;
but it was now the Jews themselves who were the victims. The
same doom which they had pronounced upon Christ, now
came upon them. Multitudes perished in this manner. Crosses
were planted upon Calvary as thickly as forest trees.
Christ’s coming at the time and in the manner He did, was
a direct and complete fulfilment of prophecy.
The evidence of
this, given to the world through the witness of the apostles and
their associates, is one of the strongest proofs of the Christian
faith. We were not eye-witnesses of the life of Jesus, but we
have the testimony of His disciples; and by faith we see through
their eyes, and hear through their ears, and our faith with theirs
grasps the evidence given.
The apostles accepted Christ upon the witness of prophecy,
which was confirmed to them as they themselves saw and
handled the Word of life. We also have the testimony of the
prophets of the Old Testament, and we have also the witness of
apostles and believers in the New. The prophets pointed to a
Saviour to come; the apostles tell of a Saviour who has come
in exact fulfilment of prophecy.
Thus the chain of evidence is
full and complete. It is sufficient to convince all who are will
ing to believe. _ God has given men ample testimony to estab
lish their faith in His power, in the divine mission of His Son,
and in the authority and work of the Holy Spirit.
NOTE 3.
Pag e 752.—The omens which are to precede
Christ’s second coming are many (Luke 21 : 25-27); but Matt.
24: 29, 30 presents three specific signs in the sun, in the moon,
and in the stars, as follows:—
“ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and
the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory.”
The days here mentioned are the 1260 prophetic days, or
years, of tribulation of God’s people, covering the Dark Ages*
and foretold in Dan. 7:25; 11:33-35; and Rev. 12 :6 , 13-16.
These days began in a . d . 538 when the bishop of Rome was
made, by decree of Justinian and by the overthrow of opposing
Arian powers, “ Head over All the Holy Churches ” and “ True
and Effective Corrector of Heretics.”
They continued to 1798,
when Pius VI. was taken prisoner by General Berthier, and the
power of the Papacy over the governments of Europe was
IOO9
64
IOIO
APPENDIX.
broken. The tribulation, the active persecution, did not con
tinue the whole period. The Lord shortened the tribulation
for “ the elect’s sake.” Two important things occurred to
break the power of this persecution: (i) The increasing influ
ence of the Reformation over Europe, enlightening rulers in
regard to true Christianity; and (2) the opening of the New
World to the oppressed of all nations. The rulers of Europe
saw their best and most conscientious subjects leaving them for
America, and saw that toleration was necessary if they retained
them. The first ruler of influence to move in this respect was
Maria Theresa, empress of Austria, who in 1776 abolished tor
ture in the hereditary states, followed by the decree of tolera
tion by her son, the Emperor Joseph II., June 22,1781. In 1776
the United Colonies of America were declared to be free and
independent states; and thus was opened a refuge for the
oppressed of all nations.
“ The earth helped the woman.
Rev. 12:16.
The darkening of the sun was to occur “ in those
days, after that tribulation” (Mark 13: 24), “ immediately after
the tribulation ’ ’ (Matt. 24:29). As the tribulation ceased about
1776, and the days ended in 1798, we are shut up to the brief
period of twenty-two years for the first of these signs to occur.
Therefore, however many darkenings of the sun may have
occurred in the past, or may occur in the future, this prophecy
is not affected thereby. The prophecy points to a darkening
of the sun that must have taken place between 1776 and 17981
nearer to the former date than the latter.
In fulfilment of our Lord’s prediction, May 19,1780, occurred
a most remarkable darkening of the sun, extending over the
eastern portion of North America, and noted by many scholars
and writers. It is referred to in Webster’s Unabridged Dic
tionary, which, after giving the date of the event, says,
The
true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is unknown. * Cat
tle returned home, fowls went to roost, and men and women
wailed and wept, believing the day of Judgment had come.
The following night, although the moon was at the full, i
was so dark that, in the words of one writer, “ a sheet of white
paper held within a few inches of the eye, was equally invisible
with the blackest velvet.”
At times, when the moon did
appear, it was red as blood. See Rev. 6:12.
The last of this series was that of the falling of the stars, or
meteors, more graphically described in Rev. 6:13. This was
fulfilled in the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833,
which was visible to the eye on the greater part of the earth s
* F o r testimonials to these events, see “ Matthew 24, or Second Coming of
Christ,” Bible Students' Library, No. 58.
APPENDIX.
i o n
surface. The following diagram will assist to an understanding
of the prophecy:—
Beginning
Shortening
End
of Days
of Tribulation of Days
A. D
538
1776
1798
^ jld O ^ d a ^ ^ M ^ je a r^ j^ ^ a ^ je rc e c u tio n ^
1780
Darkening of Sun
and Moon
1833
Falling of
Stars
These are specific signs to the last generation of men living
upon the earth before Christ comes. They do not reveal the
day and hour of His coming, but they testify with threefold
assurance that “ when ye see all these things, know ye that He
is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This genera
tion [to which these things come as signs] shall not pass away
till all these things be accomplished. Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” Matt. 24:32-36,
R. V. Christ’s coming is at the door.
NOTE 4.
Page 901.—It is well known that the punctuation
of the Bible is not the work of the inspired writers. Indeed,
punctuation is but a modern art, the comma in its present form
having been invented in 1490 by a printer of Venice. We are
therefore at liberty to change the punctuation of Scripture as
the sense may require. In Luke 23:43, place the comma after
“ to-day,” and give the direct instead of the inverted form of
the verb, and the text reads, “ Verily I say unto thee to-day,
Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.” There is now no lack of
harmony between this text and Christ’s later statement, that
He had not yet ascended to His Father.
NOTE 5.
P a g e 946.—It is worthy of note that six of the
eight times that “ the first day of the week” is mentioned in
the New Testament refer to the same day, the day on which
our Lord rose frpm the dead. The passages which mention it
are as follows: Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John
20:1, 19. Strange it is that these passages referring to the day
of our Lord’s resurrection, are cited as proof of a Sunday-
sabbath, or Lord’s day.
The following considerations will
clearly show that they furnish no evidence of first-day sacred
ness :—
1.
It is not said in these passages, nor in the context of any
of them, nor, in fact, anywhere in the Word, that Sunday is the
Sabbath, the Lord’s day, a sacred day, or that it would ever
take the place of the Sabbath of the Lord. Surely of him who
would observe the Sunday as a holy day, or in honor of the
resurrection, the Lord could well inquire as of old, “ Who hath
required this at your hand?”
1 0 1 2
APPENDIX.
2. It is said by Biblical scholars that Matthew wrote his
Gospel from seven to thirty years after the resurrection; Mark,
his Gospel, thirty years; Luke his, thirty-two years; and John
about sixty years afterward. But not one of them designates
the day by any other term than “ first day of the week,” while
the day before is uniformly called by the sacred name “ the
Sabbath.” Surely Inspiration knew no change of the Sabbath.
3. That the day was not celebrated in honor of a risen Christ
is evident from the fact that the disciples “ believed not” that
He was risen, even when told by Mary. Mark 16: n. Neither
did the disciples believe the story of the two who saw Jesus at
Emmaus. Verses 12, 13. And when our Lord appeared to
the eleven, “ they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed
that they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24137), and our Lord “ up
braided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because
they believed not them which had seen Him after He was
risen” (Mark 16 :i4).
Certainly the disciples were not met
together to celebrate the resurrection of One whom they did
not believe to have arisen.
4. It will be noticed that this day was not regarded by the
disciples as a holy day. Two of them journeyed to Emmaus, a
village about eight miles from Jerusalem, spending thus a con
siderable portion of the day.
Returning to Jerusalem at the
very close of that day, they found the disciples gathered to
gether, not for the purpose of a religious meeting, but at their
own common abode in Jerusalem, with the doors shut for ‘ fear
of the Jews.”
Compare John 20:19; Acts 1:13.
5. Jesus did not use a serial day of a week in rising from the
dead, as He did in resting from creation, nor did He use the
whole of a day. Why should a whole day of a week be set
apart as its memorial? God has given to the world a more
fitting and everlasting memorial of His resurrection, namely,
the power of a new life in His believing children. Rom. 6:6.
Neither the life nor teaching of Christ or His apostles, furnishes
any ground for Sunday sacredness.
In two other places is the first day of the week mentioned in
the New Testament; namely, Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor. 16:2. The
former refers to the only religious meeting specifically held on
that day, evidently because of the noted miracle then wrought.
That meeting was held on the evening preceding the day, and
lasted till daylight; and that Sunday was spent in physical labor
by both Paul and his companions. The second text refers to a
business transaction, at home. “ Let every one of you lay by
him in store,” not in a public collection, not in a general con
tribution box, but “ lay aside and preserve at home” (Syriac).
The conclusion is inevitable to a Bible student that Sunday
“ sacredness” is wholly of tradition and not of the Word.
SCRIPTURAL INDEX.
Genesis.
Numbers.
Nehemiah.
1: 31 .......................... 324
3: 1 3 ...............................52
§ .................................... 245
2 : 1 ............................923
9 : 1 2 .............................926
9 .........................................
3 .......................... 324
14 : 3 4 .......................... 263
3 : i .............................128 2 4 : 1 7 ............................61
1 5 ..........................123
J0D*
7! f
............................£55
Deuteronomy.
1 1 : 8 .............................488
......................... 5»
22:24
Psalm s.
l . . . . . . .
559
T 3
..............................451
2 :1-4
......................... 936
12 .
558 10 : 9 .......................... 513
1 2 ........................... 49i
31:40
572 - 17-19 ...................... 595
1 7 :4 .............................. 135
,2-26
222 18: 15 ........................ 212
18 :35 ......................... 519
30
: : : : : : :
5
^ :24- 2s ..................... 328
i 9 : 7 . . . . . .357,599
«=»...........S
22:^ »
Exodus.
2 9 : 2 9 ^ : : : : : : %
243;Uo
3 : 1 2 . . . . . . . .767
32:4
. . .489,491,923
2 5 : 1 4 ........................488
1 4 ...........................25 j
3 3 :9 ..............................309
4 :2 2 ,2 3 ..................... 52
Joshua.
3 7 : 1 0 .........................918
5 : 2 ...............................52
1 9 ..........................132
1 2 :1 1 , 3 1 ........................79 2 4 : 1 5 ...........................616
4 0 :7 ,8 .........................485
4 1 ........................ 36
8
.
. 25, 197, 236, 384
1 3 : 2 .............................52
Ruth.
40: 1 0 .........................425
15 : 2 6 ......................... 988
4 8 :2 ............................. 683
* 8 :2 8 ..........................326 2; 2 0 ....................
8l
5 0 :10 -12 ......................515
1 7 : 7 ..........................138
• - 381
14, 1 5 ...................139
19:12, 1 3 ......................174
5 1 : 1 0 ..........................194
2 0 :8 ..........................327
1 Samuel.
1 7 ........................ 323
1 2 ..........................161
6 2 :7 ............................. 4g9
22 : 3 1 ..........................327 1 5 : 2 2 .........................698
6 5 :6 ..............................20
2 3 :4 ,5 ........................ 595
6 9 :9 ..............................177
2 i ......................845
2 Samuel.
20, 2 1 ....................896
2 5 :8 ............................... 24
7 2 :8 ............................. 543
3 0 :12 -16 ......................173 2 3 :4 .......................
-08
7 7 :2 0 ....................;-573
3 2 : 3 2 ..........................502
05:10
. . . .916,1002
3 3 :1 3 ,1 4 ...............- 386
1 Kines
9 1 : 6 ..........................404
1 4 ......................767
1 Kings.
9 2 :4 ,5 ...................... 325
34:6 .......................... 35:
TA-TT T-7
0,8
95. 5 . . . . . . . .
20
6 , 7 ..........................235 19 • 11, 1 2 .....................248
100; 2 - 4 .....................333
Leviticus.
2 Chronicles.
105:37
1 |s8
1 0 6 : 1 ........................530
10 : 6 ..............................844 84 * i-33
245
107; 29, 3 0 ..................392
1 9 : 1 7 ...................... 525
„
1 0 9 : 5 ........................304
34 ...................... 595
Ezra.
1 1 1 : 4 ........................324
2 3 :4 0 ..........................336
9
.........................728
25:17,35-37
• ■ •
- 657 6 :1 4 .......................... 264
i 1 1 2 : 4 ...........................47
25,47-49
. • •
■ 381 7 : 1 , 9 ..................
264 I 1 1 6 . 1 2 - 1 4 ................. 405
(1013)
1 1 7 .............................805
3 3 : 1 6 ......................132
Jeremiah.
118 :2 6 .........................70° 3 4 M .............................938
119 :1-3 , 9 ,11 . . . . 93
35: i .......................... 352
3 : 1 2 , 1 3 .....................349
1 1 ...................... 135
4o :i- 5 ........................147
6 : 1 6 ............................ 386
1 4 - 1 6 ...............94
i> 9~11
• •
• -992
1 9 ......................695
99, 100................. 469
5 ............................108
13 :20, 2 1 ..................... 767
1 6 5 .................... 352
9 - i i ................... 569
1 5 : 1 6 .........................451
1 2 2 : 2 .........................53i
18-29..................... 326
1 7 : 5 ............................491
2, 7 ......................79
41 : 1 0 ........................326
2 3 :6 ............................ 686
1 3 8 . 6 ....................... 350 4 2 : 1 .............................. 77
2 9 : 1 1 .........................58
147-3-4 .................. 383
2 -4 .........................298
3 1 : 3 ............................573
3 ...........................582
1 3 ......................... 349
D
.
4 .......................... 38
33. 34. 35-37- . .112
Proveros.
4 ,2 1 ................... 231
4 3 :1 ..........................Ezekiel,
3 : i - 4 ...........................94
J- 3 .........................445
8 :3 6 ..........................918
i , 4 .........................38i
4 ;6
............................263
1 1 : 2 5 ....................... 157
12 ....................... 404
I 2 : 2 2 ...........................«
14 : 12 ...................... 886
44 : 3 .......................... 47
2 0 : 1 2 ........................ 334
1 8 : 1 0 .........................142 4 5 :2 2 .........................326
2 0 .................
2 0 :1 .................. 165, 254
48: 1 8 ......................386
2g . 6_I g ................| gl8
2 2 : 2 ........................... 476 49:4, 5, 7-io . . . . 813
I 2 .................... .g w
2 4 :1 1 ,1 2 .................. 767
0 .................... 65, 553
33; n
....................... ego
1 0 .....................372
15, 16 ....................659
Ecclesiastes.
c„ . *4, 2 5 ..................3 4 : 4 ....................................... 570
3 : 1 4 ..........................923
S
? . ? -
? ..........i27>8* *>-.112v: : : : : \%]
53'1::::::: :7i?
26..........481
Canticles.
3 ,4 ....................... 561
_
, .
4 -6 ....................... 576
Daniel.
5 :10 ,16 . . . . . . . qo2
5 .............................. 26
5
’
99
6 ............................ 383
2 :4 4 ..............................39
.
. .
6, 7 ......................120
4 : i 7 ......................... 141
,sa la “ '
7 ...................149, 841
7: 25 . . . . . . . . 917
1 1
994
2 7 ...........................994
1 : 5, 6 ......................305
1 2 .........................902
9 : 2 4 ............................263
10-12,16,17 . . . 698
5 4 : 1 0 ......................575
2 5 ,2 7 ..................264
2 5 ......................... 114
1 3 .........................453
Io: 8 ............................281
4 : 4 ..........................114
5 5 : 1 3 ...................... 352
2 1 ......................103
5 : 4 ...........................706
5 6 :6 ,7 ........................ 333
1 2 : 4 , 1 0 ..................... 266
6 : 5 ............................281
7 ..............................30
7: i4 .......................... 686
1 2 ......................758
Hosea.
8 : 1 3 - 1 5 ....................7°9 57:i 5 .................... 201,348
9
= 2 - 6 ....................56
1 8 .........................349
6 :3 . . . • •
208
6 ...............27,425,686
2 0 ,2 1................... 392
„ ? 4 ; ; :
• • • * £
II : 1-5......................56
5 8 :4 - 6 ,10 ...............319
1 2 : 5 ................ ; 1686
4 ............................I09
7- 1 0 ................... 432
1 3 : 9 ....................691,695
9 .......................... 994
8 ...........................408
y ,
1 2 :2 ,3 ........................532
1 3 ,1 4 .....................334
1 3 : 1 2 ............... 331. 949
59:14, 15 .................... 254
Joei.
14 :12, 14 .................... 517
1 9 .........................994
13, 14 ......................23
6 0 :3 ..............................38
2 : 2 3 ............................993
24 : 2 0 ......................938
6 1:1, 2 ...............38, 247
3 : 1 6 ......................... 938
2 3 ...................... 543
2 .............................274
2 6 :3 ............................387
3
349
AmOS.
1 9 ........................944
6 2 :4 ............................ 109
2 7 : 5 ............................295
4 ,5 .........................168
3 : 7 ........................... 265
28 : 1 6 ...............489, 709
6 4 :6 ............................ 194
21
690
6 5 :8 ............................ 165
Obadiah.
3 2 : 2 ............................109
66:1, 2 ........................519
1 7 ......................393
2 3 ...............326, 924
1 6 .........................918
1014
SCRIPTURAL INDEX.
MiCah.
8 : 20 .......................... 447
26: 3 1 .............. 805, 893
2 3 -3 4 .................. 388
3 2 ........................ 807
5 : 2 ..................... 47, 56o
9:1-8,32-34 • • • -299
33
......................972
7
.........................30
6
...........................984
36-56................... 819
6 : 6, 7
'. ! . .
. .559
9-17 ....................... 312
39 ....................... 9i2
7 • j8
274, 690
1 8 - 2 6 .................. 400
4 1 ......................850
19 . . . . . . 179,965
34
374
48 ................. 830,861
9
3 8 .............................423
57-75 .....................833
Habakkuk.
g ............................598
2, n - 3 1 ..................864
2 3 .......................642
4 ............................862
3 : 1 7 , 1 8 .....................133
3 2 ........................ 842
2 2 ........................740
1 1 : 1 - 1 1 ....................243
2 5 ........................ 942
Zephaniah.
1 4 ........................148
3 1-5 3 .....................889
2 8 ..................• 334
42 ...................... 939
3 : 1 7 ............................168
28-30.....................382
5 0 ........................927
12:5, 6 .......................329
62, 6 3.................... 956
Zachariah.
7 .......................... 330
62-65.....................936
10 -12 ....................331
28 :1, 5-8.....................946
6 : 1 2 , 1 3 .................... 185
2 1 ........................ 582
2-4 ,11-15. . .
• 937
9 : 9 ...................675,700
22-50.................... 373
I6-2° . . . . .
.979
16,17 . . . . . . 27
40,41 . . . . 479,480
18 . . . . 26, 371,95°
1 2 : 1 0 .......................687
1 4 : 1 - 1 1 ....................243
2 0 . . .185,258,997
1 3 : 7 ..................575,821
1,2 ,12 ,13 . . • 419
2 ......................... ®7?
Mark.
M a l a c h i
1 3 - 2 1 .....................................4 2 6
malaCtH‘
22-33.................... 439
3 0 .......................806
1 : 1 - 8 .........................101
3 : 1 - 3 .........................178
1 5 :1 - 2 0 .......................464
9 - i i .........................u f
4 :1
......................... 918
1 9 ...................... 191
12, 13 . . . .122,136
2 .....................22, 298
2I_28 ...................470
14, 1 5 ..................261
2 2 ......................... 723
16 - 2 0 ......................278
Matthew.
29-39..................... 477
24....................557,686
1 6 : 1 - 1 2 ......................477
3 5 ............................424
2
60
13-2 8 ...................... 485
4 0 -4 5 .................... 299
1 8 ............................37
1 7 :1 - 8 ....................... 498
2 : 1 - 1 2 .........................299
3 :1 - 1 2 .........................IOI
9 - 2 1 ......................505
1 4 - 2 2 .................... 312
2
.........................600
22-27.......................512
27, 2 8 .................... 329
3
......................... 257
1 8 : 1 - 2 0 .......................512
3 = 4 , 5 ....................... 33i
12
.......................460
19; 13 - 15 ....................... 607
8
............................ 345
1 3 - 1 7 ..............
116
16-22 . . . . . . 614
i3 - ! 9 .....................335
1 7
.............128, 686
20:18, 19 .................. 935
2 0 -3 5 .................. 373
4 : 1 - 1 1 ....................... 122
20-28..................... 647
4 :2 8 ............................43°
3, 6 ........................897
2 2 ..........................824
35-41.....................388
4 .............. 457, 811
2 6 ....................... 776
5: ! “ 2 0 .......................388
5 - 1 1 ........................136
2 8 ..........................768
2 1 - 4 3 .....................400
18 - 2 2 .................... 278
2 1 : 1 - 1 1 .......................675
3 9 ..................... .632
2 3 .........................984
12-16, 23-46. . .696
6 : 7 - 1 1 ...................... 406
5
-345
9 ............................723
16 ...........................872
1 3
.......................522
17 -19 .......................687
1 7 - 2 8 .....................243
1 8
.......................326
22:15-46 .......................713
3 0 - 3 2 ......................419
4 4
.......................3°4
23
724
32-44 .................... 426
4 5
...................... 776
8, 1 0 ......................490
45-52 .....................439
6
.
345
2 3 ............................92
5 5 ............................448
3 3 ........................... 132
3 8 ........................ 747
7 : 1- 2 3 ........................464
7
.
345
39 ........................687
2 4 -3 6 ...................470
1 2 ........................... 766
24
747
31-37 .................... 477
2 9 ...........................287
1 5 ......................... 265
8 : 1 - 2 1 ........................ 477
8 : 2 - 4 ........................299
2 5 : 2 3 .......................... 619
2 7 -3 8 ......................485
3
.......................... 933
3i
..........................999
38 .......................... 5°i
5 - 13 .......................366
31-4 6 ......................761
9 : 2 - 8 .........................498
1 0
........................ 65
2 6 :6 - 1 3 .......................660
3
.............................887
1 1
.......................74°
20-29...................... 780
9-29........................ 505
19, 2 0 ....................339
2 9 .......................... 165
3 0 -5 0 ....................512
SCRIPTURAL INDEX.
IOI5
h*:i ..........................5& f 6 : $ ....................aS-A 435 I 24:50-53.....................995
13 -16 ...................607
7 : i-*7 . ................366
27-22...................614
19 -2 8 ...................243
John.
* 4 ,2 6 ................ 657
3 6 -5 0 ....................
30-45...................647
S : 3 > 3 9 ................... 3 ®
1 : 1 - 3 ....................... 3A
1 1 : 1 - 1 0 .....................673
4 0 -3 6 ....................... 400
3
............................333
II-I4, 20, 21 . . . 687
9 U - 6 .......................406
4 .................. JIO, 552
15- 19, 2 7 - 3 3 ... 696
7 -10 ........................419
4 ,5 .9 ...................53:
1 2 : 1 - 1 2 .....................696
1 0 - 1 7 ....................... 426
5 ........................82,560
13-40.....................713
1 8 - 2 7 ....................... 485
9 ............................ 369
41-44.....................724
2 8 -3 6 ....................... 49S
I I ..............................20
13
.......................... 747
37-45 ............... - 5°5
1 2 , 1 3 ...................605
1 3 ......................414
4 6 -4 8 ....................... 5 «
1 2 , 1 8 ..................... 552
2 4 :3 - 2 * .....................660
5 1 - 5 6 ....................... 577
14. .24, 153,452,601
17-25.................. 7&>
5 6 ............................16 ............................................. 2S4
27,29.....................824 1 0 : 1 - 2 4 ....................... 577
19 - 5 2 ......................144
*9- 3 ° ...................805
3 ..............................412
2 7 ,2 9 ..................... 246
3 2 ....................... S06
5 ..............................4EO
29 . . 196,201,449,570
3 0 ...................... 849
25-37...................591
686,7®*, 742,778
32-50.................. 819
38-42...................... 620
45....................160,338
38 ...................... 239
5S9
4 6 ..............................73
53-72....................8b
1 2 : 1 ............................. 482 ;
5 0 .............................165
1 5 : 1 ..........................833
32-34...................590 I 2 : 1 - 1 1 ........................159
« - * > .................. 564
:
37
...................... 756
4
............................ 579
2d—3 S ..................SS91
42 . . . . . . . 757
1 2 - 2 2 ......................172
16 :1 - 8 .........................946 ! 13:27 ........................ 99®
19.
. 935,942
1 5 ............43A 979
1
35 .................. .2 ^
1 9 , 2 1 ......................840
17. i s .................... 9S4
1 4 : 2 4 ..........................589
3 :2 -2 7 .........................287
»
.........................99a ' 15 :2 4 ,3 2 ......................590 :
3
.............................211
.
2 6 : 1 7 ....................... 357
4 ........................... 455
Luke,
3 2 ............ 481,957
24 ............................ 578
17:20 -22.....................600
14, 1 5 . . 492, 789, 932
2:3-23,57-80. . . .10 1
18 :7 ,8 ,11,13 . . .5S9
16 ..................22,27,586
1 5 .............................*50 \
I S * :? .......................607
1 7 ............................23S
3*. 3 3 .......................84 j
18 -33.......................614
2 2 -3 6 .....................199
3 8 ..........................202 !
2 7 ...................... 657
29 ...................... . 317
5 3 .............................Sn '
31-34 - ................... S47
36
466
2 :1- 2 0 ..........................45
1 9 : 1 - 1 0 ......................654
4 :1-4 2 .........................205
1 4
........................356
29-44..................... 675
14 ................... 538,945
21-
j S .................SI
45-48 . . . . . . 696
4 3 -5 4 .................... 220
3 2 ............................553
696
4 8 .............................366
3 5 .................. ... • 260
20-47 . . . . . . 713
5
..........................225
39, 4®
.......................60
22-25..................... 967
1 4 ............................988
4 1 -5 1 .......................7»
45-47 ................... 724
30. . . .202,391,807
49....................262,579
2 1 :1 - 4 ..........................724
6 :1 - 1 3 ........................ 426
5 2 ..............................69
5- o S .......................747
5, 7 ....................... 3P
3 :1-18 - - ..................101
5A 34, 39 - - - - 266
1 4 - 2 1 .....................439
1 3 ............................655
22:7-18,24...................768 ;
2 3 - 7 1 ......................447
21, 2 2 .....................n6
14 -23...................... 780 j
3 0 ............................746
4 :I-I3 . . . . . . . 222
5 1.3 2 . . . . 850.974 |
S i ..........................509
5 - 1 3 ........................236
3 5 ..........................323
3 8 ............................384
16-
3 0 ..............268
39-53......................819 I
4 5 .......................... 4S8
1 8 ...................508, 594
54-71 ...................833
51 ..........................26
1 8 , 1 9 .....................418
2 3 :1 - 2 5 ......................S64
5 3-5 5 ......................7S9
32 . . . - 287,425,536
26-46...................8S9 !
53.................. . ■ 858
5 :2 - 1 2 ........................278
3 2 .........................952 J
54, 56,57.................793
22-
2 S ..............299
3t
..........................923
54 ............................9*5
15, 2 6 .....................424 !
4 6 ................ 926,927
57........................... 2 1
2 7 -3 9 .................... 322 1
5 6 ..........................930 1
70..................... 805.860
6 : 3,4 ......................329 ! 24:1-22 . . . . . .946 j 7: 1- 15. 37-39 - - • - 5*>
2 2 ........................... 424 ,
23-33.......................954
6
............................577
2 2 - 1 6 ....................335
21
952
1 5 .............................. 7!
17-
1 9 ..............345
27 ......................... 265
56-36,10-53 . - .539
35 .......................... 36o t
33-4S ................... 961
!
1 7 ...................295, 5h
IO l6
SCRIPTURAL INDEX.
7 : l S ...............................21
1 9 : 1 - 1 6 ..................... 864
3 : 1 2 ............................4>-
5 2 ............................834
4 ............................ 899 :
16. 1 7 .....................17*
8 : 1 - 1 1 .................. -539
1 5 .........................895
22. 2 3 ......................333
1 2 - 5 9 ...................550
26-30................... 8S9
5 : 1 2 ...........................7%
2 8 ......................21
3 0 ................585,845
6 : 1 1 ...........................605
2 9
..................... 819 :
91a, 926,1001
9 : 1 9 ..........................652
3 2 ............................*95
34-37..................... 927
2 0 : 1 2 ...................... 113
4 6 .............................332
2 0 :1 - 1 8 .....................946
1 3 ......................... 239
5 0 ..............................21
1 7 ......................... 901
3 3 ......................652
52.52 .................. 945
19-29...................962
2 1 : 3 .................. - -491
9
..........................550
3 2 ......................475
2 6 ...............165, Trt
4
...............................75
2 1: : - 2 2 .....................969
25-26......................780
7
..........................988
27-29................... 786
1 0 : 1 - 3 0 ...................568
ACtS-
32 ...................... 365
1 0 ..............320,945
1 2 : 1 1 .........................9S7
1 1 ........................26
2 :9 - 12 ........................ 995
1 3 : 4 ,5 .........................650
i7 ,iS .....................942
3 : 2 1 ............................924
2 2 ......................... 963
3 3 ......................56o
22................. . . 3 8 5 4
1 5 :4 5 ......................... 310
4 2 ...................... 251
4 :1 2 ...................196, 966
52-53...................5°i
i i : i-4 4 ...................620
1 3 ......................... 413
52 . . . . . . -754
47-54...................636
32-34 ................... 655
.
55-57.....................660
5 : 2 S ............................S04
2 Corinthians.
12 : i - U ...................660
3 1 .......................... 196
8 ............................ 765
4 1 ............................ 603
3 : 1 8 ..............................87
12-
1 9 ..............675
6 : 7 ............................304
4 : 6 .....................325.552
*>-43 ...................739
10, 1 5 ....................414
7
............................344
2 8 .........................484
8 : 4 ...........................264 :
1 5 .....................333,651
3 1
.
&13 1 0 : 4 3 ........................240
r S ................... 4S8, 793
4 S .........................746
17:26 ,27..................... 476
5 : 1 9 ............................ 916
1 3 : 1 - 1 7 ..................768
2 7 .........................70
*> ....................525,606
1 1 ...................... 7S2 1
3 1 ....................... 755
6 : 1 6 ....................179.361
1 1 , 1 8 .....................783
8 : 9 ..............................92
18-30...................780 |
Romans.
9 :6 - 2 1 .......................435
2 7 ........................ 856 j
1 0 : 5 .............................147
:-:-3S.................... 792 j 1 : 4 ........................... H i
2 2 : 1 0 ......................... 5S6
34
........................597 !
20 ............................. 3*4
23 :5 .............................365
36. 37
975 t 3 : * 6 ........................... 916
14
..........................79*
s = i ...........................393
Galatians.
3
........................9>»
7 : 1 2 ........................... 357
5-8 ........................338 ;
2 4 .............................*27
1 = 4
.............................305
6 .......................... 26
8 : 2 ...................25.554
2 : 20.................. 457, 606
1 7 .........................5SS
3 . . . . 124, 295, 362
3 : 7
............................ 659
2 7 .........................788
7
............................ 292
2 3 ............................ 889
3 0 ..................134,813
I I ..................... - 37*
a n ............................ 476
15
.
79*
*9......................S 9» 992
4 = 4,5 ........................ 35
10 . . . . . . . 332
33, 34 .....................674
5 : 1 3
779
1 2 .....................767
3 4 ........................... 999
*2
965
1 7 .........................597
10 :6 -9 .........................207
6 : 1 ......................524,598
16
.
79*
> 11-13.....................476
1 4 .............................791
1 1
.
Sl3
1 2 .......................282
1 2 ....................602
20,21. . . . . .543
Ephesians.
19 ,20 .....................328
11:3 3 • - ...................49
2 2 ................... .946 t I 2 : l .........................j 2 2 ‘ 1 : 6 . .................121, 1002
33,24 .....................999
1 4 : 5 , 1 2 .....................652
19............................224
24 ........................... 796
29 .......................... 415
2A 2 3 .......................491
3 2 ......................832
2 5 : 1 ............................5*3
* : I .................
227,237
3 3 ......................134
1 6 : 2 5 ...........................22 !
7 .........................28,282
17
.......................... 792
2 1 .2 2 ................... 179
4
...............
.9J5
1 Corinthians.
2 2 ..........................236
24 ...................... 1001
3 : 6 ..........................474
1 8 : 1 - 1 2 .....................819
1 : 4 ........................... 60s
1 0 , 1 1 .......................28
13-
2 7 ..............833
2 : 2 ............................605
16. 2 0 ...................... 224
2S-40.....................864
9, 1 0 ....................488
IS, 1 9 ......................80;
3 6 ......................624
14 .................. 459. 604 f
ao....................282,501
SCRIPTURAL INDEX.
IO I7
GENERAL INDEX
A.
Abraham, God’s purpose in call
of, 29: bondage in Egypt re
vealed to, 35; faith of, in birth
of Isaac, 102; natural descent
from, distinct from spiritual re
lationship,
112-114,
S5S;
saw
Christ’s day. 120, 558, 559.
Absolution, the true, 963-966.
Accusing and
denunciation, Sa
tan’s method, 315, 411, 412-
Accusers, zeal of, to hide their
own guilt, 547-549.
Adam, looked for Messiah, 35;
temptation
of
compared
to
Christ’s, 125, 126; and Eve, met
with
Christ
before
and after
banishment
from
Eden,
335;
worshiped in fields and groves,
335-
Adultery, charge of, 547; rabbis
unauthorized in making, 548.
Affliction, how regarded by Jews,
306, 308, 560, 561.
Agony of Christ, its cause, 681-
685, 743- 744. 821-826, 903-907; vic
tory in, 744, 827, 908.
Almsgiving, 114, 362, 615, 616, 619;
true motive in, 362.
Angels, power of, 836; interest of
in redemption, 19, 41, 912, 913,
9191
self-sacrifice of,
21;
de
ception of, by Lucifer, 21, 910;
benefits of cross to, 20, 28, 745,
910, 914, 919.
Angels,
watching
for
Christ’s
birth, 45-47; and the shepherds,
471 the wise men, 61; ministry
to Jesus, 68, 73, 84, 119, 142, 143,
273, 625, 828, 829, to John the
Baptist, 258, to the tried and
tempted, 523, 526, 763; co-ope
rate
with
men
in
preaching
gospel, 344, 526, in ministry to
the suffering, 594, with parents
in teaching their children, 612;
enter our homes with the poor,
763, 764; walk with men in daily
life, 49; guide seekers for truth,
72, 155, 258; bring every bless
ing, 157, 158; convict of sin, it',
348;
protected
Lot,
Elisha,
Christ,
273,
so
protect
all
Christ’s followers, 273, 404, 416,
564;
deliver from evil spirits,
295; present at the Lord’s sup
per,
786;
sympathy
of,
with
Christ in His agony and death,
827, 836-853, 902, 904, 912; rejoic
ing of, at Christ’s victory, 923;
at the tomb, 937-940, 947, 948;
send message to disciples and
Peter,
950;
comfort
disciples
after
Christ’s
ascension,
997,
998; escort Jesus to city of God,
1000.
Angels, fallen, former glory of,
9i3-
-
Anna, a witness to Christ, 55.
Annas, Christ’s preliminary trial
before, 833-838; two charges to
establish against Christ, 834.
Apostles, call of four at Sea of
Galilee,
282;
why
unlearned
men chosen as, 282, 283 (see Ed
ucation) ;
association
of, with
Jesus, 169, 337, 346, 406, 407, 419-
422, 969; the twelve ordained,
3 3 5.
3 36.
3 39.
3 4 3 ! diversity of
character in, 342, 343; work of,
as Christ’s helpers, 406, 407; to
be Christ’s representatives, 406,
410, 413, 417, 418; first mission
ary tour, preparation for, 406-
410; house-to-house work, 409,
410; instruction for, 410-418; re
turn from, 419, 420; why sent
only to Jews, 409; to witness
before
magistrates,
413,
414;
agency of, in feeding the five
thousand, 433; danger of, from
spiritual
pride,
420,
484-487;
faith of, in Christ, 461, 462, 487,
488; the three at the transfigu
ration, 498-504; contention who
should be greatest, 512, 515-519.
651, 768-774, 859; hopes, perplex
ity, disappointment of, at the
fate of John the Baptist, 280,
623, before sermon on mount,
346, at Christ’s refusal to be
made king, 439-443, when fore
warned of His passion, 486, 492,
495, 496, 647, 648, when He de
layed going to Lazarus, 623, at
the betrayal, 831, 832, on the
way to Cavalry, 892, after His
death, 928; failure of to under
stand
and
appreciate
Christ’s
character, 601-603, 668, 069; in
struction to, in upper chamber
and on the way to Cavalry, 792-
816, 963, 964; seven, at Sea of
( 1 0 1 9 )
I0 l 8
SCRIPTURAL INDEX.
4;1i-I3 .............. 423
Hebrews.
3 : 4 ....................758
18....................918
10....................938
5 : 2 .....................665
3
54
12...................... 756
!4 .....................372
1 :6 ...................1002
® : 12.............. 41°) 604
g ............... 202, 880
1 John.
14....................098
Philippians.
2: n ....................... 27 1: !- 3 ........................ 397
14. 15 .............. 372
2 ......................^ 4
1: 20, 2 1 .............. 650
i7 .....................25
9
.............. 3°5> 965
29.....................258
4:14-16................. 186
2: 3
.....................466
2:6, 7 ....................23
15........................25
3i 6
484
8 ..................517
5 : 2 ................344.594
^ ......................597
2 : 8 .......................26
7:24....................... 54
3 :2 .................
121
J3 .....................804
25.......................185
8
. . .................310
3 = 10.....................237
26........................ 27
n. 10...............652
21.......................24 8 : 2 ....................184
22 ..................... 799
5 ...................... 236
4 = 7
................152,762
Colossians.
9:8-12 / .................185
7,16................... 977
12...................... 909
12, 2 0 ...............599
1:13..................... 372
28..................... 501
5; 11, 1 2 ................ 453
23.................... 755
10:5-7.....................23
12.....................629
2 : 3 .................... 552
7
909
14, 15.................3 °5
9, 10................. 202
2 1 .................54
, .
15
..... 184
n : 6 ....................138
Jude.
3 - 3
..................... 257
8 ........................ 61
g
501
4 .................... 945
12 : 2 .................... 619
....................
2 4 ....................185
4
/M
1 Thessalonlans.
2 6 .................938
Revelation.
2 9 ...................114
4 :1 4 .................... 943
13 = 1 2 .....................889
1 : 1 ......................103
16
.......999
3 ......................265
16,17.............. 372
James.
7 ....................999
5 : 3 .....................758
18. . . . 372,574,800
4 - 6 .................267
1 :5 .............. 364, 425
2 :4 ,5 .............. . 323
„
, .
2:10....................917
3 : 3 ..................758
2 Thessalonians*
.12....................555
7 ,8 ................. 121
4 :7 ,8 ...................142
12,21................ 650
2 : 8 .....................115
5 :20...................... 524
17, 1 8 ................ 323
14 .................... 399
20 . . . . 179, 584,963
.
1 Peter.
5 : 5 ....................277
1 Timothy.
12....................143
1: ix ..................... 265
12,13.................1002
3:16.................... 26
19................51,782
6:16,17...............888
4 : 1 ..................... 293
2 :3 -5 ....................489
7 = i' 5 .....................350
5:10.................
668
3 -8 ..................710
15-17.............. 387
21...................... 236
12 :10 ....................914
2 Timothy.
3 : 9 ....................3°4
17....................469
4 :12, 1 3 .............. 494
13: n-17...............132
1 : 7 .................... 399
5 :i-4
978
14 : 6, 1 4 ..................755
4 : 2 ....................965
_
15 : 3, 4 ................. 59
6 -8 .................650
2 Peter.
16:15........... ... . 758
16, 1 7.............. 414
19 :6 ....................48
1 : 4 ....................135
6, 7, 9.............. 168
TitUS.
16....................5 °3
1 6 ................. 888
19.......................551
22:9......................103
3 : 5 ....................068
2 : 9 ....................626
17........... 538, 985
1020
GENERAL INDEX.
Galilee, 969, 972; second draught
of fishes renewed commission
of, 970-973; on mount ot ascen
sion, 996, 997; after ascension,
600-603, 998, 999.
Apostolic succession, 555, 556.
Appetite, ground of first great
temptation,
126; result of
in
dulging, 105, 126, 133; overcome
by Christ,
126,
133,
134,
166;
Christ provided no luxuries for,
428.
Archelaus, character of, 68.
Ascension of Christ, on the res
urrection day, 949; after forty
days, 995; glory attending, 1000;
as advocate for His church, 793,
949, 1001.
B.
Babylon, Jews captivity in, 30, 31.
Balaam’s
prophecy
of
Christ
known to magi, 60.
Baptism, John’s, in ; of the Holv
Spirit and fire, 114; of Christ,
117-119; Satan a witness of, 124;
apart
from
Christ,
worthless,
202;
dispute
on,
between
Christ’s
and
John’s
disciples,
200; of John, from heaven or of
men?
Christ’s
question
to
priests and rabbis, 701.
Barabbas, a
pretended
Messiah,
878; contrast of with Christ, 881;
in choosing Jews chose Satan,
886.
Beatitudes, 347-353.
Beholding
Christ,
changed
by,
522.
Benevolence, life of Christ, prin
ciple of law, 213, 360.
Bethabra, John the Baptist at, 144.
Bethesda, pool, troubling of wa
ters of, 225; Christ healing at,
226, 227.
Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary in,
46-49; visit of wise men to, 65.
Bethsaida,
Christ and
disciples
visit, 422, 426; with Capernaum
and Chorazin, rejecled Christ,
583-
Bethany, Christ’s visits to, 620,
621, 627, 660.
Bible, how to study, 457, 458.
Blasphemy, to speak against tem
ple, 174, against rabbinical laws,
230; charge of against Christ,
230, 234, 308, 560, 843, 845.
Blind and dumb possessed, heal
ing of, 373, 374; blind beggar,
560, 561, 988, before Pharisees,
562-566; Christ revealed to, 566.
Blindness, spiritual, of Pharisees,
567-
Book of God’s providence, 364.
Booths, at Feast of Tabernacles,
3 3 6, 530-
Bread, Christ the true, 450; bread
of life, receiving to give, 432,
433> eating of, a figure used by
rabbis, 451, significance of, 450-
458-
Brethren,
Christians, to
sinners
as well as to saints, 763.
Bridegroom, Christ compared to,
200, 201, 317.
Burial of Christ, 928-930.
Burning bush, a symbol of incar
nation, 23, 24.
Business
and
religion,
Christ’s
example in regard to, 75; the
Christian to represent Christ in,
658.
C.
Caiaphas, character of, 639, 640,
838; a Sadducee, 838, 843; coun
sels the death of Christ, 639-641;
counsel of that one die for na
tion, 639, 640; Christ arraigned
before, 838; convicted of Christ’s
divinity,
839; rending
priestly
robe,
significance
of,
844;
spurns confession of Judas, 862;
before Pilate demands- sentence
on Christ, 868-887; more guilty
than Pilate or Herod, 883, 884’;
fears of, after the crucifixion,
926; after the resurrection, 940.
Call of apostles by Sea of Galilee,
281, 282.
Calvary, without the gate of Jeru
salem, significance of, 889.
Cana, twice visited by Christ, 159,
220.
Capital punishment, 229, 833, 834.
Capernaum,
center
of
Christ’s
work in Galilee, 286, 287, 295,
296;
healing lunatic
in syna
gogue of, 290, 291; healing mul
titude at, 296; why Christ did
not remain at, 297; after-visits
to, 305, 367, 400, 448, 512; ser
mon on bread of life at, 448-457;
Christ rejected by, 447, 458-461,
583,
584;
and
Chorazin
and
Bethsaida, woes upon, 583.
Carmel, mount, in sight of dis
ciples who asked to call down
fire on Samaritans, 580.
GENERAL INDEX.
1021
Carpenter, Jesus as a, 74;
de
spised as, 270, 452.
Caste,
hateful
to
God,
476;
Christ’s work to break down,
474; no place for among Christ’s
disciples,
519.
(See Exclusive
ness.)
Casting net on right side of ship,
meaning of, 971.
Caviling critic of divine teaching,
danger of, 376; judge's himself,
557; shuts the door to knowl
edge, 152, 694, 695; how met by
Christ, 539.
Caesarea
Philippi,
Christ’s
rea
sons for visiting, 486, 496; teach
ing disciples at, 486-495.
Centurion of Capernaum, 366-368.
Centurion at the cross, 924.
Ceremonial purification,
Christ’s
disciples accused of neglecting,
465.
Character, ruined by sin, Christ
restores, 42; result of life, 362;
our own determines our influ
ence upon others, 355; works
the test of, 114, 357-359-
Character - building,
Christ
the
pattern for, 235, 236^
Cheerfulness,
a
Christian
duty,
170, 348, 612.
Children (see Education, Nature),
Christ’s example for, 69, 72-77,
83-85. 93-95; bringing to Jesus,
607-614;
His tenderness toward
faulty, 613; gifts of, pleasing to
Christ, 667, 668; with Christ in
the temple, 699, 700; praise of,
rebuked by Pharisees, 700.
ChiM,
Christ’s
disciples to be
come as a, 518.
C H R IST ,
Offices,
Titles,
and
Appellations of:
A Covert from the Tempest, 109;
a Caretaker and Burden-bearer,
69, 74. 83, 651; Adored of the
angels,
543;
Advocate
and
Judge, 238; a King to reign in
righteousness,
109;
Anointed
One, 117-119, 264, 269, 639, 880;
Author of the resurrection, 629;
Author of truth, 38.
Beloved of heaven, 29; Beloved
of the Father, 123; Bridegroom,
200, 318.
Captain of the Lord’s host, 411;
Child of Bethlehem, 54; Child
of Nazareth, 73< Christ of God,
i8r; Commander of heaven, 124;
Commander of the angels, 119,
142, 278, 681;
Conqueror,
910,
9951
Conqueror
of
the
grave,
629; Consolation of Israel, 55;
Creator, 20, 71, 76, 309, 324, 333,
334, 336, 905-
Daysman, 27;
Deliverer, 37, 48,
398, 4 3 9 ; Deliverer of Israel, Re
deemer of the world, 57; Desire
of all nations, 54, 207;
Divine
One, 510; Divine Teacher, the
greatest Educator, 152, 217, 279,
283. 314, 336-338. 796,' 969; Door
of sheepfold, 570.
Elder Brother, 383; Exalted One,
517-
First-born of heaven, 52; First-
fruits, 943; Foundation of Jew
ish economy, 54, 118; Friend of
sinners, 218, 461.
Galilean, 544, 724; Galilean rabbi,
539, 560, 654; Gift of God, 195;
Giver of the manna, 450; Glory
of Israel, 55;
Guide ot Israel,
54-
Healer, 296, 300, 310, 475. 699, 933’,
Heart-searcher,
672;
Heavenly
Gift, 583; Heaven’s K ing, 887;
Helper, 181, 574! H igh
Priest,
26, 54, 185, 816, 880, 909; Holy
One of Israel, 863; Honored of
Heaven, 278; Hope of the fath
ers, 29, 35, 207.
Image of God, 19; Immanuel, 19,
686; Interpreter, 37, 71, 172.
Judge of all the earth, 237, 329,
761, 842.
King of Glory, 45, 53, 728, 767.
Lamb of God, 46, 120, 149, 522,
678, 686, 768, 780, 841, 880, 887,
900, 909; Leader of Israel, 32,
54, 131,
45°, 529, 5 9 4 ;
Light ot
life, 56; Light of men, 97, 461;
Light of the Gentiles, 55; Light
of the world,_ 550-553, 566; living
Rock, 489; living Saviour, 951,
960; Lord of life and glory, 777,
842, 903, 936; Lord of the Sab
bath, 239, 329, 333.
Majesty of heaven, 53, 176, 318;
Man of Nazareth, 283; Man of
sorrows, 163, 522;
Master, 160,
657, 773, 7771 Master and Lord,
Teacher and Friend, 792; Mes
senger
of
Covenant, 38, 178;
Minister
of
the
church,
185;
Minister of the true tabernacle,
184.
Only begotten Son, 27, 53, 558,
575! our Burden-bearer,383; our
everlasting
Father.
575.
686;
ual development, 64. 72; bean tv
our substitute and surety, 51,
of character. 69 74, 76, Ja. 89:
9°4-
as a craftsman. 74. 85; ministry.
Peace-lover,
118;
personal
Sa-
69. 74-77, gj-86, 91.'93-97: His
viour, 361, 435, 659; Priest, 26,
own
mission,
comprebending.
90a; Prince ot God, 877; Prince
to. 85; in the school of the rab-
of heaven, 318* 415; Prince of
bis, 81, 82;
disregarded
laws
life, 507, 537, 686;
Prince of
and
traditions
of
rabbis. 81.
light, 12*, 915: Prince of peace,
88-91, 95 (see Scriptures. Priests
118, 686;
Prince of
sufferers,
and
Rabbis);
obedience
of
903; Promised One, 61, 270, 375;
to parents, 85, 89. 95- rtsa; con-
Prophet, 53, 230, 439, gca.
temptuons allusions to birth of,
Rejected Stone, a stone of stumb-
companions,
5& 94; and Hts
ling, a sure foundation, 707-7x1;
W. -tf2, 55^. 852, 912; with young
Restorer, 566, 627, 741; Resur-
mother, 70, 83-86, 89, 95, 159-164,
rection and the life, 434, 628,
Va, 9°*; brothers of, older than
9t>945; risen Saviour, 980; Rock
2 e>
51 >
^
not
understand
of faith, 487-491; Root and Off-
Him, 91, 92. 118, 378-380, 532-
spring
of
David,
and
bright
534, _ 578,
attempts
of. to
re-
and morning star, 54.
strain and control
Him, 90-92,
Sanctifier, 334;
Saviour
of
the
bj: 373. unbelief of, in urging
world, 475; Seed of the woman,
*?“ Presence at
the
Feast of
636: Sent of God, 160, 188. 449,
-tabernacles, 333.
566; Servant of all. 779; Sfeitdh!
Chrlit’ one
G° 3d1* 554, 575, 794,
One, 117, nS, 134, 549, 556, 537,
5 s: <®e with man, 26, 27, 361,
865; Son of David, 46, 723; Son
362’ 379. p i, 383, 39 ri 424; divin
'd man, onr brother, 23, 27. 54,
)4y and humanity united in, so
763; substitute and surety, 51,
™ “ s. ‘ 34- 343- 5*6 ; divinity of,
934; suffering one of Calvary,
flashed through humanity, 142,
524; Sin-bearer, 674, 744, 904, 907;
179, 500, 54S 698, 842, 875;
Sun of Righteousness. 22, 48,
divine power of, not exerted tor
532, Sto, 815, 907. 96a
benefit or vindication of Him-
Teacfcer of Galilee, 198; the Be-
5elt, 129, 836, 837, 873, 88a
loved of the Father. 123; the
Christ, character of, as shown in
Branch
of
David,
6S6;
th«
self-sacrifice, 20-23, 57, 38, 740,
Branch from the root of Jesse,
7-xt; voluntary sacrifice, 23, 585,
109;
the Good Shepherd. 63,
sympathy, 76, gi, 96, 159, tSj, 169;
568-573. 767, 816; the I AM, 25,
a n , 217, 289, 314, 370, 371, 426,
54, 5591 the living bread, 454!
572-576, 630, 631, 891, 892, 997;
the
Lord
our Righteousness.
compassion, 380;
social Irindfi-
686; the measure of value God
aess, 167-169, 314: dependence on
sets on us, 797; the meek and
God, 134, 391, 424, 431; depend-
lowly One. 20, 92, 119, 342, 385,
®oc*
° °
the
word
of
God
S41.
846, *75, 880; the mighty
{or
power
to
overcome, 1J5;
God, 27; the shadow of a great
55*®*
through
harmony
with
rock in a weary land. 109; the
385,
through
faith
in
Way, the Truth, and the Life,
» *•. 8j 3* . 9°*1
26, 345- 793: the true Vine. 807,
fOT H ls dl5<3PIes- IS2- 337.
8o3; the Wonderful Counselor,
f 1’
“ *> ***• 462 * 3*
125,
686; the world’s
rightful
***» *3».
9SS,
966, 997,
m m ;
king, mo; true Sacrifice,
* 1
f*
Victim, 2 6 , 59.
7T^_
'E ft S3°, *3 1, 862; 863;
World’s Redeemer, » , 47, 120.
i J 1U^ eSS toe’
556. 557, 870,
877, 8S1; countenance, bearing,
Christ in childhood
and
family
appearance.
15c,
t5i, 160,
221,
life; His birth, 47; circumcision
*37<
269. 289, 318, 703, 703, 838,
and
dedication, 51, 53; health.
*65,
8Si, 882, 885, 905, 998; obe-
51, 74; beginning of rejection by
dience to law and win of God,
priests and rabbis, 64, 82; grad-
25, 88, 89. 93-95, 126, 134, 135. 137,
1022
GENERAL INDEX.
rfa, 213, 3S4, 579, 744, 825-827, 88a
advent of, compared to d m of
882.: making no plans for Him-
day, 298; rejected by the Jew-
self, 235; foreknowledge, So, 163,
ish nation, 151, 179, 180, 203, 241,
175. 176,
483, 584, 585, 631, 683,
242, 262, 641, 64a; saved others,
741; having a definite purpose
could not save
Himself, 897;
in every act, 163, 232, 462, 534,
power of, to forgive , sins His
579, 680; untiring diligence, 73,
royal right, 901; by taith a con-
74, 296;
shunning display, 45.
queror, &13, 908, 910; fruits of
76, 297;
shunning dissensions,
H is victory, a redeemed people
303, 387, 515, 593; not rushing
and renewed earth, 28, 923, 993,
needlessly into danger, 414, 534,
994- (See Trial, Death, Burial,
642;
enduring
loneliness
and
Resurrection, Ascension.)
misunderstanding,
93.
94,
97,
Christ
the
great
Teacher,
tn
11S, 3S0, 302, 593- 668; in pover-
youth. 7577. 80-82 95, 96; in ia-
ty and humiliation, 24, 26. 45,
ter ministry, 152, 165-170, 1W-19S,
zs, 51, 53, 69, 73-77, 91, 92, 150,
206-210, 216-219, 229. 23°, 427, 4-3,
is i, 270, 276, 277; appreciation
550-554: training disciples, 169,
of love
and courtesy, 667-669;
282-285,
343,
346,
406,
419-422;
longing tor sympathy in suffer-
interest
of, for
mothers
and
ia g f 823; suffering under abuse
children,
607-609;
the
lather’ s
and insult, 743, 744, 836; faith
example, 610; influence of, to
and courage in face o: apparent
draw the people. 218, 230, 263,
failure, 385, 813; compared to
3*5, 5(6, 419, 426; authority ot,
high priest, 26, to serpent lifted
in controlling the people, 44j :
up in wilderness, 194, US. 492,
teaching,
152, 156; charattens-
378, to Jacob’s ladder, 361, to
tics of, 168-170, 206-212, 288-290,
kinsman who redeemed Hebrew
314, 33^, 347- 3S2, 471-474, 535-53“ -
bondman, 381.
553, 5Sfe 5% 620, 99G the proph-
Christ, in H is mission, reveals
ectes His theme, 203-265, 956-953,
God'to men and to angels, 19-
spoke to few as to many, 218.
28. 57, U8. 36i , 3& , 452-154, 745,
“ ot ^ disciples
to
910-919; restores God’s image m
people througn all ume, 279,
man, 42; risked all ior us, 50,
teaching net_ a new doctrine,
126; reveals aB hearts, 57, 591
3^ . *57; Scriptures as a new-
unites God and man. 124, 138,
revelation, 287, 321, not attack
xfii
462, 126; opens heaven to
in? error, but presenting truth,
us,' T2tT 157, 15S; invites all to
347,
539:
s * ™ * dlf ^
10**
come to Him, :68, sxS, * 3 . 384,
* 3, & T. f£ ° ke * *
4-6. 673, 674; thirsts for recog-
love, 288, 269, 4ii, to , ^2683,
union of H is love, 213; knows
737’, broke down
us individually, 572; would have
Exclusiveness); effect 01 teach-
died for one seal, 5741 endeared
mg on temple offices sent -or
to God bv H is sacrifice for us,
His arrest, 545; on Roman ohi-
575; through personal acquaint-
cers. 688; effect of last words m
a n « onr defense against Satan,
temple^ 7S \ words of toPitote,
■ r— with us by Hts spirit in
869, 870; disciples to teach what
™
p ^ ce/S to ; not oornpre-
He had taught, 991; results of
^
worid-ywise mem
teaching seen after. His death,
5S7; but imperfectly by disci-
3l£
* f » ? * ? ? * J *
pies,
601-604,
568,
669;
disap-
after the dealing ^ Brthesda,
pointed
popular
expectation,
225-242;
tn
the
synagogue
at
14-. 44c, 447;‘refined to be faaie
Nazareth, 269-272; the sermon
king. 140. 447; tested false dis-
on the mount, 345-385;
ciples 458-463: warned and com-
sending
oat
apostles,
406-418,
farted' the true, 492, 5»St6> 792-
bread ^
* Iff*
807; revealed glory on mount,
Feast
of Tabernacles,
535-143,
healed maniac in valley, lesson
after the last supper, Tptofi.
of, -.09. 510; revealed God, that
Chnst the great Physician, ito,
we c a r rereal Him. 795* to be
iSr- 246, *47* 26^ 274, J95, 296*
glorified in H is church* 815;
407, 4x9* 420* 4*7 *** Miracles?;
G EN ERA L IN D EX.
1023
1024
GENERAL INDEX.
of the soul, 227, 504, 305, 309,
310, 314, 315, 987, 988; gave more
time to healing than to preach
ing 407; after His death sought
by sick and suffering, 933; H is
use of remedies, 988; instruc
tion to ancient Israel on laws
of health, 988; power and will
ingness to heal unchanged, 310,
987.
Christian, a link in chain to save
the world, 495.
Church, Christ its foundation and
head,
491;
responsibility
of,
toward erring members, 524, 525,
964-966; to reveal Christ’s glory,
27, 815; the essential qualifica
tion of workers in, 964. (See
Workers for Christ.)
Civil
and
religious
obligations,
limits of, 714, 715.
Cloud, of glory at transfiguration,
5 0 3 pillar
of, in
wilderness,
Christ in, 529;
of angels, re
ceived Christ at His ascension,
997-
Communion, open, 785, 786.
Compromise of principle, 415.
Confessing Christ, 417.
(.bee Wit
ness for Christ.)
Confession by Peter of Christ’s
divinity, 461, 487.
Confession of sin, open and se
cret, 972.
Conscience, no
man to control
another’s, 652;
compulsion of,
from Satan, 580. (See Force.)
Conversation, 86, 375, 376, 443, 583.
Consecration
to
God,
physical
and
mental
power
received
through, 283-283, 993.
(See Self-
surrender.)
Controversy betiveen Christ and
Satan, beginning of, 22; results
of, 26, 27, 37-59, 743, 910, 914,
919; in this world, 122-123; dur
ing
Christ’s
life,
123-126, 292,
293, 910-915; repeated in hearts
of men, 123; the last conflict of,
132, _ 917-919;
Christ’s followers
participate in. 410, 411.
*
Controversy and dissension, Sa
tan’s object in, 463; Christ tried
to
shun,
203,
287,
515,
593;
taught disciples to shun, 407.
Conversion gradual, 191, 192; su
pernatural, 377, 481; transforma
tion
through,
522
(see
New
Birth): freedom of will in, 554;
of children, 608-610.
Co-operation of man with God,
3 4 3, 344 i taught in resurrection
of
Lazarus,
633,
633;
with
Christ, power received through,
9 9 3-
Corban, 466.
Corn, disciples
gather on
Sab
bath, 328; of wheat, illustrates
death
and
resurrection
of
Christ, 741; lesson of self-sacri
fice from, 742, 743.
Corner-stone in Solomon’s tem
ple, a symbol of Christ, 706-712.
Council of Pharisees, and restored
blind
man,
562-566;
council
plots death of Christ
and of
Lazarus, 661, 662. (See Sanhe
drim.)
Council of heaven, 910, 911; of
Satan and his confederate an
gels, 124, 231.
Counsel, of ungodly not to be
sought,
412;
apostles
sought,
from Christ, 406, 407, 419; we to
depend upon God, not man, for,
7 98-
Covenant of redemption, ratified
at Christ’s ascension, 949, 1001,
1002.
Creed, assent to, insufficient for
salvation, 358, 359.
Criticism of others’ faults, 523.
Countenance, beauty of character
revealed in, 362, 726; of Christ,
beauty of, 150, 131, 160, 289, 702,
703. 839, 865, 881, 903.
Cross, science and song of the
universe, 19; safeguard against
apostasy, 28, 583, 745; love and
selfishness revealed by, 58; ig
nominy of, 494.
(See also Ap
pendix, Note 2.)
Cross, without the gate of Jeru
salem,
significance
of,
889;
Christ fainting under, 889, 890;
nailing Christ to, 893; His suf
ferings on, 896, 897, 903-908; be
tween two thieves. 901, 902.
Crown of sacrifice, 256.
Crucifixion, effect of, on behold
ers, 905, 908, 924; on discijJles,
928.
Crucifixion, of self, 493.
Curiosity, Christ did not gratify,
448, 361, 874.
D.
Daily
life,
training
for
higher
duties, 446.
Daniel,
in
captivity
revealed
GENERAL INDEX.
knowledge of God to heathen,
29; his prophecy of Mess'ah, 35,
39, 103, 263-265; prophecies ot,
to be understood, 265.
Darkness about the cross, con
cealed
God’s
presence,
905:
veiled Christ’s last agony, 905;
a symbol, of the darkness that
wrapped His soul, 900, of the
darkness that shrouded the peo
ple, 907.
Death of Christ, plotted by Jew
ish leaders, 182,
187, 234, 540,
54'. 560, 362; after resurrection
of Lazarus, 637-641, 661, 662; be
cause He claimed divinity, 233,
2 34- 559. 560.
Death of Christ,
life for man
through, 454, 435; illustrated by
corn of wheat, 741; caused by a
broken heart, 927; at hour of
evening sacrifice, escape of iamb
about to be offered, 909; fills
Jerusalem with mourning, 933.
Death, 3 sleep, 625, 661, 943; dark
ness of Jews concerning, 36;
Christ frees from natural and
spiritual, 372.
Dead, Jewish custom of mourn
ing and burial for, 370, 401, 627;
gifts for the, give in life, 665.
Decapolis,
restored
demoniacs
preached
Christ
in,
396,
477;
Christ Himself received in, 398,
477. 478; feeding multitude in,
478.
Defilement, from within, 467.
Demoniac, healed at Capernaum,
290, 291; two at Gergesa, 393-
395-
Demons
in
form
of
men,
at
Christ’s trial, 878; at the cross,
897. 9 ' 3 . 9 ' 4-
Denying Christ, 417.
Destruction, of
wicked, not by
arbitrary power,
114,
115, 918,
919; of Jerusalem foretold, 684,
738, represented
final
destruc
tion of Jews, 687, represents de
struction of the world, 892 (see
Second Advent); destruction of
Jerusalem and
end
of world,
prophecies of, intermingled by
Christ, 748; signs of, 750-756.
Disciples,
the
first
five
follow
Christ, 131-154; all tested, 313.
458; unbelief of, at the feeding
of five thousand, 338, 33*, 427.
478, after discourse on bread of
life, 458, 459, after Christ’s res
^ 6 5
1025
urrection, 950-952; false ideas ot,
concerning Messiah, 957; influ
ence of Judas with, 664, 859, ot
Pharisees, 482,
483, of rabbis’
false ideas of Messiah, 487, 488,
of Christ’s example and teach
ing against tradition, 407; the
seventy
with
Christ
when
twelve
were
sent forth,
581;
their
understanding of
Christ
through Holy Spirit, 587; hopes
of, at triumphal entry, 676, 892;
two on the way to Emmaus, 954;
commission to all on mountain
in Galilee, 979-983; to do greater
works
than
Christ, 796. (See
Apostles.)
’
Disease,
regarded
by Jews
as
punishment of sin, 306, 560, 561;
cause and cure of, 310, 988, 989;
Christ’s
power
to
heal
un
changed, 310, 987.
Loubt, danger in expressing, 376;
brings darkness, 442.
Doubting ones, Christ’s example
in dealing with, 968.
Draught of fishes, second miracle
ot, a renewal of commission to
apostles,
9 7'-
Drawing water, ceremony of, at
Feast of Tabernacles, 531.
Dress, difference between that of
rabbis and of John the Baptist,
249; of Christ, 221, 724; between
that of Christ and of the high
priest, 702; of apostles on first
mission, 409.
Dumb animals, Christ’s example
toward, 76; God’s care for, 364,
416, 417, 595-
E .
Earthquake,
at
Christ’s
death,
908;
at
His
resurrection and
second coming, 938.
Eating of bread, figure of, used
by rabbis, 450, 451;
used
by
Christ, 450-458.
Eating flesh of Christ, receiving
Him by faith, 455, 789.
Economy,
Christ’s teaching
of,
4 30-
Education, the Lord’s directions
for, 70; among )ews, alter cap
tivity, 32; in time of Christ, 70.
88; of child Jesus, 71-74, 78-81,
8 8, 93-95. 5 3 6;
John the B ap
tist,
ios-108;
of disciples
by
Christ, 169, 282-285, 340, 341, 406
(see
Nature);
importance
of
1026
G E N E R A L IN D E X .
early, i 5-108; when a blessing,
283; the true “ higher," 553, 570,
571, imparts vitalizing energy,
284; of church in gospel work,
991. (See Holy Spirit.)
Elijah, why sent to widow of Sa-
repta, 271; in the desert, prayer
of, 349; expected by Jews as
Christ’s forerunner, 148; on the
mount of transfiguration, 501.
Emmaus,
Christ’s
teaching on
journey
to,
954-958;
returns
from,
unseen,
to
Jerusalem,
959-961.
Erring, Christ’s rule for dealing
with, 523-525, 964-966; pity and
encourage, 598, 599, 613; Christ’s
mercy toward, 673, 674; Judas
an example, 784-786; also Peter,
9 74. 9 75-
Evangelists,
in
house-to-house
work, 409; laboring two by two,
407. (See Workers for Christ.)
Evil spirits, God’s word our de
fense against, 293; cast out, re
turning, 376, 377.
Excitement of people for Christ,
263.
Excommunication, the lesser, 563.
Exclusiveness, of Jews, 31, 37, go,
471, 4 7 2, 592. 5 9 3. 595. 981; results
of, 39-41, 167; opposed by Christ,
90, 167-169, 216, 217, 277, 314, 354,
4 74. 5 93-597. 981, 985. 986, by ex
ample of John the Baptist, 107,
of good Samaritan, 596, at the
Lord’s supper, 785.
Exodus, at time appointed, 35, 36.
Expediency,
reason
urged
tor
putting
Christ
to
death, 639,
640.
I-'aith, more than intellectual as
sent,
403;
distinguished
from
presumption, 138; touch of, dis
tinguished from casual contact,
402; renounces self-dependence,
368, 391, 392;
rests
on
God’s
promises,
138,
224;
imparts
power, 403; lays hold on Christ’s
divinity, 134, 196; brings heal
ing of soul and body, 227, 308-
310; is the key of knowledge,
152; the way to heaven, 449; test
of, 484; Christ overcame, by, so
we,
133-135,
814,
908;
Christ
lived by, as our example, 391,
456; all things possible to, 508.
Faith, of the magi, 61, 62;
of
nobleman necessary to healing
of son, 222, 224;
of impotent
man, 227; of the leper, 300; the
paralytic, 308-310; tne centurion,
366-368;
the
woman
of
Syro-
phenicia, 470-476; the father of
maniac boy, 508; the thief on
the cross, 898, 899; lesson of,
to Zachariah in birth of John,
102-104, from Christ stilling tem
pest, 390, 391, from the Keding
of five thousand, 430-434, from
Peter’s walking on the sea, 445;
compared to grain of mustard
seed, 510, 511.
False religions, originate in self
exaltation,
result
in
cruelty
and degradation, 331, 570.
False teachers, appeal to desire
for
self-exaltation,
241;
seek
their
own glory, 540;
thieves
and robbers, 571.
Family of heaven and earth, one
in
Christ,
27,
381, 586, 1001,
1002; claim of relationship in,
381; evidence of kinship in, 762;
earthly, Christ as member of,
763-
Family, ties, not to restrain from
God’s
work,
162;
love
and
courtesy
in, 610;
Christian, a
school of Christ, 610; the first
field for Christian work, 985.
Fasting, of Christ in the wilder
ness,
122;
by
Pharisees
and
John’s
disciples,
317-322;
not
for disciples while Christ was
with them, 317; true, 319, 323,
362; and prayer before nealing,
Sio.
“ Fathers,” not instead of God’ s
word,
469;
teachings
of,
re
ceived
by
Jews
in
place of
Christ’s, 583.
Fear, result of unbelief, 391.
F'easts among Jews, customs at,
727,
771;
sacred,
78-80,
529;
Christ’s
absence
from,
532,
533.
(See Passover, also Taber
nacles, Feast of.)
“ Feed My Lam bs,” 973.
Feeding five thousand, Christ’s
thoughtful care in, 428; lessons
from, in simplicity, 428, 429, in
economy, temporal and spirit
ual, 430, in dependence on God,
43i‘435.
in
ministry
to
the
poor, 432, in service, 432, 433,
in
gospel
teaching,—imparting
we receive, 433, in personal re-
GENERAL IN D E X .
1027
sponsibility, 434; revealed power
that produces natural
harvest,
429,
430;
popular
expectation
kindled by, 439.
Feet-washing,
of
disciples
by
Christ, 771-774; effect of, on
Judas, 772, on Peter and his
brethren, 773, 7741 a type of spir
itual cleansing, 774, 775; an ex
ample and ordinance,
775-779-
Fellowship with Christ in suffer
ing, the highest honor, 258.
Fig-tree, barren, cursing of, 689-
692; parable of, 692.
First-born, consecrated to priest
hood, 52; deliverance of Israel’s
in
Egypt, 52, 53, 79;
tribe ot
Levi
substituted
for,
52, 53;
redemption of required, 53; of
fering by mother -oi, 51.
First-fruits, offering of after pass-
over, 80; antitype of, 943. toot.
Fishermen, why chosen as apos
tles, 282, 283, 969-
Fishes,
miraculous
draught
ot,
280, 970, 972.
“ Follow Me,” command to Peter,
975 . 976.
Force, to control conscience, con
trary to principle of God’s gov
ernment, 22, 411, 412, 554, 555,
911-
,
.
Forgiveness
of
sms,
consistent
with God’s justice, 41. 42, 91S.
q i6 ; Christ’s power for, demon
strated by healing of paralytic,
307. 308, 310.
Fortress, the converted soul
is
Christ’s, 377-
Freedom, only in Christ, 554.
G.
Gabriel appears to Zacharias, 103,
to Daniel and to John the dis
ciple, 103, 265; in rank next to
Christ, 103.
Galilet, home of child Jesus, 68;
Christ’s reception in, 220, 221;
the center of His work, 261-263;
gathering
opposition
in,
421;
turning away from Jesus, 461;
His last journey from, 5 7 7! fears
of
disciples
concerning,
578;
meeting on mountain in, 807,
9 5 0, 979-9 8 i.
Galilee, sea of, Christ teaching rt,
278, 279, 38S, 400, 972-978; eastern
shore, population of, 389; still
ing tempest on, 389, 390; Christ
walking on, 444! return of dis
ciples to, after Christ’s resurrec
tion, 969, 970.
Gardener, lesson in child-training
from, 611.
Gentiles, inspired teachers among,
37, 39; knowledge and expecta
tion
of
Christ’s
coming,
37;
Christ’s mention of, in syna
gogue at Nazareth, 271, 272; why
gospel not first given to, 409;
ingathering of, 369; represented
by visit o f Greeks to Jesus, 740
7 4 4-
Gergesa, healing of demoniacs at,
393 . 394‘, evidence of Christ’s re
deeming power, 399; Christ driv
en from, 395; restored demoniacs
the first missionaries in, 396; re
sults of their work m, 398, 477.
Gerizim, mount, Samaritan temple
and worship on, 209.
Gethsemane, a retreat of Christ’s
for prayer, 807, 819, 820;
His
agony in, 820-828; Peter’s prayer
and repentance in, 850.
Gift, to Jesus, by the magi, 65,
667; by Mary of Bethany, 662-
664; represents God’s Gift for
us, 669, 670.
Gift, of love, grateful to Jesus,
667, 668; pleasing to God, 730,
731; the widow’s two mites, 729,
73r; of the poor should not be
repulsed, 731; for the dead, give
while living, 665.
Gifts of the Spirit, promise of,
984, 986-989.
Giving, the joy of God and the
angels, 21; the law of nature,
20, 21; the condition of receiv
ing, 432, 433.
God, dominion and provid nee of,
416; care of, for us, 363. 364, 416,
417.
(See Love.)
Gospel invitation, for all
man
kind, 218, 382 383, 476; to be
given to all before Christ’s sec
ond coming, 755, 983-585.
Gospel commission, given to apos
tles, 337, 406-418; renewed after
Christ’s resurrection, 963,
970, 971, 979. 984. 985: for all
Christians, 985, 986, 987.
Gospel message, has no place for
tradition,
human
theories,
church legislation, 991.
Gospel, regenerating power. 991.
Gratitude, a blessing in manifest
ing, 404, 405; pleasing 10 Jesus,
667, 668, 672.
Greatness, true, 250, 258, 517-519,
1028
GENERAL INDEX.
C 5 3 , 775-777; of John the Baptist,
105, *50-252.
Great teachers, all their light from
Christ, 552.
Greeks, visit Jesus,
7 3 9-744-
Greek language, prevalence of at
Christ’s advent, 36, 37.
Green
tree
and
dry,
represent
Christ and the impenitent sin
ner, 892.
H.
Handwriting of Christ in nature,
20, 71.
Hand
and foot
that
cause
to
stumble, cut off, 520,
521-
Healing, physical, represents spir
itual, 227, 304, 305, 309, 402. 4 9 3.
984; Christ spent most time in,
407; object of, 428; promise of,
984, 987-989; prayer for, and the
use of remedies, 989-
. ,
Health, of Christ, 5G peaSt with
God promotes, 310.
Health, laws of, obedience to by
Christ, 51. 7 4 ; by John the Bap-
tist, 105, 106; required of Israel,
988; of all Christians, 988, 989;
a condition of physical healing,
988,
.
r ,,
,
Heathen, conversion
of through
captivity
of
Jews, 31; inspired
teachers among, 37, 391 Christs
dealing with, 474,. 4 7 7 . 486; some
saved through light
of nature
and Holy Spirit, 762, 763.
Heaven, a ceaseless approaching
to God, 387.
Help for all who seek, 364.
Heredity, Jesus and the law of,
49, 50. 125, 126.
Herod I. and the wise men, 62-65.
Herod Antipas, conviction of, by
John’s preaching,
243; regard
cf, for the prophet, 252; induced
by Herodias to imprison and be
head John, 243, 252-254; remorse
and fear of, 255, 256, 421;
at
Christ’s
trial, 871-875;
the last
warning of mercy to, 875.
Herodias, hatred of for John the
Baptist, 243; plots
of for re
venge, 252.
. ,
_
.
Herodians, unite
with
Pharisees
against Christ, 713.
High priest, Jewish, appointed by
Romans, 33; corrupt means of
securing office, 33; garments of,
to represent character of Christ,
844;
contrast
between
Christ
and, 702, 838, 839.
(See Annas,
also Caiaphas.)
H oly Spirit, Christ’s representa
tive, 411, 799; third person of
Godhead, 802, 803; the Comfor
ter, Spirit of truth, 802; Christ’s
greatest gift to followers, 799;
a consuming fire, 114, 115; com
pared to wind, 192; agent in re
generation, 114, 192, 802; the l e-
ginning of life eternal, 454.
H oly Spirit, manifestation of, to
Simeon and Anna, 55, to wise
men, 61, to mother of Jesus, 70,
to Zacharias, 104, to John the
Baptist, 107, to Nathanael, 152,
154, to Nicodemus, 193, to Sa
maritan woman, 212, to seventy
disciples, 587, to council that
plotted Christ’s death, 641, to
Pilate and Herod, 869, 875, to
disciples before Christ’s ascen
sion, 964.
H oly Spirit, work of, transforms
character, 191, 192, 196, 197, 211,
802; inspires true worship, 211;
helps
all
who
seek
Jesus,
33i. 803; imparts a sound mind,
398, 399; quickens all the facul
ties, 285, 571; dignifies and en
nobles, 398, 399; brings truth to
remembrance,
414,
801;
heps
disciples in conflict with Satan's
forces, and when tried for their
faith, 413; defends
every
con
trite soul, 585, 586; reveals deep
things
of God, 488;
uses
us,
not we use, 804; reveals Christ
in H is followers, 802, 803; co
operates in preaching the word.
803;
qualifies
disciples
for
church duties, 964; bestows g its
promised in gospel commisiicn,
983. 984, 987; hindered by unbe
lief
and
inactivity
of
church,
989;
outpouring
of,
demands
preparation, 993, 999; all power
received through, 993.
Holy Spirit, the sin against, 374-
376; result of neglecting, 376-
378,- 584; slighting call of to re
pentance, 376-378; result of re
jecting, by Jewish nation, 275,
693, 694; a warning to us, 694.
Hospitality, to Christ’ s servants,
410, 418; to needy and suffering,
418, 763. 764-
Humility, fruit of Holy Spirit,
147; before honor, 518; at view
ing the divine holiness, 281; of
Christ, a cause of His rejectioh,
151, 276, 277.
GENERAL INDEX.
IO29
i.
Image of God, of Christ, to be
restored in humani y, 42, 992.
Imagination, Christ appealed to,
289.
Impotent man at Bethesda, 226-
228.
Incarnation, object of, 23, 361,
362, 425; symbols of, 23.
Indignation, righteous, 360, 736,
737-
Industry, Christ’s example of, 74,
75-
Infidelity, some cau-es of, higher
criticism, 293; inability to com
prehend divine mysteries, 718.
Influence, depends on what we
are. 156, 354.
Inscription above the cross, 895.
Intemperance, results of in the
time of John the Baptist, 105;
in causing the murder of John,
253, 254, in besotting lawmakers
and judges, 255.
"It is finished,” words addressed
to the Father, 584, 585, 908, 910,
919, 1001; effect of, on centurion
at the cross, 924.
J .
Jacob saw God, 115; Jacob’s lad
der, Christ, 361.
Jairus, raising daughter of, 401.
Jericho, 1 4 4 ; road between Jerusa-■
lem and, 593; description of and
Christ’s visit to, 65;.
Jerusalem
(see Judea),
Christ’s
retreat from after resurrection
of Lazarus, 642; triumphal entry
into. 675-681; glory of, had she
accepted Christ, 706, 707; Christ
weeping over, 681-685, 687, 694;
after ascension apostles’ work
to begin at, 982, 983, 984; doom
of, see Destruction.
Jesus, see Christ.
jews, chosen to be light-bearers,
29, 210; depositaries of true re
ligion, 210;
God’s purpose to
exalt, 30; apostasy of, 30, 217;
captivity of, 31; formalism, big
otry, and sensualism of, 32, 33,
30, 40, 105; discontent of, undef
Romans, 33, 63, 110, 359; priest
hood, corruption of, 33; claim
of, to descent from Abraham,
113, 554. 555; ‘ nist of, to their
own works for salvation, 32, 40,
•20,
173, 319-322, 423;
Christ’s
coming announced to, 261, 409;
Christ rejected by, because of
His humiliation and suffering,
151, 270, 274, 275, 561, H is pur
ity, 277, His refusal to be made
king, 458, 459, because He spoke
the truth, 556, 557, claimed one
ness with God, 233, 234, 542,
561,
because
they
substituted
rabbis’ teaching for God’s word.
583, 584, 884, 885; represented
by barren fig
tree, 689-693; in
rejecting Christ guilty of blood
of
prophets.
735;
prayer
of,
“ His blood be on us,” 888.
Job, history of an object-lesson,
561.
John (the apostle) follows Jesus,
151. 152; character of,
1 5 3, 337.
342, 773; yielded to moulding
power of Christ, 284, 342; young
est of apostles, 337; and James,
forbidding one to cast out dev
ils, 520, asked to bring down
fire on Samaritans, 580, to sit
nearest Christ in His kingdom,
649; John at last Passover and in
the garden, 7 7°, 7 7 3, 783, 824; at
Christ’s trial, the cross, and the
tomb, 847, 902, 903, 928, 930, 948.
John the Baptist, prophecy of 1 is
birth, 101-105; greed and sensual
ity of his time, 105; qualifica
tions required in, 105, 106; self-
abnegation and fearlessness of,
106-109, “ 5. 201, 245, 248, 255,
256, 257; belief of, in regard to
Messiah, 109, 149, 150, 244-247,
251; opening ministry of, 110,
i n ; compared to
Elijah, nr,
148, 247, 258, to Enoch, 258, ef
fect of his work, in , 115. n6,
144, 145, 199, 255-257; rebuke of,
to time-servers, in , 112; meet
ing with Christ,, 116, 117; wit
ness for Christ, 120, 149. 150, 200-
202, 250, 251, 257, to deputation
from Sanhedrim, 146-149; wan
ing popularity of, 199; denun
ciation of, by Pharisees, 316; n-
sufficient to lay foundation of
church, 203;
imprisonment of,
243; perplexity of, in regard to
Jesus, 245,246; a message of com
fort to, 247; death of, 254, 421,
why permitted, 256, 257; great
ness of, 105, 248-251; to repre
sent those who herald Christ's
second coming, 106.
onah, a sign, so Christ, 480.
osepb and Mary, journey of, to
Bethlehem,
46;
to
Egypt, 65
66, to and from the Passover,
1030
GENERAL INDEX.
78-86; purpose of, in bringing
Jesus to Passover, 78, 8t; ap
peals
to,
by
rabbis,
against
Jesus, 89, 95 (see M ary); time
of Joseph’s death, 160.
Joy of Christ, 213, 486, 898-901; we
to share, 743.
Judas, appearance and character
of, 3 39-3 4 1. 663. 664; early expe
rience of, in connection with
Christ, 855; why accepted as an
apostle, 339, 340, 856; disappoint
ment of, at Baptist’s death, 857;
instigator of plan to mal- e Christ
king, 858; turning-point in his
tory
of,
858;
criticism
by,
of his fellow-disciples, 855-857, of
Christ, 857-860; rejects reproof,
341, 855, 860; influence on dis
ciples, 858; at Simon’s feast, 663-
667, 860; at the last Passover,
the feet-washing, and the com
munion, 770-775, 782-785, 856, 860;
betrays Christ for the price of
a slave, 854; purpose of, in be
traying Christ, 830, 831, 860, 861;
confession and death
of, 862,
863.
Judea, scene of Christ’s earliest
manifestation and ministry, 61,
62, 65, 261; turned away from
Christ, 182, 203, 242, 262.
Judging others, 365, 964.
Judgment, man passes on him
self, 59, 557; God’s justice vindi
cated in the, 59; work ot Christ
in the, 237;
condemnation in,
from neglecting truth, 584; the
test in, 761, 762.
Justice, the fruit of love, consist
ent with mercy, 916.
Justification by works, principle
of heathenism and apostate Ju-
diasm, 40, 321, 322, 449,
450;
fruits of, 41.
K.
Kedron,
brook,
drawing
water
from, at Feast of Tabernacles,
531-
Keys
of
kingdom
of
heaven,
meaning of, 490; not given to
Peter individually, 490.
Kingdom, of grace and of glory,
prophecy and announcement of
each, 265, 266; of glory, repre
sented
in
transfiguration
of
Christ, 501; of God, not with
outward
show,
600,
604;
of
Christ, service for others the
law of, 649-653 (see MesSTah, also
Jew s); kingdom of this world,
Satan offered
Christ same
in
character as Jews desired, 141.
Knowledge of truth depends on
renunciation
of
sin,
539,
54'.
588.
L.
Law (decalogue), a divine unity,
592, 720, 721; love, not selfish
ness, 25, 31, 32; how fulfilled,
360, 591-599, 720-723; transgressed
in thought or look, 359, why
proclaimed from Sinai, 356, 357;
Christ the giver of, 355; to be a
blessing, 333; same principle as
gospel,
356,
722;
in
bringing
men to Christ, 357; pattern for
character - building,
235,
236;
changeless, 357, 917; obedience
to, fruit of faith, 138, test of
love, 798, of character, 112, 113,
918, condition of eternal life, 591,
615, will bring persecution, 132,
917, 918.
Law, misrepresented by Satan, 25,
32, 125, 915; perverted by tradi
tion, 32 (see Tradition); obeyed
and vindicated by Christ, 25, 88,
89, 9 3. 9 4. 2 3L 332 , 356, 357. 467.
916; established by His death,
3 5 6, 91 7-
Law, natural, teaches of spiritual,
611.
Laws of nature the laws of God,
98 9-
Lawyer, questioned Christ as to
great commandment, 720-722.
condition of eternal life, 591 the
Lazarus, house of, a home for
Christ, 380, 620, 621; why Christ
delayed visiting in sickness, (25-
627, 632; raising of, 633-635; co
operation with God taught in,
633-635; plotting of Jews to kil ,
662; attends Christ at triumphal
entry, 680.
Leaven, type of sin, 482; of Phar
isees, hypocrisy, and self-seek
ing, 483, 484, of those who ex
plain away God’s law, 483, 484,
we in danger of cherish ng, 484.
Legal religion, 191, 320.
Leprosy, nature and effects of,
299, 300; and paLy, compared to
bigotry and unbelief, 311.
Leper, isolation of, 299; cleansing
of, a type of spiritual cleansing,
301, 304; effect of miracle on
priests, 304-
I.epers, ingratitude of nine, 404:
mourning
of,
after
Christ's
death, 933.
GENERAL INDEX.
Lesson-book of the universe, our
world, 19.
Liberty, through Christ, 555, 571-
Light from God, conditions cf re
ceiving, 212; a blessing in heed;
ing, 272; essential to workers
with God, 321; results of reject
ing, 375, 584, 693-695. 883, 884;
light and darkness, men free to
choose between, 544.
“ Light of the world,” Christ, 551,
566; disciples, 354.
Light a symbol of God’s pres
ence, 550, 552.
Lilies, 364.
Link in chain let down to save
the world, every Christian, 4 9 5-
Living water, Christ the giver of,
206, 207, 536, 538.
Loaves and fishes, miracle of, 427,
428, 478; spiritual teaching of,
428-433, 451;
multiplied in the
hands of Christ, 433, 4351 frag
ments of, carried by people' to
their homes, 43°-
Lost sheep, this world, 827.
Lost child, neglect of, illustrates
neglect of souls, 990,
Love, the principle of God’s gov
ernment, 19-22, 412, 559, 911; of
God in gift of Jesus, 42. 5°. 58.
59; effect of contemplating, 351,
571; to God shown in love to
neighbor,
5991
of
Christ,
for
Terusalem, 682, 737, for us, 381;
power that draws His followers,
573, in His healing, 97, 989, His
teaching, 96. 230, 289; His suffer
ing on the cross, 907; unrequit
ed, His grief at, 461, 823, 903.
Love, condition and evidence of
581, 812, 975; encourage expres
sion of, 381, 610, 611, 992.
Lucifer and confederate angels,
glory of, in heaven, 910, 911.
913; rebellion of, began
with
self-seeking, 21, 5^7 (see Satan);
contrast of, with Christ, 21, 26,
517; why not susceptible of re
demption, 9 t5-
Lunatic boy, failure of disciples
to restore, 506, 5to; healing of,
by Christ, 506-510.
M.
Magi, rank, learning, wealth of,
60; the “ wise men” not idola
ters, 60, 61; their knowledge of
Messiah from tradition, 60, 61,
from Hebrew Scriptures and di
rect revelation, 60, 61; visit of,
1 0 3 1
to Terusalem, 62-66, to Beth
lehem, 64, 65.
Manna,
a
lesson
of faith, 131;
Christ the giver of, 450; a type
of Christ, 450, 454.
Manual labor, 74.
Marriage
feast,
the parties
of,
Christ’s kindred, 159; His pur
pose
in
attending,
159,
167,
168; of the redeemed with the
Redeemer, 168.
Marriage, honored by Christ, 168.
Mary, mother of Jesus, poverty
of, 47, 51, 53; faith of, in birth
of Christ, 102; His first human
teacher. 71; failure of to under
stand H is mission, 57, 85, 95,
163; a sharer in His sufferings,
57, 95, 160, 893; home life, per-
lexities
in,
89,
94,
95,
373;
nowledge by, of John’s mis
sion, of Christ’s baptism and
departure
to
wilderness,
159;
hopes of, at marriage feast, 161;
spiritual relation to Christ, 162;
His last provision for, 902.
Mary and
Martha of
Bethany,
characteristics of both needed,
622; Mary, fall and restoration
of, 670-673; offering by, to Jesus,
662, 663, 664, 666, 669, at the
Saviour’s tomb, 946, 948, 951.
Matthew, Levi, call of, 312, 313,
effect of, on the publicans, 314;
feast of, to Jesus, 314, 400.
Matthew 24, see chap. 69.
Meditation on life of Christ, 86;
and
prayer,
Christ’s
example
of, 04, 122, 127. 297; benefits of,
85, 86, 139, 423-426, 790-
Meekness,
token
of
connection
with Christ, 350;
brings rest,
385, 386; of Christ’s witnesses a
testimony for Him, 411-413; ot
Christ, evidence of divinity, £80.
Mercy, day of, its limit, 693; of
God consistent with justice, 915.
Messiah, expectation of in
pa
triarchal age, 35; among Jews,
29, 38, Gentiles, 37, Samaritans,
216, by John the Baptist, 108,
. 109, 149; prophecies of, 35-39, 55,
56, 60, 61, 108, 109, 147-149, 178,
185, 210-212, 214, 215, 216, 230, 231,
261-267, 269, 279, 297, 298. 582,
583, 675, 686, 687, 706. 708, 709,
711, 723, 813, repeated by disci
ples
at
triumphal
entry,
686,
misinterpreted
by priests and
rabbis, 31, 32, 81, 82, 85, 151, 172,
216, 240, 241, 266-271, 276, 277,
449, 450, 542, 543; ignorance con-
GENERAL INDEX.
103-2
cerning, 46, 53-56; unity of na
tions, declining faith in heathen
ism, a preparation for, 36; need
of, to meet world’s corruption,
39-41; character of, as revealed
in prophecy, 269; announcement
of, 47, 48, 62, 66, no, 111, 119,
149-151, 261-264, in cleansing tem
ple, 177, 698, in synagogue at
Nazareth, 269, as light of world,
55,
550-552, by entry into Jeru
salem, 675-680; rejection of, 734-
737,
884,
886,
887,
895. (See
jews, also Priests and Rabbis.)
Millennium,
before
second ad
vent, an error, 754.
Mind, power of to discriminate
between right and wrong, 544.
Ministry, its origin in God, 776,
777;
Christ's example of,
597-
559, 765, 766, 775-779; result of
Christ’s, seen after His death,
181, 183, 197, 215, 304; the evi
dence
of
connection
with
Christ,
522,
523,
651-653,
761,
762,
768,
771-779;
the
church
established
for,
766,
985;
healing of maniac boy a lesson
of, 510; to sick and needy, ef
fect of, 407, 408, 985, 987; bene
fits of, to workers, 766, 777-779.
(See Self-sacrifice.)
Ministers of gospel, duty of, to
educate church as workers tor
Christ, 990.
Miracles of Christ, healing, no
bleman’s son, 222, 223, impo'ent
man,
226,
227,
Peter’s
wife’s
mother and multitude, 295, 296,
leper, 300, 301, paralytic, 305-309,
311, withered hand, 330, 331, cen
turion’s servant, 366-368, woman
with issue of blood, 401, 402,
ten lepers, 404, 405, deaf, stam
mering
man. 477,
blind
beg
gar, 560, 988, ear of high priest’s
servant, 831; casting out devils,
from
demoniac at Capernaum,
290, 291, man possessed, blind
and
dumb,
373, 374, men at
Gergesa,
393, 394, daughter
of
the Syro-Phenician woman, 470-
473, maniac boy, 506-509; raising
from dead, young man at Nain,
370,
37i.
daughter
or Jairuk,
400, 401, Lazarus, 633-635, Him
self, 938, 942;
other miracles,
turning water into
wine, 159,
161, 164, driving out desecrate'rs
from temple, 175-177, 698, reveal
ing history
of Samaritan
wo
man, 216, draught of fishes, 380,
970, stilling tempest,
389, 390,
feeding five thousand, 428, feed
ing four thousand. 478, walk
ing on sea and bringing boat
t ° f land,
444, _ 44s,
transfigu
ration, 500, providing money for
temple tax, 515, ascension, 949,
9 97- (See also, Christ the great
Physician.)
Miracles, Christ did not work for
Himself,
128-130;
through
an
gels,
158;
Christ
accused
of
working by power of Satan, 3:3,
3 7 4,
5 4i; not the highest evi
dence of Christ’s mission, 297,
480, 957
(see
Sign);
revealed
power
that
works
in
nature,
429; a God-like life the greatest
of all, 480; Christ’s, a reproach
to Pharisees, 277, 480; promise
of in gospel commission, 983,
984, 986, 987, 989; power of apos
tles to work, 407, 420, 584; not
to satisfy unbelief or self-seek
ing, 480; effect of, on Nicdde-
mus, 188, on priests and rabbis,
182, 303, 304, 310, 311, 374, 375,
636-640,00 the people, 181, 182,
2 3 4, 263, 310, 311, 371, 394, 395,
4 39, 440.
Missionaries for Christ, restored
demoniacs, 396, 397; all may be
come, 219, 399, 985, 991.
Monuments for the dead, 734.
Moses, John the Baptist thought
to be, 147; ‘‘that prophet,” 147;
had Jew s believed, would have
received Christ, 242; death, res
urrection, presence of on mount
of transfiguration, 501;
Moses
and Elijah, likeness to Christ
in character and experience, 130,
502, 503.
Mother and brethren,
who are
Christ’s? 378.
Mothers,
Christ the
helper of,
607-609; their agency in conver
sion of children, 609-611.
Mourning, true, not melancholy,
348; of disciples after Christ’s
resurrection, 950-952.
Murmuring of disciples over self-
created troubles, cure of. 443;
doubt and unbelief, 966 968
Murder, hatred is, 359.
Music among Jews, 79.
530-5 32,
550.' (See Singing.)
N.
Naaman, why favored above lep
ers of Israel, 272.
GENERAL INDEX.
1 0 3 3
Nain, raising of widow’s son at,
3 7 1-
Names, written in heaven, 586.
Nathaneal, character and call ot,
1 53.
5 4. 339-
Nature, an object-lesson of self-
sacrifice, 20, 741, 742, of
the
work of grace, 214, of
God’s
care for His handiwork, 360, 364,
416,
of
His
miracle-working
power, 429, of the order ana
certainty
o f His
providences,
35, of the ceaseless activity of
His working, a lesson in Sab
bath-keeping, 232, of the man
ner of Christ’s advent in hu
manity, 297, 298, of the immu
tability of God’s law, 357.
Nature, figures from, applying to
Christ, 29, 51, 56, 69, 76, 80, 108,
119, 120, 244, 427, 454, 455, 825;
symbols
of
incarnation
bor
rowed from, 23, 24; sign of first
advent from, 61; signs in, of
second advent, 752, 753; Christ’s
parables repeated by, 336; otter
illustrations from, 29, 101, K8,
112-114, 117, 119, 157, 299, 305,
3 4 8, 3S2 , 3 5 4. 365. 3 9 2, 411. 457*
460, 469, 558; study of, by magi
and by John the Baptist, 60,
107, 108; Christ’s love of, 71,
7 2,
94 ,
3 35.
3 3 6,
4 9 8;
Christ
communed
with
patriarchs
amid
scenes of, 335;
Christ's
use
of,
in
teaching, . 1S8-195,
206-208,
212-215, 232,
233,
248,
249, 278, 289, 335, 336. 357. 360,
363 . 364. 388, 416.
4 1 7,
450-454.
479-483. 488, 489. 5io, 511, 51S-
5-’3.
5 3 6.
5 37.
550-5 5 2, 566, 568-
5 7 6. 589, S9°,
625 , 689-693, 705,
706, 709, 710, 741, 742, 807-810,
892, 973-975;
benefits of com
munion with, 336, 420-422;- the
Sabbath points to, ^4-326, 334;
lessons
of,
for
parents
and
children, 610, 611; light of, in
heathen lands has guided souls
to God, 762, 763; knew Christ,
priests and rabbis knew Him
not, 904, 905, 925.
Nazareth, home of Tesus, 68, 69;
people
of,
character,
72, 73;
Christ in synagogue at, 76, 268;
unbelief of people at, 220, 269-
271; attempt to kill Jesus at,
273; Christ’s last visit to, 275.
Neighbor, who is my? 592, 595-
597-
New birth, condition of entering
kingdom
of
God,
189;
term
applied to Jewish
proselvtes.
190;
Old
Testament
teaching
in regard to, 194; how accom
plished,
195-197;
working
of
Holy Spirit
in, compared to
wind, 191, 192, lesson from up
lifted serpent, 194, 195; self-re
nunciation, a condition of, 322,
323;
results
of,
ig i( 192, 196,
197, 211; essential preparation
for God’s service, 189, 190, 211.
New commandment, 811.
Nicodemus, character and
posi
tion of, 187, 190; a listener to
John the Baptist, 189;
PhariA-
ism
of,
ijjo;
a
witness
of
Christ’s
miracles,
188;
night
visit of, to Christ, 188-197; de
fends Christ before Sanhedrim,
187, 188, 197, 546; and Joseph
of
Arimathea
excluded
from
later councils, 638, 834; faith of
established by crucifixion, 932;
service
of,
at
Christ’s burial,
928-930; to church after Christ’s
ascension,
197.
198;
relates lo
John the first visit to Jesus, 198.
Noah,
days of,
represent
time
before second advent, 754.
Nobility, John the Baptist' high
est type of, 250.
Nobleman,
son
of,
healed
by
Christ,
221-223;
Christ’s
de
mand of, for faith, 222, 224; and
household
became
disciples,
224; witness of, to Christ, 287.
O.
Oath,
judicial,
sanctioned
by
Christ, 841, 842.
Obedience, Christ’s example of
to parents, 7 4 , 85, 95; to God,
25, 88-90, 93-95. n8, 126, 131, 134,
J35. 137. 162,
i63 . 213, 214, 234,
235.
384.
743 .
744,
825-827; to
God for our good in this life,
132, 355, 356; must come from
the heart, 798.
Olives, mount of, resort of Chri t
for prayer,
546, 807; teaching
on, 188, 748, 749; place of as
cension
and
second
coming,
995-9 97-
Order, Christ’s example of, 948.
P.
Parables, “ Destroy this temple,”
182, 183; new cloth on old gar
ment, new wine in old bottles,
320,
321;
unclean
spirit
cast
I034
GENERAL INDEX.
out and returned, 376; of sower
and others, when spoken, 368;
of the later ministry, 588-590; of
two debtors, related at Simon’s
feast, 671; of two
sons,
703,
704; of the vineyard and wicked
husbandmen,
705, 706; of the
rejected stone, 706, 707; repeat
ed by things of nature, 336.
Paralytic,
healing
of
showed
Christ’s power to forgive sins,
305.
309;
effect
of,
on
the
people and the Pharisees, 310.
Parents, Christ’s example toward,
74, 83-86, 902; His example for,
609.
,
Passover, feast, ofigin and ob
servance of, 51, 52, 78-80, 172,
780, 781; significance of, 51, 52,
80, 85; lost sight of by Jew s,
80, 82, 455, 864; Christ’s first
visit to, 78, 80;
His
absence
from, 426, 464; at the last, 768,
780;
controversy among disci
ples at, 770, 771;
communion
service at, 780, 781.
Patriots, Jews thought themselves
in putting Christ to death, 642.
Peace, real,
how obtained, 351,
3 5 2. 38s. 386,
390-3 9 3;
not
by
compromising truth, 416.
Peace, of Christ in the storm,
391, 392; spoken to the tempest,
390; to demoniacs of Gergesa,
393. 3941 to our hearts, 392; His
last legacy, 804; first greeting to
apostles after resurrection, 962.
Penitent
thief,
faith of, 898-901;
promise to, 901.
Pentecost, conversions at, the re
sult of Christ’s work, 215, 304,
314. 3 1 5. 4i9 , 420, 737, 738, 925,
932; preparation of discupies tor,
992, 999, 1000.
Perea, John’s ministry in, 243;
Christ’s, 581, 588.
Perfection
of
character,
Christ
the standard of, 361; how at
tained, 134, 361, 362; God sees in
us Christ’s, 417, 795-797.
Perfection of the law, 355-337.
Persecution, of Jews during cap
tivity to Babylon, 31; of Christ
in boyhood, 89, 90; of apostles
foretold, 413; of Christians be
fore destruction of Jerusalem,
749; in the great tribulation, 750,
751; in final conflict, 132, 748-
751, 918; causes and results of,
353. 354. 4*3, 4*8; not needlessly
to encounter, 414, 534, 642; not
to shun by compromising prin
ciple, 415; preparation to meet,
413, 812-815.
Personal effort in Christian work,
*55. *69, 170, 762, 765, 766, 985-
987; a blessing to the worker,
*57. 766; the expression of per
sonal experience, 156, 157, 397;
by apostles in
house-to-house
work, 409.
Personal responsibility in Chris
tian work, 434.
Peter, character of, 153, 445. 806,
973-9 7 5 ; comes to Christ,
153;
in draught of fishes Christ's di
vinity revealed to, 280, 970-972;
conviction and humiliation of,
281; Christ’s use of boat repaid
to, 282; walking on the sea, 444;
not
foundation
or
head
oi
church, 489, 978; unwillingness
of to see cross in Christ’s work,
492, 493; Christ’s words, “ Get
thee
behind
Me, Satan,” not
addressed
to,
493;
Christ’s
warning of denial, 805; in Ge h-
semane, 820, 824, 831, 832; at
Christ’s
trial,
846-851;
special
call of to meet Christ in Gal
ilee, 950, 951; at the tomb, 947.
948; thrice-given test of, 972,
973;
transformation of charac
ter in, 974; spiritual acquaint
ance of with Christ, 976; death
of, foretold, 975, 976.
Pharisees,
rejected
truth
for
forms,
and
traditions,
320-
322; loved ostentation, in feasts,
prayers,
titles,
phylacterie ,
etc., 298, 726-729;
made God’s
service a yoke of bondage, 228,
726;
disbelieved
their
own
charges
against
Christ,
374;
cherished
spurious
righteous
ness, 358; orthodoxy that cru
cified Christ, 358; heartlessness
toward
afflicted
and
outcast,
306,
480,
self-seeking,
hypoc
risy, 483, 484; pride in descent
from
Abraham,
112, 554, 555;
robbed widows, 729j
perverted
tithing system, 732, 733;
laws
concerning unclean lood,
733;
fostered hatred of Rome, 479;
demanded a sign from Christ,
479; showed envy of Christ at
the
triumphal entry, 680, 688;
united with
Herodians against
Christ,
713;
questioned
Him
concerning tribute
to
Caesar,
7*3-7*5> greatest commandment,
720-722;
put
to
silence
by
Christ,
723
(see
Sadducees);
GENERAL INDEX
1035
while honoring dead prophets,
rejected Christ,
7 3 4 7 3 6;
many
following in steps of, 322, 694,
695. 728.
Phenicia,
Christ’s
purpose
in
visiting, 470-472, 474, 475.
Philip, a disciple
of
John
the
Baptist, 338; called by Christ,
and calls Nathaneal, 153, *5 4 !
wavering faith of, 154, 338, 339.
794; becomes a teacher after the
divine order,
339-
Phylacteries, 727.
Pilate, impressions of, on seeing
Christ, and knowledge of Him
from report, 865, 869; character
of as a judge, 866, 867; convic
tion
of
at
Christ’s trial, 868-
870, 885; warning of, thr ug i
his
wife, 865, 877;
indecision,
self-seeking of, 876, 881-886; re
morse of, after Christ’s resur
rection, 941; death of, 886.
Poisoning, promise of protection
from, 984.
Poor in spirit, 347-35°-
Poor, oppression of, in Judea, 33;
worshipers at
temple, distress
of,
173-175; Christ’s command
concerning, "Give ye them to
eat,” 432;
ministering
to, we
entertain angels, 763, 764; Christ
Himself
identified
with,
761-
765.
Popularity, not a test of truth,
276, 545.
Portrait,
Christ
sitting for His
in us, 992.
Prayer, Christ’s example of, 424;
at His baptism, 118, 119; before
ordaining
apostles,
337;
after
refusing to be made king, 4 4* >
before telling disciples of His
passion,
486;
before
transfig
uration,
499;
before
raising
Lazarus, 634; on the way to
Gethsamane,
815, S16;
in the
garden, 822-828; for His mur
derers, 894; prayer of Elijah in
the desert, 349; of Nathanael,
*54. *55; of the penitent thief,
S99,
900;
of
disciples
after
Christ’s ascension, 999.
Prayer, true, indicted
by
Holy
Spirit, 211; for Holy Spirit in
studying
Bible;
154, 155.
4 5 7',
for counsel and strength, 798;
for healing of the sick, 989; for
casting
out
evil
spirits,
408,
eio;
in Christ’s
name
means
obedience, 797,798; unspoken will
be heard, 295; Christ presents
ours as His own, 796; large de
mands in, 797; answer to, why
delayed in, 221, 224; believe »e
receive, 224; prayer and watch
ing, result of neglecting, 804,
824, 831, 832, 849, 850.
Presumption, counterfeit of fai h.
138.
Priests and Levites, to represent
God’s compassion, 594.
Priests and rabbis, character of,
32. 3 3, *7 3-*7S, 240-242, 248, 249,
276. 277, 283, 306, 308, 315, 316,
320-322, 330, 331,
4 7 9,
5 94,
9 3 3;
compared to actors in a play,
40; contrast with John the Bap
tist, 249, with Christ, 701, 7
Sign
“ of the
prophet
Jonas,
479;
of
the
working
of
the
Holy Spirit, 484-
,
Signs, of destruction of Jerusa
lem, 750; of second advent, 7 51*
756;
to follow them that be
lieve, 984, 986-990.
Simeon a witness to Christ, 55.
Simon of Bethany, 660; feast of,
to Christ, 660, 661; criticism of
Christ,
Pharisaism
toward
Mary, 670-672; Christ’s tender
ness in dealing with, 672, 673-
Simon
the
Cyrenian,
bearing
Christ’s cross, 890, 891.
Simplicity, of Christ’s early life,
76, 77; taught in first miracle,
159, in miracle of loaves, 428,
Sinai, sacredness of at giving of
law, compared to sacredness of
temple, 174-
Sin, no excuse for, 361; danger
in cherishing, 521; hinders per
ception of truth, 351, 539,
54°;
is slavery, 554, 555-
Singing, among Hebrews, 7°. 7 9.
530-532, 677; by Jesus in His
youth, 75, at His last Passover,
804, 805. (See Song.)
Singleness of purpose in serving
God, 363, 385.
Social
intercourse,
86,
169-171;
Christ’s example of, 9 3 9 6 , 167-
169, 205, 206, 216-219, 314. 316;
effect of, 169, 170, 216-219,
3 ' 4-
Song, Christ the author of, 20;
at creation, 324, 923; of crea
tive power, 325; in God’s wor
ship,
333;
of
the
angels
at
Christ’s birth, 48, at His res
urrection
and
ascension, 939,
997, 1000, 1002, as
they
enter
our homes with the poor, 761.
Song, of eternity, the cross,. 19!
of the redeemed, 143; of birds,
God’s voice in, 324, 325.
Sowing and reaping, symbols of
gospel work, 214, 215.
Sparrows,
God’s care for, 363,
364, 416,
4 17-
_ .
Spies, following Christ, 242, 303,
3f>7. 327-3 3 1. 355. 464, 5 39.. 713-
Spiritual pride, apostles in dan
ger of, 420.
Spiritualism and theosophy. 294
Star of Bethlehem, angels, 6i.
Stewardship, 619.
Stoning,
of
Christ,
attempted
by Jews, 560;
punishment by,
witnesses first to inflict, 548.
Storm, stilled by Christ, of the
sea,
389,
390.
of
temptation,
391, of passion, 391,392; Christ
walking on water in, 444-
Supernatural
power
in
conver
sion,
377;
supernatural
foes,
omnipotent help against, 411.
Supper, the
Lord’s,
bread ancl
wine of, unfermented, 165, 781,
782; the pledge of covenant of
redemption,
787;
points
to
Christ’s
second
coming,
788;
excluding
from
error in, 785,
786; benefits of receiving, 785-
79°.
.
Swine, destruction of at Gergesa,
394-398.
Swine's flesh, use of for food,
why forbidden, 733.
Synagogue worship, 32, 268, 269;
Christ joining in, 76, 269.
1040
GENERAL INDEX.
Syro-Phenician
woman, why re
pulsed by Christ, 473.
T.
Tabernacle and temple, built ac
cording
to
heavenly
pattern,
represent
Christ,
also
disci
ples, 235.
Tabernacles,
feast
of,
529, 530;
observance of,
335*
3 3 6,
530,
531, 532, 550; Christ’s journey
to,
532-535.
5771 His teaching
at, 535-5431
plotting
of rabbis
at, 539, 542-546.
Temperance,
lesson
of,
from
John the Baptist, 105, 106, from
miracle
of' loaves
and fishes,
428, 429, from
Christ’s refusal
on the cross, of the stupefying
potion, 896, 897.
Temple, magnificence of, 680, 681,
682,
747;
sacredness
of,
683;
compared to Mount Sinai, 174;
outer
court
of,
an
exchange
and cattle market, 172, 173, 696;
cleansing of, by Christ, 175-177.
697,
698,
represents
cleansing
of heart, 177. 178;
healing
in,
180,
1S1,
699;
“ destroy,
and
I will raise up,” twofold mean
ing of, 182, 183, 184; accusation
against Christ at His trial, 840,
841;
building
and
service of,
destroyed by Jews themselves,
184; “ I will raise up,” how ful
filled,
184,
185; partition wall
of, between Jews and Gentiles,
216; illumination of at Feast of
Tabernacles, 550; children prais
ing Christ in, 700; Greeks visit
Christ in,
7 3 9.. 74°.
7 4 4! God’s
witness to Christ in, 744; close
of
Christ’s
teaching
in,
724,
736, 737, 738; His final depart
ure from, 746; veil of, rent at
Christ’s death, and
escape
of
sacrificial victim, 909, 931; sick
and suffering driven from after
Christ’s
death,
933;
destruc
tion of, foretold, 684, 748.
Temple of the Samaritans, 209.
Temptation of Christ, in child
hood, 73, 124, 911, 912; in the
wilderness,
122;
on
the
last
journey from Galilee, 578,
5791
in
Gethsemane,
820-823,
826;
on the cross, 904; to exercise
divine power, 129, 836; possibil
ity of yielding to, 50, 93, 126,
142, 424; compared to that’ of
Adam and
Eve,
125,
126, of
Moses and Elijah, 130; insinua
tion of distrust,
127, 128, 136;
in
time
of greatest weakness,
130; an appeal to appetite, 126,
127, to love of display which
leads to presumption, 125, 137,
836, to love of
worldly power,
139-141, 493; similar temptations
to
man, 130-133.
1 39. ' 4 1,
4 9 3.
494;
venturing
into,
107, 122,
'39. 847, 848; how resisted, 25,
26,
107, 131-135,
139,
141.
14-2,
423 425. 5° 9 . 585, 586; God’s pur
pose in, 73, 139.
Tempting God, sin of Israel, 137,
138.
Theocracy, Jews
withdrew from
in rejecting Christ, 885.
Thief, penitent on the cross, pre
vious knowledge of Christ, 898;
misled bv priests and rulers,
S98; faith of, a joy to Christ,
89S-902;
Christ’s
pardon of, a
testimony to His own divinity,
901.
Thomas,
Christ’s
dealing
with
unbelief of, 966-968.
Thought, Christ yielded
not
to
temptation in, 134; effect of im
pure, 351; words react on, 375.
Tithing, 467, 732.
Titles, 727.
Tombs of the dead, lavish deco
ration of, idolatry, 734.
Tongues, gift of, benefit to dis
ciples, 984.
Tradition, customs and
require
ments of, exalted above law of
God, 464; could not unite with
gospel
message, 320, 321;
set
aside by Christ, 88-91, 95, 231,
232. 316,
326-328,
330,
464-468,
641; disciples freed from power
of, 406, 407, worship of, in our
day, 468.
Transfiguration,
foretold,
496;
journey toward
place of, 496,
497, Christ and disciples ascend
ing mount of, 498; a represen
tation of the kingdom or glory,
501; disciples forbidden to tell
of, 505-
Treason
to
condemn rabinnical
laws, 230; against Roman gov
ernment, charge against Christ,
928.
Tree, known by fruits, 113, 365.
Trial of Christ, reasons for has
tening, 837; before Annas, 833-
838; before
Caiaphas and San
hedrim,
night,
838-845,
morn
ing, 851; charges to be estab
GENERAL INDEX.
lished, 834. 851;
contradictory
testimony of witnesses at, 840,
841.
(See Caiaphas.)
Trial before Pilate, attended by
Sanhedrim, 864; priests’ dilem
ma,
865-867;
false
witnesses,
867, 868;
contrast between ac
cused
and
accusers, 868, 869;
perplexity
of
Pilate, 869, 871;
resort to Herod, 871; release of
Barabbas,
877,
878,
881,
882;
Christ twice scourged, 879, 882;
demand
for
crucifixion,
878,
879, 882;
guilt of, disclaimed
by
Pilate, accepted
by Jews,
885-887.
(See
Pilate).
Trial before Herod, 871, 872; de
mand
for a
miracle, 872, 873.
(See Plerod Antipas.)
Trial, blessing in, 139, 258, 349-
354;
in
darkest,
God’s
help
nearest, 626;
Elijah
in
desert
an example, 349.
Tribute, required of Christ, tem
ple tax,
513, 514;
classes ex
empt
from,
513;
purpose
of
Tews
in
demanding,
513, 514;
Christ’s reason for paying, 514,
515;
tribute,
Roman,
Christ
sanctioned payment of, 713-715.
867.
Triumph
of
Christ, anticipation
of, 485. 585, 741, 7 4 5. 81.3, 994--
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem,
675-686; object of, 678; prophe
cies of Christ repeated by dis
ciples at, 686; foreshadowing of
Christ’s second advent, 687.
Truth, makes free, 555; by con
nection
w’ith
error
made
to
serve Satan, 333;
understand
ing
of
depends
on
renuncia
tion of sin, 351, 539, 540, 588;
danger in slighting, 584.
Tyre and Sidon,
Christ in bor
ders, 470.
U.
Unbelief, results of, 275, 276.
Unity,
how
attained, ^343;
of
church, evidence of union with
Christ, 812.
Upper chamber, meeting-place of
Christ and disciples, 768, 961,
966, 967.
V.
Veil of temple, rending of,
184,
264, 845, 909, 931.
Vice, consecrated as religion, 41.
Vine, Israel, 807, 808; Christ, the
real, 807-811.
IO4I
Voice of
God,
at Christ’s bap
tism, 119, 124; declares our ac
ceptance in Christ, 120, 121; at
the transfiguration, 503; in the
temple, 744; through Christ to
Jews the voice of a stranger,
241.
Voice, angels long to use ours
for Christ, 3 44-
Voluntary service alone accepta
ble to God, 581.
W.
Washing
hands,
ceremony
of,
465-
Watching
and
prayer,
loss
to
disciples
through
neglecting,
499. 503, 850, 851; for Christ’s
second coming, 756.
Water, of life.
Christ the foun
tain, 207, 208, 538; Christ walk
ing on, 444.
.
Wave-sheaf,
Christ,
also
those
raised at His resurrection, 943,
toot.
Widow’s two mites, 729-731.
Will, agency of, in physical heal
ing and in conversion, 226; 227;
in the perception of truth, 540;
freedom of, in conversion, 554;
in the service of God, 708; will
of God the law of life, 384.
Wine, at marriage feast, 164; and
water,
symbols,
165;
at
the
feast
and the Lord’s
supper,
unfermented, 165, 781; new, in
new- bottles, parable of, 320-323.
Withered
hand,
restoration
of,
330.
Witness for Christ, by John the
Baptist, 250, all to
bear, 404,
417; the testimony of personal
experience, 155-157, 396, 404, 417,
425;
a blessing to
ourselves,
405-
Wees, on Capernaum, Chorazin,
and
Bethsaida,
583;
on
the
Pharisees, 728-737.
Woman
with
issue
of
blood,
healing of, 401, 402; women of
Jerusalem,
lamenting
Christ,
891, of Galilee at the tomb, 930,
946-948.
Word
of
God,
the
power
by
which
Christ
overcame,
135,
136; by which man shall live,
131,
132;
foundation
for faith
and character-building, 138, 365;
the living seed, 215; spirit and
life, 456;
defense
against evil
spirits, 293-295; all to study for
1042
GENERAL INDEX.
t k m d r c s , 156. 457.
543. 541;
Christ
urged
men
to
study.
172; how to study and appro
priate, 152-154. 457! benefits of
appropriating. 457. 45S; results
of rejecting, 694, 695 l word of
Christ, power of, 456, 457; cen
turion’s illustration,, 367; pow
er of, shown in raising widow’ s
son, 370. 371; the evidence of
His divinity, 221.
Words, idle and evil,
effect
of
on thought and character, 375,
376.
Y\ orkers for Christ, not angels
but men. 343. 344; all may be
come,
283-285, 396-399. $10, 540,
985-987; co-workers with angels,
344;
in partnership with God,
apprenticeship
to
Christ,^ 344;
connecting link between Christ
and people, 343, 344. 4334 minis
ters should educate church to
be, 990; none should discour
age, 520; qualifications of, 283-
285, 321, 423-425. 434: the most
childlike the most efficient, 518;
self-exalted will be set aside,
518;
in touch with
God, in
touch with men. 5S6.
Workers for Christ, duty of, to
give the gospel to the world,
983, 986; to begin where they
are, 985;
to win children to
Jesus, 612; to minister to the
sick and the poor, 407-409, 985;
to witness for Christ in courts
and before magistrates, 413; to
avow their principles, 415, 417;
to be gentle under provocati m ,
4 11; not to seek counsel from
ungodly
men,
412;
to
study
God’s
word,
and
seek
His
counsel, 412-414.
Workers for Christ, reward of,
362.
742. 743; receive bless ng
as they impart, 432. 433; all the
power and grace of heaven for,
28.4,
526,
795-797, 802-804, 814,
3i5. 993-
Works,
cannot
purchase
salva
tion, 322, 365; the test of char
acter and basis of reward, na
tty, 365, 555, 556, 761. 7*2. 767;
of mercy, expected from God’s
children, 407-409. ,597, 598, 765-
767;
Christ’s
disciples to
do
greater than He, 791L
World, the lost sheep, 827, the
cento: of interest for all heaven,
416; lesson-book far the uni
verse. 19; to be honored above
all ether worlds. 58.
Worldly policy, righteous
prin
ciples,
no
fellowship,
363;
worldly ambition and customs,
a yoke of bondage. 384.
Worship, true, what it is, 2ro.
Wrath of the Lamb at neglect of
souls that are perishing. 990,
Y
Yoke,
of
Christ,
$ 3 , 3S4;
of
worldly care. $4 .
Z.
Zaccheus,
the publican
convic
tion of through Baptist’s^ teach
ing,
855;
begins
restitution,
655-657;
meeting
with
Jesus,
656; proof of repentance, 656,
657.
Zacharias,
in
temple,
meeting
with
angel,
101-103;
unbelief
of, ion, comptred to Abraham,
and to Mary, 102.
Zacharias
the
prophet,
slaying
of, 736.
Zeal for God’s glory, implanted
by Holy Spirit, 484.
D E S l R E
A G E S
MRS. E. C,. W H IT E
P R E S S
P U B L IS H IN G V i.
T H E
G F
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