The life of Christ retold in words of one syllable

Contents

CHAPTER 'AGE

I. The First Christ-mas 1

II. The Wise Men 6

Chapter I. The First Christ-mas

The word Christ-mas, now rings, with a glad sound, far and wide in this great world ; and the day is kept with mirth and joy, as the birth-day of Je-sus, the Christ-child. When you have read of His sweet, pure life, full of good deeds and kind thoughts, a new joy will fill your hearts as you keep the day of His birth. Let us see just how the first Christ-mas of all was kept.

It is now two thou-sand (2000) years since God sent the an-gel Ga-bri-el to the town of Gal-i-lee in the land of Beth-le-hem ; his work here was to bear the word of God to a young maid whose name was Ma-ry. So fair and sweet was Ma-ry, so kind and good, that all who knew her, loved her well. She was a poor girl, and knew what it was to work hard ; but the blood of kings ran in her veins ; straight from the house of Da-vid, that great king of the Jews, Ma-ry could trace her birth.

The name of the an-gel whom God sent to Ma-ry means the Might of God ; but we can-not think that he came but in might and pow-er to Ma-ry, for his first words were :

THE LIFE OP CHKIST.

" Fear not, Ma-ry." A great peace filled the young girl's heart, though there was awe as well ; for she knew she was to hear the word of God. It was a strange, sweet thing

" Fear not, Ma-ry," spake the an-gel as he told her she was to be the moth-er of the

child Jesus.

that Ga-bri-el had to tell Ma-ry — that she was to have a son, whose work would be to save the whole world from sin. Ga-bri-el said she must name her child Je-sus, and that He would be known as the son of God. The wise men of the

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS. 3

Jews had told of Him through long years ; and Ad-am and Eve had known He would come to earth to save men from the sin which they had brought in-to the world. When Ma-ry heard the words of Ga-bri-el, she fell on her knees and hid her face from his sight, as she said in a meek, low voice : — " Let it be with me as the Lord wills."

The Jews, at this time, were ruled by the Ro-mans ; and the Ro-man king, Herod, was a bad man, who had no love for the Jews, and made harsh laws, which they were forced to keep. One of these laws was that all the Jews must go to the town from which the head of the house came, so that the Ro-mans could count them and then make them pay a tax. Ma-ry was the wife of Jo-seph, a car-pen-ter in Gal-ilee, who, like her, came from the house of Da-vid. Beth-le-hem was the town of the great king, so it was here that the two went to be taxed, and here that the first Christ-mas Day was kept.

Beth-le-hem was a long way from Gal-i-lee, and the road there was rough and wild ; up and down high hills, where sharp stones cut the tired feet, and o-ver broad plains on which the dust lay thick and fine. The lit-tle band of Jews that went with Jo-seph and Ma-ry were, at least, a week on this long trip. You can see that Ma-ry, the young wife, must have been tired and worn, when, at the close of one long day, they climbed the last steep hill and reached Beth-le-hem.

Crowds filled the lit-tle town, and no place could be found for Jo-seph and Ma-ry in the one small inn. In vain, Jo-seph went from house to house to find a place of rest ; all were full. It was dark and cold ; the night came on fast, and still Jo-seph did not know what to do with his poor, young wife. Back of the inn was a barn in which the farm beasts were kept ; it was a rough, rude place — just a cave in the side of a rock ; wa-ter dripped from the stone sides, and on the damp mud floor was the straw on which the beasts slept. The man who owned the inn told Jo-seph that he and his wife might come here, and he gave them a small, flat lamp of clay that at least a dim light might shine in the dark, damp place.

Too tired to know or care, with but one wish, to find rest and warmth, Ma-ry lay down on the straw in the rude barn, and here was born the dear Christ-child to whom we now raise glad songs of love and praise. There was no bed in the barn, so the ba-by was laid in the man-ger or bin in which hay was kept for the beasts to eat. The birth-place of Je-sus could not have been more mean and poor ; but it was not the will of God that none should bow the knee to Him and know Him for their king.

On the fields near Beth-le-hem were some men called shep-herds with their sheep ; as they kept their watch a great light, far more bright than the rise of sun or moon, broke in the clear sky and shone round them ; in the midst of the light stood an an-gel. Fear filled their hearts, but the an-gel said : " Fear not ; I bring you glad news ; there is born this day in the town of Da-vid a Sa-viour who is Christ the Lord. You shall know Him by this sign ; He is wrapped in long bands and laid in the man-ger from which the beasts feed."

As these glad words filled their ears, the dazed men saw a host of an-gels join the first one. Then the still night air rang with a great song of joy, the words of which now sound in our Christ-mas songs : " Glo-ry be to God on high ; — on earth peace, good-will to men." As soon as the an-gel host had gone, the men left their sheep and went in haste to Beth-le-hem to see the child of whom the an-gels sang.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS. 5

It was not hard to find the spot where the Christ-child lay, for there was but one ba-by in Beth-le-hem whose bed was in a barn.

It was a strange sight for Ma-ry when the shep-herds came to see her lit-tle child and bow down to Him as their king

It was a strange sight on which Ma-ry looked when these men came in the cave to see her lit-tle child and bow down to Him as their king. The dim light of her lamp shone on a group of big, strong men, dressed in rough, warm clothes,

6 THE LIFE OF CHBIST.

with cloaks made from the skins of sheep ; they had come in such haste that they may have still held in their hands the big sticks with which they fought off the wild beasts who tried to harm their sheep.

Such were the men who first knew Je-sus as their king. While they knelt at His feet, they told Ma-ry all that the an-gel had said of her child, and when they left her they bore the glad word to all whom they met. The news spread far and wide, for the crowds that filled the town of Beth-le-hem came from all parts of the land, and of course all took the strange tale back to their homes.

Such was the way in which the first Christ-mas was kept — a ba-by in a man-ger, watched by the sweet Ma-ry and the wise, kind Jo-seph ; a burst of song from an an-gel host, and a group of shep-herds bowed low at the feet of their king.

Chapter II. The Wise Men

Long years be-fore the birth of Je-sus, the Jews had lost their pow-er and were slaves in a strange land. Some of their wise men then had said that one day a child should be born of the house of Da-vid, who would rule not on-ly the Jews, but the whole world.

Through all the long, hard years the Jews had kept these words in their minds, and their wise men did not cease to watch for the be-ing who was to free them from their foes and make their race once more strong and great. Now, to some rich, wise men in the far east, God sent a sign to show

THE WISE MEN. 7

them that the new King of the Jews had come to earth. A strange star, large and bright, shone out in the sky on one dark night, and God put it in the hearts of these wise men to know that the star would lead them to their king. So great was their faith, so deep their joy, that at once they laid by their books in which they had learned much of the stars, the sun and the moon ; each man put an end to all his work, and made haste to start on the search for the king. They were men of great wealth, and bore rich gifts of gold, rare gems and sweet spices — such gifts as are laid at the feet of the great kings of the earth. They rode on cam-els, for long and hard was the way that led from the far east to Beth-le-hem.

The star led them to-ward the w T est, and at last they came to the great cit-y of Je-ru-sa-lem ; here the bad and cru-el King Her-od lived. To his ears came the cry of the wise men, " Where is He that is born King of the Jews ? We have seen His star in the east, and we wish to find Him and lay our gifts at His feet."

Now these words did not please Her-od ; he knew that the Jews did not like him and would be glad to see a new king on his throne, so he made up his mind to kill this young child lest the Jews should one day crown Him as their king. With this bad thought in his mind, he sent for the priests and the wise men in his own land, and asked them where this child was who was called King of the Jews. He learned that it was in Beth-le-hem ; then he told the wise men from the east where they could find the child, and asked them when they had paid their vows to come back to him and tell him just where He was, that he too might lay rare gifts at His feet and kneel to Him in praise.

On went the wise men, with the star still as their guide ;

at last the star stood still in the sky, and the wise men knew that their long search had come to an end, and that they had found Him whom they had come so far to seek.

The Christ-child lay in His moth-er's arms, as the group of wise men came in.

Je-sus was not now in the rude barn — a house had been found for Jo-seph and Ma-ry and the ba-by boy with kind friends. The Christ-child lay in His moth-er's arms, as the group of grave men came in. They did not look at all like

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT. 9

the rough shep-herds who had first knelt to Je-sus ; their clothes were rich and fine, and in their hands were the rare gifts they had brought from the east, but they knelt with the same awe and love that the shep-herds had done, and they poured forth all their wealth of gold and gems at the feet of the lit-tle ba-by king. Je-sus did not know what the rich gifts meant, but we cannot doubt that Jo-seph and Ma-ry knew that these wise men of the east felt that they knelt at the feet of their king.

God knew of course the bad thought that was in Her-od's heart, and so He told the wise men in a dream not to go back home by way of Je-ru-sa-lem for Her-od must not be told where Je-sus was. So the wise men left Beth-le-hem by a new way, and went to their homes in the far east to tell the tale of the Christ-child in those strange lands. We hear no more of these wise men, but we can-not doubt that they bore the glad news of Je-sus' birth in their hearts as long as they lived, and shared it with all whom they met.

Chapter III. The Plight To E-gypt

Her-od could not think that men lived who would dare not to do as he said ; and so he watched for a long time for the wise men to come back with news of Je-sus. As the days slipped past and they did not come, his an-ger grew hot ; and his wish to kill the child burned in his bad hear* like a fierce fire. At last he knew that there were at least three men in the world who had no fear of him, and were so brave that they would not place in his hands the life 01

THE LIFE OF CHEIST.

Je-sus. Then he did such a cru-el thing that it is sad to have to bring it to your minds. He thought of course that Je-sus was still in Beth-le-hem, and he knew that He was

" Her-od sent a band of men and told them to kill all the boy ba-bies not yet two

years old."

less than two years old, so he sent there a band of men and told them to kill all the boy ba-bies not yet two years old. If he could put out of his way this one weak lit-tle child, whom he, a great strong man, so feared, he did not care for all the grief that he sent to the homes in Beth-le-hem.

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT.

But Je-sus was safe at this sad time, and far from the bad king's pow-er. God had warned Jo-seph in a dream of what Her-od meant to do, and had told him how to care for Je-sus

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" God warned Jo-seph in a dream of what Her-od meant to do, and told him how to care for Je-sus and Ma-ry."

and Ma-ry. He said that they must steal out of the town by night, and go at once far off to the land of Egypt ; there they must stay till Her-od was dead, when God would send them word.

THE LIFE OF CHEIST.

It was at the dead of night that this word came to Joseph ; he rose at once and called to Ma-ry : " Rise," he said ; " make haste we must take the child and fly in-to Egypt,

; Jo-seph with Ma-ry and Je-sus pushed on to E-gypt, where they would be safe from

Her-od."

for Her-od, the king, seeks to kill him. God has told me in a dream : come, let us haste, or it will be too late." You can think what fright must have filled the heart of Ma-ry ; we can see her lift the ba-by from the bed where He lay in

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT. 13

sleep, and, with Him held close in her arms, join Jo-seph, with no thought but to save her lit-tle one from a cru-el death.

The stars shone bright in the dark night-skies ; the moon, too, may have shed her soft light to help this lit-tle band of three flee from the town to which death was to come so soon. Out of the gates they passed, and then, as fast as they could, pushed on to E-gypt, where they would be safe from Her-od.

At the best they could not hope to reach E-gypt in less than a week, and when the long day's march was done they must have laid down to rest on the wide plains of sand over which part of their road lay. The nights were cold, and so no doubt Jo-seph built big bright fires on the sands ; and, while Ma-ry and her child slept, he kept watch to ward off wild beasts or still more cru-el men. At the first ray of light they would start and push on with all their might. We may be sure that Ma-ry did not think how tired and worn she was ; her one wish was to put her ba-by in a safe place, then she would rest, and Jo-seph, too, who was so kind and good ; we may be sure that this big, strong man took good care of his young wife and the lit-tle child.

So they came safe in-to E-gypt, and here the ba-by boy grew strong and well, and was just two years old when God sent Jo-seph word that Her-od was dead and they could now go back to their own land.

H THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

Chapter IV. Je-sus — The Boy

When God said that it was safe to leave E-gypt, Jo-sephand Ma-ry took Je-sus and went back to their old home in Gali-lee. The Bi-ble does not tell us much of this home, nor of the life that Je-sus led there ; in fact, it is not till He was twelve years old that we hear of Him once more. So we have to learn of His home and of what He did from books that tell how the rest of the folks in Gal-i-lee lived. In this old land time has not changed things much, and at this day the homes in this far-off land are much the same as they were when Je-sus was a boy. The low, square hous-es are white, and have flat roofs, round which runs a rail ; one gets on the roof by stairs which run up on the out-side of the house. Such must have been the home of Je-sus; in it there was but one room ; through its door came in the light and air, for there were no win-dows ; a bench on which to sit ran round the sides of the room. Bright-hued rugs or quilts laid on the floor took the place of beds, and on a small, round ta-ble was laid the plain food of those days. The air of Gal-i-lee was so mild and soft all the year long that the fields were ev-er green, bright flow-ers grew on all sides, and bird songs filled the air ; Je-sus grew up in a land of flow-ers ; ros-es, red and white, grew on the hills that rose on all sides, and all sorts of wild flow-ers smiled on Him as he played in the fields of Gal-i-lee.

If He was brought up as the rest of the boys of those

JESUS-THE BOY. 15

days, He was five years old when he was first put at books that taught the laws of the land. From then till He was thirteen He was kept at His books ; then a boy was thought to be quite a man and did most of the things that a man could. You may be quite sure that with so sweet and kind a moth-eras Ma-ry the boy-life of Je-sus was as full of joy as she could make it.

At the time when Je-sus lived on earth the Jews once a year used to leave their farms and their small towns and go up to the great city of Je-ru-sa-lem — the Ho-ly cit-y, as it was called — to keep the Feast of the Pass-o-ver. God had told them to do this that they might keep in their minds the thought of the night when He had led them out of the land of E-gypt, where for long years they had been held as slaves. When Je-sus was twelve years old, Jo-seph and Ma-ry took Him with them on this trip ; and it meant just as much to Je-sus to see strange, new sights as it would to the boys of this day. Tn the month of A-pril this great feast was kept, when all the land was fair with the bloom of fruit trees ; birds of gay hue filled the soft, spring air with sweet songs as they built their nests in the boughs of the or-ange, fig and ol-ive trees that clothed the hills and plains of Pal-es-tine.

For three days and nights the band of Jews, of which Jo-seph and Ma-ry were a part, pressed on to Je-ru-sa-lem ; some rode on cam-els, some on mules or horses, but most of them were on foot. On the morn of the fourth day they saw the great walls of Je-ru-sa-lem — white were they as pure snow, with gleams of gold that shone so bright in the glare of the sun that one at first must shield the eyes. Shouts of joy filled the air and rang to the skies, and as the band climbed the last hill that led to Je-ru-sa-lem they sang the grand old songs which Da-vid, their king, wrote for use at this great feast. So great was the crowd that poured through the cit-y gates, all could not find place to rest in Je-ru-sa-lem, but had to pitch their tents on the hills that were near-by.

The great temple of Je-ru-sa-lem — the House of God — stood on a high hill in the midst of the cit-y, and was reached by long flights of steps ; it was a huge mass of pure white stone (mar-ble) and gold that shone as bright as the sun on high. It was here through one whole week that the feast was kept ; up and down the steep stairs the Jews climbed, and each day the great tem-ple was filled to its doors, while crowds stood out-side to wait their turn. The wise men of the Jews sat in the courts of the temple and taught all who wished to hear of the laws of the land and of all else that was asked. Here the child Je-sus came with the rest, and His young mind found much to think of, while His eyes were filled with the beau-ty of the ho-ly place.

On the third day of the week those who wished might go home, and Joseph and Ma-ry, with a crowd of their friends, set off at this time. Je-sus was not by his moth-er's side at the start ; but when she asked for Him, some one said that He was with some of their friends near at hand. She and Jo-seph felt no fear, and went their way, till the night came ; then when Je-sus did not join them fear and grief filled their hearts. They went from group to group in their search for the lost boy, but no one had seen him, and it was with sad hearts that they turned back to Je-ru-sa-lem. Would they find Him sick and tired by the way-side — or was He lost in the streets of the great cit-y ? Crowds of Jews were on their way home ; but in vain did Jo-seph and Ma-ry ask news of their boy from all whom they met. They came at last to Je-ru-sa-lem, but it was night and they were both

JEStTS— THE BOY. 1?

too worn and faint to look for Him till they had at least a few hours' rest.

At break of day they set forth once more ; for two long days they walked the cit-y streets and searched the tem-ple ; no word, no trace could they find of Je-sus. Faint and sick with grief and fear on the morn of the third day, Ma-ry set out by the side of Jo-seph to- ward the tem-ple ; she knew that Je-sus had loved this place, and had still a slight hope that here He might be found.

At one end of a large court a crowd pressed close to a group of wise men, whose eyes were fixed on one who stood in their midst ; the poor f ath-er and moth-er went with the rest. A hush fell on the crowd, for the voice which rang ciear and sweet on their ears was not that of a man, but of a young child, and it was no man to whom the wise man gave heed ; it was a boy, clad in the straight white gown of those days, who, with bare head, stood in their midst.

Not a word was said, not a voice was raised save that of the child, when, on the still air, there broke a sob of joy ; Ma-ry had found her son. Je-sus turned and saw His moth-er's face, and soon He made an end of His words and was clasped close in her arms. The learn-ed men and the great crowd looked in awe at this strange child, whose words had been so wise, and yet who was so young that He was still in need of a moth-er's care.

Their hearts were too full for them to speak, and so Je-sus passed from them held close by his moth-er's hand.

Then this dear moth-er said to Him : " My son, why did you leave us \ Your fath-er and I have looked for you all these days with sad hearts. Why have you done this thing — what does it mean? Then said Je-sus: "Why did you

THE LIFE OF CHRIST.

look for me ? Did you not know that it was time forme to do my Fath-er's work ? "

Ma-ry and Jo-seph did not know what to say to these

They found Je-sus in the tem-ple talk-ing to the learn-ed men.

strange words ; they were not sure what Je-sus meant, and yet Ma-ry must have thought of what the an-gel had told her ere her son was born. We know that Je-sus meant that the time had come when it was right for Him to do

JESUS— THE BOY. 19

the work that God, His Fath-er in Heav-en, had sent Him to do.

Jo-seph and Ma-ry made haste now to join their friends who had gone on to- wards home. Out of the great gates of Je-ru-sa-lem, and far from the crowds who filled her long streets, back to the qui-et home, in the hills of Gal-i-lee, went the dear Christ-child, to lead now for eight-een years the life of the folks in that place.

All that the Bi-ble tells us of these years is that He grew both strong and good, and was loved by God and man. It is not hard to see the life that Je-sus led till He was thir-ty years old ; Jo-seph was a poor man — a car-pen-ter — and lived by the work of his hands, so we can-not doubt that Je-sus helped him in the shop and learned the same trade. None knew He was the Christ ; no one dreamed that the new King of the Jews walked and talked with them, ate of their bread, and sat in their homes. In all things the Bi-ble tells us that the life of Je-sus was just the same as that of the rest of men, save one great thing — He knew no sin.

So the long years went by, and it may be that in the heart of Ma-ry the words of the an-gel had grown faint and dim, and that she thought Je-sus was the same as His broth-ers. Then we come to that great day on which God spoke from the sky, and claimed Je-sus as His dear and loved son.

Chapter V. Je-sus — The Son Of God

The same great an-gel, Ga-bri-el, who had told Ma-ry of the birth of Je-sus, had been sent by God first to a woman named E-lis-a-beth. who was Mary's cousin, and who lived in the town of Ju-da. He had told her that she would have a son, whose name should be called John, and that his work would be to turn the hearts of man from sin and tell them of their Sa-viour and King who was to come. As a boy, John passed his days in the fields and woods ; he lived far from towns and cit-ies, and knew more of the flow-ers and the birds and the sheep that fed on the hill-sides than he did of the folks and their ways. He lived in much the same way as a man ; the years spent by Je-sus in peace at the home in Gal-i-lee, John had passed in the wild woods, and in the cliffs and caves of the great desert of Ju-de-a. He ate poor food, and he wore clothes made of coarse hair ; his mind was full of but one thing — the king who was to come and save the Jews ; and his thoughts were fixed on his great work ; to tell folks of the Christ, and to teach them to make a place for Him in their hearts.

All who grieved for their sins and wished to lead a pure life, he would bap-tize, and so he was called John the Baptist. When he left the woods and fields to start his work, he found that the Jews had strange thoughts of their king in their minds ; they all thought he was to come in might and sit on a grand throne and rule the whole world ; but