Jesus of Nazareth; the story of His life and the scenes of His ministry, with a chapter on the Christ of art

Front matter

*

A

V

Preface

Soon after my return from Palestine in 1902, and the publication of my book of travel, "The Old World in the New Century," I began the preparation of what I intended should be a small book on "The Places Where Jesus Lived and Worked." Books have a habit of outgrowing the first intent of their authors. The little book grew until it had become a Life of Christ. The undertaking from which I might have shrunk at the outset came about naturally, and its accomplishment has been a glad, though not an easy task.

There are many Lives of Christ, and good ones. The publication of the works of Strauss and Renan, about forty years ago, was followed by many controversial volumes, directly or indirectly in reply. These have still great value, though most of them were written a generation ago. The present book is written, not to maintain a theory, but to make the Life of Jesus among men seem real. It does not attempt to displace any of the great works now known and loved, or even to invite comparison with them, but only to find and fill its own place as a reverent and sincere attempt to interpret again the one inexhaustible Life.

The original purpose of describing the places associated with. the ministry of Jesus has not been forgotten, and some special attention has been given to their description, together with photographs made on the ground, many of them by the author himself, or his companions in travel. The camera has invaded Palestine since the well-known Lives of Christ were written; and it is possible to show the appearance of the scenes of the ministry of Jesus in a manner until recently impossible. Moreover, the art of half-tone illustration, which was unknown when most of the standard Lives of Christ were published, now makes the wealth of the greatest galleries in the world available for a work like this. This single fact is a sufficient justification for a new Life of Christ.

In the matter of the illustrations I am greatly indebted to two friends and former parishioners. Major W. H. Williams, Special Agent of the United States Treasury Department for Europe, has been unremitting in his labor to secure for me in Paris and other cities the latest and most notable of recent paintings. Through him I have procured the pictures of that eccentric genius, Jean Beraud, whom he visited on my behalf, and other paintings hitherto unpublished in America. The other friend, Mr. Frank Wood, of Boston, placed at my disposal his large collection of rare original prints. His Rembrandt etchings and Durer wood cuts enrich the volume, with Claude Mellan's wonderful one-line portrait of Christ and other original and yet more valuable prints. Among the latter are the two little engravings of Finiguerra, the very oldest prints in the world. These superlatively rare originals, made in 1452, are reproduced in exact size expressly for this book. Two great paintings from Mr. Wood's collection, the wonderful head of Christ which forms the frontispiece for the chapter on "Jesus as Art Reveals Him" and the beautiful Madonna by Correggio, were photographed for the first time for this volume by Mr. Baldwin Coolidge, photographer for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and are copyrighted by Mr. Wood.

PREFACE

Mr. Frank T. Merrill, of Boston, and Mr. Corwin Knapp Linson, of New York, and Miss Annie Kirkpatrick, of Dundee, Scotland, have given me valued assistance.

Mr. John Powell Lenox, of Oak Park, whose collection of Christ pictures embraces more than three thousand, and is said to be the best in America, and unsurpassed abroad, has contributed a number of valuable illustrations.

I am indebted to Miss Estelle M. Hurl], not only for information gathered from her books, but especially for personal suggestions and assistance. Her book, "The Life of Our Lord in Art," is one which every minister may well aspire to own.

Beside the contributions of these and other friends, appear a large number of photographs which I procured in Jerusalem, Cairo, Florence, Paris and London, and a number imported since, including several from the Hermitage collection in St. Petersburg. To these I have added some interesting examples of the work of our American artists.

The maps in this book were made for it by General Henry B. Carrington of the U. S. Regular Army, retired. General Carrington's maps in his "Battles of the Revolution" are standard. He has long been engaged on a work on "The Battles of the Bible," and has brought to these maps the results of his long Bible study, and has used the latest surveys. His effort has been to eliminate every unnecessary detail, and present accurately and clearly the places associated with the ministry of Jesus.

It is no lack of willingness to acknowledge my obligations that restrains me from giving a list of the books to which I am indebted. At first the manuscript bristled with foot-notes, but I have cut them all out. In a ministry of nineteen years I have been attempting every week t") tell the story of Jesus, gathering material from all the books I could find; in bringing the results of this study together in a volume I have used comparatively few books. It would be easy to give the list of the latter, but the list would be meager and incomplete. I have kept at hand and have used all the best known Lives of Christ in English; but I mention only two — Edersheim, to whom I have referred most frequently for his knowledge of Jewish customs, and Andrews, whose chronology I have followed throughout. In a few places my own judgment would have been different, but I have thought it better to follow a clear and consistenr and familiar outline rather than to burden a work of this character with discussions of chronology.

This book has been a growth. I had almost completed it before I realized that I had begun it. Every minister, consciously or unconsciously, is making, week by week, a Life of Christ. I found when I came to examine my accumulated material that there was not an incident or discourse of Jesus on which I had not at some time preached. It was not difficult to make a large volume where a small one had been intended; the difficulty was to make one volume and not two. Hastening to finish the first draft before the summer vacation. I wrote the last words on the eve of my birthday, June 28. I have given the summer to its revision, and send it forth as an inadequate but sincere tribute to the Life of Him in whose service I hope to spend the years of my life., na&i

1/ (mosC&su^

The Study of the First Church, Oak Park, Illinois, October 6, igoj.

Chapter I

Bethlehem, December, B. C. 5

Modern Bethlehem — The Road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem — Rachel's Tomb — David's Well — A Palestine Inn — The Young Carpenter and His Bride — Are We Sure of the Place of Jesus' Birth — The Church of the Virgin, Oldest in the World — The Grotto of the Nativity — Jerome and His Bible Translations — Modern Bethlehem the Field of the Shepherds — The Birth of Christ in Sonp- — Kepler's Computation of the Star of Bethlehem — The King of the Jews — The Two Embassies to the Cradle of Christ 25

Chapter II The Holy Child

The Bible and Childhood — Confucius Versus Christianity — A Little Child Shall Lead — The presentation in the Temple — Simeon and Anna — The Nature of Christ, Truly Divine and Truly Human — The House of the Herods — The Flight Into Egypt — The Sphinx and the Saviour 45

CHAPTER III THE HOUSE OF MARY AND THE SHOP OF JOSEPH May, B. C. 4 to April, A. D. 8 Good Things out of Nazareth — The Road from the Sea Coast — The Modern Village — The Fountain of the Virgin — Modern Maidens of Nazareth — A Nazareth Housekeeper — A Village Artisan — Was Joseph Older Than Mary — Who were the Lord's Brethren — The Home of a Madonna — Influence of the Home and Shop on the Life of Jesus.... 56

Chapter IV

Travel in Palestine — El-Bireh, Traditional Place of Discovery of Loss of the Boy Jesus — The Roman Roads — Country Byways — Hospitality in the Holy Land — Inns and Camps — Apocryphal Gospels — Jesus in the Temple — Influence of This Visit Upon His Life 71

Chapter V

River Jordan, January, A. D. 27

John the Baptist — Political and Religious Situation — Place of Baptism — The River Jordan — Reasons for Jesus' Baptism — The Descent of the Spirit — An Epoch in the Life of Jesus 81

CHAPTER VI THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS January to February, A. D. 27 The Wilderness of Judaea — The Temptation in Art — Reality of the Temptation in Art — A Reality of the Temptation — Three Temptations or Four — Ambition in the Guise of Patriotism — Return Among Men... 90 io CONTENTS

Chapter VII The First Disciples

February, A. D. 27

The First Followers of Christ — Fishermen on a Vacation — An Evening

with Jesus — The First Followers Seeking Others 101

Chapter VIII The Marriage At Cana

March, A. D. 27

The Modern Cana — An Oriental Wedding — Jesus No Ascetic — A Miracle

to Add to Human Joy 105

Chapter IX The Whip Of Small Cords

April 11-17, A. D. 27 (John 2: 12-25; 3:1-22) Jesus and His Family Visit Capernaum — The First Passover in Christ's Ministry — The Temple in the Time of Jesus — The Sale of Doves and Oxen — The High Priest as a Dealer in Pigeons — The First Cleansing of the Temple — The Visit of Nicodemus — The Spirituality of Man — The Need of Regeneration in

CHAPTER X JESUS AT JACOB'S WELL December, A. D. 27 (John 4 : 1-26) Modern Shechem — Origin of the Samaritans — The Samaritan Pentateuch — Modern Sychar — Jacob's Well — The Revelation to the Woman — The First Christian Community — The Lord's Need, and the Needs of Men 120

Chapter XI

Nazareth, April, A. D. 28

The Return of Jesus to His Boyhood Home — The Change Noticed in Him

by His Neighbors — The Service in the Synagogue — The Surorise of

Jesus — His Rejection by His Townspeople 127

Chapter XII

The Only Miracle of Healing Recorded of Christ's First Year's Ministry — The Reluctance of Jesus to Begin a Career as a Healer — A Discussion of Miracles as a Foundation of Faith — Religion for the Soul More Than for the Body — Some Examples of Christ's Miracles — The Leper — The Paralytic — The Centurian's Servant — The Daughter of Jairus — The Blind Men — The Failure of the Supernatural as a Means of Conversion — Faith Healing To-day 135

CHAPTER XIII JESUS AND THE SABBATH Close of the First Year's Ministry — The Second Passover — The Healing at the Pool of Bethesda — The Legend of the Angel— How Errors have Crept into the Text, and How They Are Sometimes Corrected — The Occasions on which Jesus Disregarded, the Jewish Traditions of the Sabbath — Various Works of Healing — Rubbing out the Grain— The Ground of Jesus' Defense— The World's Need of a Sabbath— The Principle of Jesus Applied to Modern Life 155

CONTENTS II

CHAPTER XIV BESIDE THE SEA OF GALILEE Capernaum, Summer, A. D. 28

Jesus at Capernaum — Events which Happened There — Site of the Place — Visit to Tell Hum and Khan Minyeh — Chorazin — Bethsaida — Magd a l a — Tiberias — The Call of the Disciples — The Beauty of the Sea of Galilee 163

Chapter XV The Ordination Of The Twelve

Horns of Hattin, Midsummer, A. D. 28

Jesus on the Mountain in Prayer — Preaching from Peter's Boat — The Call

of the Disciples, and Their Character — A Tribute to Their Fidelity. .176

Chapter XVI

Horns of Hattin, Midsummer, A. D. 28

The Mountains of Scripture — Sinai and Hattin; the Decalogue and the

Beatitudes — The Tradition of the Crusaders, and Their Battle — The

Sermon and Its Message — Fulfilling the Law and More — The Work

of Jesus Not Primarily Restorative, but Constructive 181

CHAPTER XVII THE DOUBT OF JOHN THE BAPTIST Machserus, Summer and Autumn, A. D. 28 The Imprisonment of Tohn — Jesus Feasting while John Suffered — Wisdom Justified of Her Children— The New Better than the Old— A Misused Text of Scripture — "The Old Time Religion" — The Heroism of John — Greatest of the Old, but Least in the New 190

Chapter XVIII

THE WOMEN FRIENDS OF JESUS Summer and Autumn, A. D. 28

A New Group of Followers of Jesus — Mary of Magdala and Her Companions — A Slandered Woman — The Mother of Jesus and Her Attempt to Restrain Her Son — Mary and Martha — The Woman at the Pharisee's Feast — The Woman with the Issue of Blood — The Remedies of Old World Physicians — The Sufferings of Womankind — The Widow of Nain — Oriental Funerals — Graves that Now Appear about Nain — The Raising of the Widow's Son 204

Chapter XIX

THE GREAT TEACHER AND HIS PUPILS Autumn, A. D. 28 A Change in the Method of Jesus' Instruction — The Material of Christ's Parables ; Illustrations from Common Life — The Eight Parables which Introduced the New Method — The Region of Decapolis — The Stilling of the Tempest — Swine in Galilee — The Healing of the Demoniac — The Request to Depart — The Third Preaching Tour — Return to Nazareth — Half-hearted Disciples — Imprisonment and Murder of John — The Mission of the Twelve — Our Debt to Them — Their Reports of the Teachings of Jesus — Have We Any Words of Jesus Aside from Those in the Gospels ? 222

12 CONTENTS

Chapter XX

Bethsaida Julias, April, A. D. 29

The Two Bethsaidas — The Multitude on the Way to Jerusalem — The

Loaves and the Fishes — The Purchasing Power of Our All — One

Basket and Twelve — Fragments 234

Chapter XXI

Capernaum, April, A. D. 29

Close of the Second Year of Christ's Ministry — The Crisis — The Temptation of the Kingdom Renewed — The Mischief of Miracles — The Sermon that Made Enemies — Cold Hospitality at a Pharisee's House — How Christ Met His Crisis 250

Chapter XXII The Unconcealable Christ

Phoenicia, Summer, A. D. 29

The Retirement of Jesus to the Region of Tyre and Sidon — The Gentile Woman's Faith — Jesus in Decapolis — The Healing of the Deaf and. Blind — The Feeding of the Four Thousand — The Craving for the Miraculous — The Programme of Jesus — Denunciation of the Pharisees — The Christ Who Could Not Be Hid 257

CHAPTER XXIII THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES Jerusalem, October 14-18, A. D. 29 The Meddlesome Brothers of Jesus — Gossip at the Feast — Appearance of Jesus at the Temple — The Great Day of the Feast — The Answer of the Officers: "Never Man Spake Like This Man"— The Protest of Nicodemus — The Adulteress — The Bondage of Abraham's Seed — A Division Among the People 264

CHAPTER XXIV THE VISION OF THOSE WHO WAKE Mt. Hermon, October, A. D. 29 The Preparation for the Tragedy — The Question of Jesus — The Answer of Peter — Announcements of the Death cf Christ — Peter Rebuked — Bearing the Cross with Jesus — The Significance of the Transfiguration — A Sabbath Evening on the Mountain — Hermon, and not Tabor, the Probable Site — The Wonderful Shadow of Snow-Clad Hermon — The Glory Beheld by the Disciples — The Three Groups in Raphael's Picture 273

CHAPTER XXV THE DIVINE TAX-PAYER Capernaum, Autumn, A. D. 29 The Only Miracle Wrought for the Personal Advantage of Jesus — His Waning Popularity — The Taxes of Jesus iii Arrears — Christ's Disregard of Formal Law — The Miracle that Produced a Heathen Coin — One Coin for the Lord and His Disciple 282

CONTENTS

CHAPTER XXVI JESUS AND THE CHILDREN

Three Incidents in the Life of Jesus — The Dispute of the Disciples — The Freedom of the Child in the House of Christ — "Of Such Is the Kingdom" — Offending One of These Little Ones — Moral Surgery — Children of God 2S8

CHAPTER XXVII

FELLOWSHIP AND FORGIVENESS

Capernaum, Autumn, A. D. 29

Christ's Only References to the Church — The Ground of Forgiveness — Forgive and Forget — Moral Surgery Again — Hells, Present, Past and Future — The Gospel Not to Amputate, but to Save — The Worm and the Fire — The Utilization of the Waste 295

CHAPTER XXVIII

Peraea, November, A. D. 29

Special Features of Luke's Gospel — The Mission of the Seventy — The Inhospitable Samaritans — The Doom of Capernaum and the Cities Near the Lake — The Ten Lepers — Intimations of the Mission of Jesus to the Outer World , 301

CHAPTER XXIX

THE DEMOCRACY OF CHRIST'S DOCTRINE OF PRAYER

Peraea, November and December, A. D. 29

The Growing Sternness of the Teaching of Christ — The Galilaeans Slain at the Feast — The Eighteen on Whom the Tower of Siloam Fell — Christ's Doctrine of Prayer 308

CHAPTER XXX

Peraea, Winter, A. D. 29-30

Are There Few that Be Saved? — The Strait Gate — Counting the Cost — Three Precious Parables, the Lost Sheep, Coin and Son — The Theology of Christ 317

CHAPTER XXXI

Jerusalem, December 20-27, A. D. 29

The Feast of Dedication — Solomon's Porch — The Demand of the Jews —

The Use of Stones when Logic Fails — The Healing of the Man Born

Blind — The Pool of Siloam — The Sabbath Question Again — Light and

Darkness— The Good Shepherd— The Wide, Inclusive Fold 329

CHAPTER XXXII

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS Bethany, January, A. D. 30 Beautiful Bethany— Primitive Industry— The Family of Lazarus— The Faith of Martha— The Tomb of Lazarus Now Shown— The Silent Testimony of Him Who Had Been Dead 338

14 CONTENTS

CHAPTER XXXIII

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN Persea, Winter, A. D. 29-30 The Village of Ephraim — The Last Journey to Jerusalem — Various Questions Asked of Jesus — Divorce — Blessing the Children — The Rich Young Ruler — An Ambitious Mother — The Chief Places in the Kingdom 345

CHAPTER XXXIV

BARTIMAEUS AND ZACCHAEUS Jericho, March, A. D. 30 Modern Jericho — The Visit of Jesus — The Blind Man by the Way — The Man in the Tree — Zacchseus, the Extortioner, and the Liberal Man. .352

CHAPTER XXXV

THE ALABASTER BOX

Bethany, April 1, A. D. 30

The Ascent from Jericho to Jerusalem — The Feast at Bethany — The Value

of Mary's Gift — The Murmuring of the Disciples — The Appreciation

of Jesus 357

CHAPTER XXXVI

AMID PALM BRANCHES Jerusalem, Sunday, April 2, A. D. 30 The Prophecy of Zechariah — The Triumphal Entry — The New Attitude of Christ — The Golden Gate — The Procession Through the Centuries. .362

CHAPTER XXXVII

JESUS IN THE TEMPLE Jerusalem, Monday, April 3, A. D. 30 The Early Walk to Jerusalem — The Barren Fig-Tree — The Power of Prayer — Forgiveness as a Condition of Prayer — The Cleansing of the Temple — The Praises of the Children 3J3

CHAPTER XXXVIII JESUS IN CONTROVERSY Tuesday, April 4, A. D. 30 The Day of Debate — Christ's Authority Challenged — Insidious Questions, Political, Theological and Legal — Jesus Rejected by His Nation — The Widow's Mite — The Gentiles Who Desired to See Jesus — The Prophecy of the Destruction of the Temple — The Discourse on Olivet — The Talents, the Ten Virgins, and the Judgment Scene 378

CHAPTER XXXIX

JESUS AMONG HIS FRIENDS Wednesday and Thursday, April 5 and 6, A. D. 30 The Missing Day, Wednesday — Can We Supply It? — Preparation for the Passover — The Upper Room — A Recent Communion Service in Jerusalem — The New Commandment — The Lord's Supper — "Show Us the Father" — One Universe or Two? — The Gift of the Spirit — Interpreting Things as They Come 387

CONTENTS 15

CHAPTER XL JESUS AMONG HIS ENEMIES Friday, April 7, A. D. 30 The Garden of Gethsemane as It Is To-day — The Drowsy Disciples — The Seven Trials of Jesus — The Dilemma of Pilate — The Man of Sorrows — The Via Dolorosa — Simon the Cyrenian — Mutual Cross Bearing — The Crucifixion — The Seven Words from the Cross — "It Is Finished". . .402

CHAPTER XLI EASTER Sunday, April 9, A. D. 30 The Cross Not the End — Easter in Nature and in Religion — The Surprise of the Disciples — The Journey of the Women — Reason and Faith — The Empty Tomb — The Stone Rolled Away from Human Grief — The Resurrection of Christianity 416

CHAPTER XLII THE FORTY DAYS AND THE FUTURE April 9 to May 18, A., D. 30 The Loneliness of the Disciples in Jerusalem — Their Return to Galilee — Their Life During the Forty Days — Jesus with the Disciples at the Sea — Loving Christ More than These — The Last Meeting of the Disciples in Jerusalem — The Ascension — The Triple Rainbow on Olivet — The Promise of His Presence 430