Called from the Custom House

Capernaum, as already described, was a city of great commercial importance, having risen to a position of first rank in Galilee by reason of the advantages of its location. Being situated on the boundary of the two tetrarchies of Antipas and Philip, and on the commercial highway between Damascus, of Coele-Syria, and Ptolemais, or St. Jean d’Acre, on the Phcenician coast, the city was made a seat of customs, or port of Here duties were levied upon all goods entering either way, and the commerce was so considerable that the number of customs oflScers, called publicans, must have been a dozen, or even more. The term publican, however, was applied to tax and toll-gatherers generally, from the ofl&ce of collecting very small bridge-tolls to the treasuryship of districts. But the calling was, in all its grades, regarded as one of reproach, especially among the Jews, who considered publicans as the chiefs of sinners. They were looked upon, and not without cause, as a set of rapacious plunderers, if not as criminals of a yet baser nature, and any Jew who accepted the office was at once excommunicated and his family were held in disgrace. Nevertheless, bad as was the general character of publicans, there were some who, despite the bitter prejudices against them, might be considered as honorable men; it is not only thieves that make up the population of jails, for innocence often falls into company with the vicious.

In all Galilee there was no one who had not heard of, if they had not seen, the works of Jesus; and in Capernaum every person must have now become familiar alike with His teachings, His miracles, and His fame. If great men came up from Jerusalem, and remote parts of Judah, and from Northern Decapolis, to hear Christ preach, it is quite impossible to believe that there was any civil officer in the city where the greater number of His miracles were performed that kept aloof, in ignorance of the wondrous Man whose fame had spread over all Palestine, Among His audience must therefore have been many publicans, and all the customs officers, whose duties brought them in daily contact with foreigners as well as with their own people, which gave them better opportunity to learn the effect of Christ’s teachings, and the extent of His influence. Were not the publicans, hated as they were, dishonest as they were, ostracised as they were, quite as likely, and more likely, to be convicted under the preaching and wondrous works of Jesus, as many others who helped to make up the great crowds that flocked about Him? They had every reason to accept Him; they must have

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been impressed by His indifference to social distinctions and proscriptions; they must have been drawn to Him by His sympathy for all unfortunates. And by His refusal to hold an entire caste under condemnation because of the sins of a few. And lastly, those who felt the injustice of Jewish prejudice, and who, despite the accusations against them, were yet leading honest lives, must have rejoiced at His teachings, and by His works believed on Him as the promised Messiah.

Some of these publicans, and certainly one of them, had become thus impressed and had probably given some intimation, either to Christ or the four disciples, of his sincere belief, for the Apostles tell us that, “As He [Jesus] passed by He saw a man named Matthew, also called Levi, the son of Alpheus, a publican, sitting at the receipt of customs, and said unto him, ‘Follow Me.’ And he left all, rose up, and followed Him.”

Levi (Matthew) as the name implies, was of the priestly tribe, and his acceptance of the post of collector was therefore considered by the Jews as an offence not only against good morals, but an odium on his birthright, and the contempt in which he was held was accordingly the more harsh and bitter. His call by Jesus was therefore a mark of Christ’s disfavor of national prejudices and it was made to serve as a proof that all social conditions were upon the same plane, the highest having no pre-eminence above the lowest, in the sight of God, who requires only that men shall renounce sin, ask with sincerity of heart the Divine forgiveness, and live in righteousness before the higher, but more liberal than the Jewish, laws which Jesus came to establish.

Feast at the House of Matthew.

That Matthew felt himself supremely honored by the call of our Lord, and that in elation of spirit he desired to give some evidence of his appreciation of his exaltation to so glorious a dignity, we could believe even if there were no record of the means used to give an outward expression of his joy. But the giving of a feast to his Master, in celebration of the honor bestowed by his elevation to discipi eship, would excite our surprise but for the admirable lesson which the act served to impart. Christ was now not only teaching by word, but by example; not only setting aside the old, but substituting a new order; not only decrying the prejudices and false principles of the Jews, but presenting objective forms of His aversion to all manner of injustice, however fortified by long observance. It was an act intended no doubt as a rebuke to the self-righteousness of the Pharisees, scribes and rabbis, whose teacniags were in direct contrast with those of Christ, and a prefigurement of that universal brotherhood which was to come when true righteousness should prevail.

When the Pharisees saw Jesus at the feast which Matthew had prepared, and how He fellowshiped with all publicans who were present, they of course opened

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their mouths with l)itter criticisms, and sought even to antagonize the followers of Jesus with those who had been baptized by John. The answer which Christ made to these carpers, whose religion was worn on the sleeve rather than in the heart; whose righteousness was in ceremonials rather than in the performance of good deeds; whose sympathies were with the favored rather than with the unfortunate, while gentle, was 3’et such a caustic reproach that their pride and haughtiness withered under it. Said He, “They that are 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 righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Or, paraphrased in our modern tongue, “A physician does not prescribe for the well, but for those who are sick: as the Son of God I came into the world to prevail with sinners, the spiritually sick, to mingle with them, to teach them the way of salvation, to save them. I have not come to spend the precious time of my self-exile in preaching to the righteous, or to those who are so set in their own pride of vain self-righteousness that they despise all others. Search the prophecies and teachings of Hosea, vi. 6: ‘For I desire mercy and not sacrifices; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. ‘Prescribed forms are mockeries except they be accompanied by holy acts; ostentation, whether in actions or in worship, is repugnant to the spirit of true righteousness, for God regards only the merciful, the compassionate, the charitable, and these He accepts whether their offerings be made on altars before men, or by prayer in the retirement of one’s closet, or wherever the heart is lifted up in homage to God.”

The Apostles Chosen and the Church of Christ Founded.

How long Jesus remained preaching and healing in Capernaum, on this visit, we are not given to know; nor is the sequence of His acts revealed by the Gospel writers. We can only conjecture, and group the incidents of His ministry in the order which appears to us as they most likely occurred. But the arrangement is arbitrary, rather than the result of conclusions founded upon specific information; fortunately, it is of small importance to know positively the exact succession unless the knowledge would afford us the means of determining the duration of His ministry, and the unfolding, by revelation, of His Messianic powers.

After the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees, over the call of a publican to fellowship, it is probable that events had so shaped themselves — the opposition, ay, hostility, of the rabbinical sect had become so pronounced, while the multitudes that followed Him and the numbers who accepted Him, had grown so great — that Jesus considered the time had now come for the establishment of His Church. Heretofore His teachings had involved an exposure of the hypocrisy of the Pharisaic sect, while inciting the people to a purer and holier conception of God’s mercy, and the essential conditions of salvation. He had therefore drawn many away from the old conservatism, dogmatism, and ritualism of the ruling priesthood, but had not yet provided means for the blending together in one common and perpetual union of His followers. Around Him they had gathered and looked to Him for direction; but He could not be always with them, and appointments nmst therefore be made against the day when new leadership would be necessary. Besides, the number who sought His instruction and divine aid had become so great that He could not minister to them all, while other fields needed sowers and reapers. As an army is made up of divisions under sub-ofiicers, with only one supreme directing head, so Jesus found it necessary to commission Apostles to aid Him in preaching the gospel to all people, and to give them power and authority, in His name, to perform like wonders.

Trying Conditions of Apostleship.

He had no doubt made a selection of the twelve, who were to serve as jevangelists in bringing the world to repentance, some time before their actual ordination, but He had not found it advisable to name them until the auspicious occasion arrived to make their public designation most impressive. The qualifications for apostleship were severely self-sacrificing, requiring a devotion so great as made every consideration of self, beyond the final reward, subordinate to the Divine purpose of converting sinners. Those who accepted the holy office had not only to renounce their worldly pursuits and possessions, but also to undergo hardships from which any heart unsustained by Divine grace might well shrink. There was not only the rugged path to tread, the aching feet and tired body, but insults and contumely of bigoted Pharisaism to bear, and lastly punishments and martyrdom to suffer. What noble souls, what devoted hearts, what infinite faith and love, to surrender the comforts and endure the afflictions; to choose the condemnation of men rather than court their applause; to renounce the world rather than seek its favor; to wed themselves to perpetual poverty rather than stand in the high esteem of the rich; and, best of all, to sacrifice all, that they might save sinners, by directing them in the way of salvation, and for no reward save the promise of a share in that kingdom to which they should become heirs thereafter.

The Prayer on Mount Hattin.

Before every great act Christ committed Himself to prayer. Not, however, in the synagogue, to make public His petitions, nor among the crowds that besieged Him, that He might imitate the ostentatious righteousness of the rabbis; nor in the streets, Lnat He might make a display of His devotion like the Pharisees. But He sought the deep seclusion of the wilderness, or the lonely retirement of the mountain, where creation holds uninterrupted communion with God; where howling storm, whispering wind, and rustling tree-top chant the doxologies of nature.

After prajang to His Father all the night, when the flush of morning began to flame the surrounding hills and peep down into the sombre valleys, Jesus descended from His retreat, which is supposed to have been Mount Hattin, and met the crowd who were awaiting His coming. But as He drew near the multitude He beckoned to some of His followers, who may have been already made acquainted with His purpose, and upon twelve He conferred the exalted honor of apostleship,” And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples, and they came unto Him, and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles; and He ordained them that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sickness and to cast out devils.”

There may have been many applicants for the great honor of discipleship, but they were rejected as Christ rejected the overture of the scribe who, seeking Him,^aid: “Master, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest.” Jesus saw that this man, a rabbi, schooled as he was in the indulgences of the priesthood, was unfitted for the severities which His apostles must endure, and that undei such hardships his faith would surrender to the weaknesses of the flesh; so Christ replied, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.”

Another candidate for the honor of apostleship besought the Lord to first give him permission to bury his father, after which he would become a devout follower, but Jesus answered, “Follow Me; let the dead bury their dead.” The order therefore was to let no earthly consideration intervene to prevent an immediate acceptance of the call. For the dead, God giveth a care, but the sinners are like scattered sheep which, if the shepherd does not speedily find and bring together, some wander off” so far that they are forever lost.

So we are made to understand by these answers which Christ made to two applicants for the honor of appointment as evangelists in His name, that those whom He selected were distinguished among their fellows as men possessing the most courageous faith; as followers who thoroughly appreciated the hardships which they would have to undergo; as apostles who felt that no earthly glory can be greater than that which crowns the brow of mercy, and no joy so infinite as that which proceeds from devotion to God and deliverance from sin of their fellow-men.

The manner of selection, or the ceremony of consecration, if any was performed, is not described by the Gospel writers. As Christ had nothing but rebukes for the ritualism of the Jews, it is hardly possible” that the act of ordination was accompanied by any ceremonies, but that the appointment was made, as both Mark and Euke relate, by simply choosing, and that the apostles being called to be ever with Him, they were afterwards instructed in their duties. Those who were thus summoned included the five who were first drawn to Jesus; (269>

Simon Peter and Andrew; John and James, sons of Zebedee; Philip, Nathanad or Bartholomew, Matthew, James the Eess, Jude, also called Thadeus, Thomas, or Didymus the twin, Judas, of Kerioth, and Simon the Zealot.

Peter and Andrew were partners of John and James in the occupation ol fishermen, and the four had been among the first disciples of the Baptist, and therefore they were better prepared to enter at once upon the duties to which they had now been called.

Philip was also from the city of Bethsaida, from whence came John and James, and was probably a disciple of the Baptist, and hence was very early impressed with faith in the Messiahship of Jesus.

Nathanael, or Bartholomew, the son of Tholmai, was from Cana, and as already described, he may be reckoned as the fifth disciple.

James the Less is supposed to have been a brother of Jesus, as was also Jude, but whether they were brothers or cousins of Christ is a question that will always remain in dispute, for by comparing the four Gospels and Acts i they appear both as brothers and cousins.

Matthew, having been a receiver of customs, was familiar with clerical duties and probably had a liberal education. His gospel is the oldest, and the only one of the four that was written in Syro-Chaldaic, or old Hebrew, being apparently intended especially for the Jews, to whom his appeals appear more explicitly to be directed.

Thomas is called Didymus by John, the word meaning a twin, from which tradition represents him as a twin brother of Jesus; but if we accept this belief, Thomas becomes confounded with Jude. More reliable commentators contend that he was born in Antioch, and generally regard him as a man of some learning, who after the death of Christ became a missionary in the far east, and suffered martyrdom at Edessa, in Northern Mesopotamia.

Simon Zelotes is also made to appear as a brother to Jesus, but without any proper reason. He is also called Simon the Canaanite, the term Zelotes being applied to distinguish his fierce zealousy for the Mosaic ritual, and his adhesion to the faction known as Zealots. He was a Galilean, but the place of his birth or residence is not given.

Judas Iscariot was from Kerioth, or Kartha, of Galilee. He was an early follower of the Baptist, and though there seems to have been some distrust of his sincerity, yet he was made treasurer of the twelve and entrusted with all contributions made to the apostles, and the distribution ot the. same among the poor. His character is hard to define, but will be treated ot hereafter in connection with the betrayal of His Master.

And these are the twelve whom Jesus chose from among the great number (let us believe) of applicants for His favor. Not rich men, nor rabbis distinguished for scholarship and influence; nor members of the royal household whose power might avail so fliuch. Not these; but men chosen rather for their obscurity in the walks of life than their prominence among men. For their trustfulness, their earnestness, and their unquenchable faith born of conviction; men who would make the surest foundation pillars for supporting a new religion founded upon the holiest attributes of human nature; a democracy of fellowship, a freedom of conscience, a republic in which all are sovereigns under one law, “Love ye one another.”

Peter the Hermit was called from the monastery to become the apostle of the Crusade; Cincinnatus called from the field to save the Roman consul and his anny, and thus to save Rome; Joan of Arc called from her milking and sheeptending to lead the armies of France; John the Baptist called from the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord — notable examples in the world’s history of the power that lies quiescent among the lowly and obscure until called into action by God. And so Jesus, knowing the hearts and capacities of all men, called His apostles from among the obscure; from among fishermen, toll-collectors, laborers; men who perhaps were low in the esteem of the rich and vainglorious, yet nobler for their poor social station, because pride had not been enthroned in their hearts, and because the doors of their souls stood open to receive the Bridegroom married to the world of suffering and sin.