On the Way to Death

Our Lord wa.s now near the Jordan, on the border of Judea, and having decided to return to Jerusalem, His route lay through Jericho. The disciples, understanding the extreme peril which was before them, knowing the hostility of the rabbis, who were anxious to get Him within their power, followed Him with reluctance and an exhibition of great fear, though they still secretly hoped that His death would not be accomplished, if at all, until He had established the Messianic Monarchy, which He had seemed to foreshadow. Perceiving their anxieties, and that the disciples did not yet fully comprehend His mission, Jesus took them apart from the multitude that was following, and said: “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles, and they shall mock Him, and they shall spit upon Him, and they shall kill Him; and the third day He shall rise again.” But explicit as was this prophecy, the disciples could not reconcile it with other declarations of Christ referring to the glory of His kingdom, which they always regarded as material, and while they were in fear for themselves they still entertained a belief in the miraculous deliverance and glorious Messianic manifestation of Christ in the supreme hour of danger.

Peter, John and James, who occupied the most confidential attitude, and stood in more intimate relationship with Jesus, were yet the most ambitious of the apostles, but, afraid themselves to approach Christ with request that He would declare to them the preference which might be given them when His kingdom should be established, they applied to Salome, the mother of John and James, and besought her to become an intercessor in their behalf This duty she undertook, but not alone, for she took with her John and James, and finding Jesus in secret she fell on her knees before Him, in an attitude of worshipful devotion, and begged His favor, saying, “Grant that these, my two sons, may sit, the one on Thy right hand, and the other on the left, in Thy kingdom,”

Whether this petition was made with a clear conception of what the kingdom of Christ meant, or that it was out of a desire, founded upon belief in the uHimate triumph of our Lord and the setting up of a kingdom on earth, we know not, but the reply which Jesus made indicates that the real ambition of John and James was to share the perils and to exhibit their unflinching loyalty when the supreme

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trial and predicted death should occur, for, replied Jesus, “Ye know not what ye ask. Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? “And they answered with heroic fidelity, “We are able.” With loving compassion, knowing that they did not understand the anguish and suffering which He was to endure, but foreseeing the martyrdom which would end their earthly labors, Jesus said to them,” Ye shall indeed drink of My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am to be baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

When the other disciples heard of the ambitious requests of John and James they were moved with indignation, but Jesus called them about Him and explained the unworthiness of their aspirations, “For,” said He, “you think only of a kingdom of this world, where men may sit to govern and to have great power, but My kingdom, I must again tell you, is not of this world, and in My kingdom men are not appointed to rule over others, but those who would be great must prepare themselves by being humble, for those who seek to be greatest shall be servants to all. Even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Healing of Blind Bartimeus.

The Passover was now near at hand, when the Judean hills were green with bursting spring-time and the hill-slopes were abloom with flower of orchard, and the copses musical with song of birds. The procession following Jesus now entered the old historic city of Jericho, still surrounded by frowning walls and bristling with silenced battlements. Here was already gathered an immense crowd, as it was a congregating place for those coming from Galilee and Perea on the way to Jerusalem. Our L^rd was no doubt tired when He reached this city, and as a little while would intervene before the celebration of the Passover He thought to tarry here a short time. Everywhere He had gone His labors of healing and teaching had been continued, and now He sought a rest, but scarcely had He passed the town limits when another call was made upon His illimitable mercy.

Beside the road that led into the city, and near the gate, there were scores of beggars of every description, just as I found them at nearly every city I visited while in the Holy I^and last year. Custom in this particular has not changed much. Among these objects of charity blindness was, and is to-day, the chief affliction, because of the ignorant prejudices of the people with regard to early applications of remedies, and principally on account of inflammation produced by the sudden changes of temperature and exposure of poor persons to the inclemency of heavy night dews.

Among the number sitting by the gate asking ahns from those passing bywere two beggars, only one of whom is named, because his appeals for mercy indicate that he had heard of the cures of Jesus, and had looked forward with anxious hope for His appearing. Bartimeus, one of the blind men, hearing the noise of a passing multitude, asked of some who were near him the cause, and being informed that it was Jesus and the vast crowd that followed Him, he began to cry out at the top of his voice, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” So loud was his cry that the people were disturbed, and tried to suppress him, but this only caused him to shout louder and with greater vehemence. The cry reached the ears of Jesus, who was always listening for a complaint of suffering, and halting. He requested that the two men be brought to Him. Some of the people thereupon said to the two, “Hush your cries, for Jesus is now calling you.” The stoppage of voice gave greater impulse to throbbing heart, and with joy immeasurable, and radiation of face that showed almost like transfigurement, the poor blind creatures rose, and in their exuberance tore off their coats, which, being in rags, fettered free movement, and would have run distractedly in anxiety to meet their Restorer. But they had no reason to move, for Jesus had approached them and said, trying their faith, “What will you that I should do unto you?” “O L,ord,” they answered, “restore to us our sight,” Their cry of earnestness showed how great was their faith, and Jesus, first touching their eyes, said, “Go your way; your faith hath saved you.” Oh, wondrous act! Four lighthouses set up at the harbors of two mortal souls long in darkness, under the shining of which the world sailed in and dropped anchor. “And immediately they received their sight, and followed Him, glorifying God; and the people when they saw it gave praise to God.”

Christ is Entertained by Zaccheus.

Jericho was an important seat of commerce, next in rank to Capernaum, and being also a I^evitical city, it contained many publicans and priests, whose hostility towards each other had passed into by-words, because it was so long-protracted and irreconcilable. Among the publicans who stood as chief of his colleagues was one named Zaccheus, who was a politician as well as a tax-gatherer. He had an honest calling, but the opportunity for “stealings” was so large that the temptation was too much for him. The Bible says he “was a sinner” — that is, in the public sense. How many fine men have been ruined by ofiicial position! It is an awful thing for any man to seek ofiice under government unless his principles of integrity are deeply fixed. Many a man, upright in an insignificant position, has made shipwreck in a great one. As far as I can tell, in the city of Jericho this Zaccheus belonged to what might be called the “Ring.” They had things their own way, successfully avoiding exposure.

PKiusi.M lii ui iiii; .sTKi;i:r tJi’ Tin: tuwi.k tn’ dwh), jkkusali’:m.

From The Christian Herald. (425)

Notwithstanding his bad reputation, there were streaks of good about him, as there is about almost every man. Gold is found in quartz and sometimes in a very small percentage.

Jesus was coming to town. The people turned out en masse to see Him. Here He comes — the L,ord of Glory — on foot, dust-covered and road-weary, limping along the way, carrying the griefs and woes of the world. He looks to be sixty years of age when He is only about thirty. Zaccheus was a short man, and could not see over the people’s heads while standing on the ground; so he got up into a sycamore tree that swung its arm clear over the road. Jesus advanced amid the wild excitement of the surging crowd. The most honorable and popular men of the city are looking on, and trying to gain His attention. Jesus, instead of regarding them, looks up at the little man in the tree, and says, “Zaccheus, come down. I am going home with you.” Everybody was disgusted to think that Christ would go home with so dishonorable a man.

I see Christ entering the front door of the house of Zaccheus. The King of heaven and earth sits down; and as he looks around on the place and the family, He pronounces the benediction: “This day is salvation come to this house.”

Zaccheus had mounted the sycamore tree out of mere inquisitiveness. He wanted to see how this stranger looked — the color of His eyes, the length of His hair, the contour of His features, the height of His stature. “Come down,” said Christ.

He had more than his curiosity satisfied, for his reward was salvation, the greatest, grandest and most glorious that God can give.

When the Jews saw Christ accepting the hospitality of a publican, and one, too, against whom charges of dishonesty had been preferred, they raised their voices in bitter revilings. But Jesus had become familiar with upbraidings, and regarded them so little now that He did not even reply to His critics, as He had so often done in the earlier part of His ministry. When the two had been a short while in conversation, Zaccheus became so impressed by the magnanimity of Jesus, in braving public opinion and accepting fellowship with one so despised, that he determined to make an avowal before the people by way of both acknowledging Jesus and accepting His teaching. Therefore, said he, standing up before the I,ord and the large assemblage about the door of his house:” Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I havg taken anything from any rfian by false accusation, I restore him four- fold.” And Jesus said to him, “This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Parable of the Nobleman and the Ten Talents.

After Zaccheus had thus made his acknowledgment of conversion by an exhibition of the true spirit of repentance, Jesus related a parable to the people, who were gathered about the house, taking for His subject the varying fortunes of Archelaus, but applying the similitude to His own requirements.

Many of the parables were more graphic in the times in which He lived than they are now, because circumstances have so much changed. In olden times, when a man wanted to wreak a grudge upon his neighbor, after the farmer had scattered the seed wheat over the field and was expecting the harvest, his avenger would go across the same field with a sack full of the seed of darnel grass, scattering that seed all over the field, and of course it would sprout up and spoil the whole crop; and it was to that Christ referred in the parable when He spoke of the tares being sown among the wheat. In this land our farms are fenced off, and the wolves have been driven to the mountains, and we cannot fully understand the meaning of the parable in regard to the shepherd and the lost sheep. But the parable of the Talents can be easily understood in all lands and ages. It is built on money, and that means the same in Jerusalem as in New York. It means the same to the serf as to the czar, and to the Chinese coolie as to the emperor. Whether it is made out of bone or brass, or iron or copper, or gold or silver, it speaks all languages without a stammer. The parable runs in this wise: The owner of a large estate was about to leave home, and he had some money that he wished properly invested, and so he called together his servants, and said: “I am going away now, and I wish you would take this money and put it to the very best possible use, and when I come back, return to me the interest. To one man he gave $9000, to others he gave lesser sums of money; to the least he gave $1800. He left home and was gone for years, and then returned. On his arrival he was anxious to know about his worldly affairs, and he called his servants together to report to him. “Let me know,” said he, “what you have been doing with my property since I have been gone.” The man who had received the $9000 came up and said, “I invested that money. I got good interest for it. I have in other ways rightly employed it; and here are $17,000. You see I have nearly doubled what you gave me.” “That’s very good,” said the owner of the estate; “that’s grandly done. I admire your faithfulness and industr) I shall reward you. Well done — well done.” Other ser’ants came up with smaller accumulations. After a while I see a man dragging himself along, with his head hanging. I know from the way he comes in that he is a lazy fellow. He comes up to the owner of the estate and says:” Here are those $1800.” “What!” says the owner of the property, “haven’t you made it accumulate anything?” “Nothing — nothing.” “Why, what have you been about all these years?” “Oh, I was afraid that if I invested it, I might somehow lose it. There are your $1800.” Many a young man started out with only a crown in his pocket, and achieved a fortune; but this fellow of the parable, with $1800, has gained not one farthing. Instead of confessing his indolence, he goes to work to berate his master, for indolence is almost always imprudent and impertinent. Of course, he loses his place and is discharged from the service. The owner who went out into a far country is Jesus Christ going from earth to heaven. The servants spoken of are members of the Church. The talents are our different qualifications of usefulness given in different proportions to different people. The coming back of the owner is the Lord Jesus returning at the judgment to make final settlement. The raising of some of these men to be rulers over five or two cities, is the exaltation of the righteous at the last day, while the casting out of the idler is the expulsion of all those who have misimproved their privileges.

And another parable He gave them in this wise: There was a certain man owning vast possessions of land which for years had yielded so bounteously that for a while he was at a loss to know how he would be able to store his crops. But at length he conceived the idea of building larger barns in which he would hoard not only his crops but his other goods also, which were so great that he could thereafter say,” Behold, I am the richest man of my neighborhood.” So vain did he become under the inspiration which prompted him that he said to himself, rubbing his hands and chuckling with intense satisfaction, “Now that I am rich, I will take no heed of time or worry myself over the future, but will spend all my days eating, drinking and making merry.” But in the night when he was alone, when there seemed to be a weird quiet upon him, he heard the voice of God, saying, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?”

“So is he,” said Jesus, “that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” So it is with those who waste their opportunities to do good.

The Kingdom of God can only be obtained by a wise use of our advantages, in which the happiness of others should be quite as much our ambition as the enrichment of ourselves. * ‘For,” said Jesus, * ’ the Kingdom of heaven is like a man seeking a goodly pearl, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Or, in other words, the Kingdom of heaven is all about us and which we may obtain by a diligent search for it. If by our devotion to God we discover means for doing the largest amount of good in a particular field, then it is our duty to apply all our energies in that work which yields its abundance of righteous fruits, for there will we find the Kingdom of heaven.

And to impress, upon those whom He taught, the importance of using olir abilities in earnest endeavor to perform the most useful service, Jesus gave another parable in re-enforcement 01 the other. Said He,” A certain man had a fig tree which produced no fruit for three years, and being angered at its unfruitfulness he called his servant and told him to cut it down, since it was so useless as to even cumber the ground, taking up space which might be used for a bearing tree. But his servant answered him, “Don’t cut down the tree yet; it has never been properly nurtured; with some spading up of the ground about its roots and some manure added to enrich the earth around it, I think in another year it will bear well; if, however, after such cultivation it is still barren, then CO’ it down.” This parable not only illustrated the necessity of cultivating ourselves for the higher duties by inciting in us an ambition to give our best efforts. to a service that will benefit mankind, but it was specially directed to those Jews who had for long centuries produced no works of righteousness; who were like a barren tree which put forth leaves, but yielded no fruits. For their barrenness-God had thought to cut them ofi”, but Jesus comes as the servant, saying, “I will teach them their obligations; I will call them to repentance; I will strive to set up in their hearts a worshipful feeling; I will endeavor to root out the vanities which have alienated them from God, and give them a nourishment which will stimulate them to nobler ambitions, that they may produce fruits unto righteousness. If they still prove unfruitful then let them be cut down, but not until they have been given opportunity to improve the advantages which I oSeh them.”