THE LORD AND THE LITTLE ONES--LEAVING GALILEE.
As the Lord and His disciples walked over the hills into Galilee some
of them fell behind wondering among themselves what He could mean when
He spoke of being killed and of rising again. Perhaps they thought it
only a sadness that would pass away, and so full of faith in His power
were they that they could not believe that One who could raise the dead
could Himself die.
"He will be a King," they thought, and began to wonder who among them
would be chosen to be greatest in His Kingdom, and even to quarrel
about it.
After they had reached Capernaum, and were at home again--probably in
Peter's house--Jesus said to them,
"What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?"
There was no word from any one of them, for they were ashamed. Then
the Lord sat down, and calling the twelve around Him, said gently,
"If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and
servant of all."
A little child stood near listening, and wishing, perhaps, that he
might be a grown man so that he also could be a disciple.
Making room for him in the midst of them all, He called the child,
Peter's child, perhaps, who came joyfully to Him. Taking Him tenderly
in His arms He said,
"Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name receiveth me,
and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but Him that sent me."
And He taught His disciples to be humble as a little child in these
beautiful words:
"Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the Kingdom of Heaven."
"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones, for I say unto
you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father
which is in heaven."
[Illustration: The little ones]
He also told them of the love of the Father in seeking His lost
children. That if a shepherd had but lost one of his hundred sheep, he
would leave all the others to go out into the wild mountains to look
for the lost sheep. How much more would the Father do for His own, and
especially for His little ones.
"Even so," He said, "it is not the will of your Father, which is in
heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
Before going to the Feast at Jerusalem the Lord Jesus said many things
to His disciples that would help them to be loving and forgiving toward
each other and all the world, for they were very soon going to meet
trouble which would try their love and their faith. He told them to
deal gently with those who had done wrong, that they might win them
back to the right way. He told them that they should have help from
heaven when they asked for it, even if there should be only two to ask.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name," He said,
"there am I in the midst of them."
"How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?" asked
Peter, "till seven times?"
"Until seventy times seven," said Jesus, and He did not mean that we
should even count the number of times that we forgive.
Then He told them a story of a forgiving king and an unforgiving
servant that you may read in the eighteenth chapter of Matthew.
At the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, the people went up to
Jerusalem to offer gifts in the golden Temple for the harvest that the
Lord had given them, and to join in a praise service there.
They brought oil, and wine, and wheat, and barley; dates, pomegranates,
and figs--something of all they had gathered, and while they marched
toward the holy city they sang joyful songs that David had written long
before. When they reached Jerusalem they built bowers of branches cut
from the trees and lived in them for a week.
Even in the city the people came out of their houses and lived in
bowers on the streets and public squares, or upon the flat roofs of the
houses, and the hillsides round were covered with the green booths.
The brothers of Jesus came down to Capernaum on their way to the Feast
at Jerusalem, and they asked their elder Brother to go also into Judea
and show Himself to the world, that His miracles might be seen of all,
for they did not believe in Him yet. But Jesus said,
"My time is not yet come, but your time is always ready."
So they went on their journey, and Jesus stayed in Galilee.
After a few days He set His face toward Jerusalem, taking the shortest
way through Samaria. The Samaritans were not friendly to the Jews, and
the disciples, who had been sent on before to find lodging for the
company in a village, were not allowed to bring their Master there.
The gentle John and his brother James were angry that unkindness was
shown to Jesus, and wished to call down fire from heaven to destroy the
villagers, but Jesus said,
"Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of, for the Son of Man has
not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."
And they went to another village. On the way they found men who wished
to follow Jesus as the disciples did but while some were ready to leave
all, others wished to first bid their friends farewell, or bury their
dead, but Jesus saw something in their hearts that showed that they
were not fit for the Kingdom of God.
There were many beside the twelve who fully believed in Jesus, and were
ready to tell others of the coming kingdom, so He sent them out to all
the places where he intended to go, until there were seventy of them
preaching the good news. They went, saying, "The Kingdom of God is
come unto you," and they healed the sick in Jesus' name. When they
returned they were full of joy, saying,
"Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name." But
Jesus said, "Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but
rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."