on that uninhabited and barren rock. One Sunday morning, on the "Lord's
Day" as he called it, he "heard behind him a great voice, as of a
trumpet" that said to him, "What thou seest write in a book and send it
unto the seven churches which are in Asia." He turned, and saw the Son
of Man clothed with a garment down to the foot, and bound with a golden
girdle. As he beheld his Lord wrapped in such divine splendor, "he fell
at His feet as dead." But the Savior, John says, "laid His right hand
upon me, saying unto me. Fear not, I am the First and the Last, I am
He that liveth, and was dead, and behold I am alive forever more." He
was again commanded to write all he had witnessed and what would yet be
shown him in vision. Thus was given to the seven churches of Asia, and
subsequently to the world, what is now known as "Revelation," the last
book in the Bible, but the first one written by its author.
Upon the death of Domitian, the cruel emperor who had banished him,
the Apostle was permitted to return to Ephesus, where he continued his
preaching, writing, and testimony.
[Sidenote: John's Writings.]
Besides "Revelation," he wrote his Gospel and his three Epistles.
John's second Epistle should be of special interest to the young. From
it we infer that there were two Christian homes, in each of which John
took delight. The mothers were sisters. His letter is addressed to "The
Elect Lady" or, as she is sometimes called, the Lady Electa and her
children. John tells of his love and that of others for them--mother
and children--because of their Christian character. He tells of his
great joy because of the children walking in the truth, living as
children should live who have learned of the teachings of Christ.
[IMAGE: ST. JOHN. The Apostle and Evangelist.]
It is said that when he became so old and feeble that he could not walk
to church, nor preach to his people, his loving friends would carry him
to the place of meeting. On these occasions, he would repeat again and
again, "My dear children, love one another." One day some asked him,
"Master, why dost thou always say this?" He answered. "This is what the
Lord commands you; and this, if you do it, is sufficient."
It is said that he lived to be over one hundred years of age, but
of his last days there is nothing definite of record. We do know,
however, that he survived most bitter persecution, outlived his wicked
persecutors, instructed by his life and teachings thousands in the Way
of life, and is blessing many thousands in the world today, by his
lofty and childlike Christian spirit.
"Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He
that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."
Footnotes:
1. Ruth 1:16, 17.
PART FOUR--PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS.
LESSON 22
SAUL OF TARSUS
"Good company, and good discourses are the very sinews of virtue."
[Sidenote: A Benjaminite.]
At the time that Peter and Andrew, James and John were boys playing
in Bethsaida, on the shores of Galilee, there was another bright,
clever little lad playing and studying in a town about three hundred
miles from them, whom they were to know in after years, first as a
bitter enemy and afterwards as a friend and brother. This boy's name
was Saul, and he lived in Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia. He was a
Jew and belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob.
Benjamin's father, you remember, kept him home when the other sons
first went to Egypt to buy corn. The tribe of Benjamin was said to have
been valorous; and in this respect, you will see that Saul was a true
Benjaminite.
[Sidenote: Other Members of Family.]
Of Saul's parents and boyhood days we know very little. His father, at
one time, lived in Palestine, and would, of course, teach his son to be
a good orthodox Jew. Of his mother we know nothing, but we may be sure
that she watched over him carefully, guided him in his games and in his
studies and inspired him, even in his youth, to desire to grow up to
be a great and useful man. Undoubtedly, this was the kind of mother he
had, for all great men have been blest with just such noble mothers.
We are not told whether he had any brothers; but he had at least one
sister, whom he always loved and to whom he was a true and noble
brother all his life.
[IMAGE: ST. PAUL.]
[Sidenote: A Good student.]
Saul was a good student, and attended school probably from the time he
was six years old until he became a man. But in those days, school boys
had no school books. They would just listen to what their teacher told
them, remember it, and try to be able to tell it again when asked to do
so. The principal study in the schoolroom, at that time, was the holy
scriptures. Of course, they did not have the Bible then as we have it
now, but they had the Old Testament, and could learn all about Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, the children of Israel. King Saul, King David, King
Solomon and the prophets. Thus, he was taught early in his life to look
forward to the Messiah who should be King of the Jews.
[Sidenote: Pharisees and Sadducees.]
Among the Jews were found different sects or religions, chief among
which were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. In Saul's day, Pharisees
were the most popular of all the sects, and held most of the highest
offices in the state and the church. They believed in the oral law
as delivered from God to Moses, as well as in the written law. They
believed also in the resurrection of the body. But they made long and
frequent prayers, not only in the synagogue and temple, but in the
streets, so they could be heard of men. In other things, too, they were
very hypocritical.
The Sadducees did not believe in a bodily resurrection. You will see,
later, how Saul used to good advantage this difference of belief
between these two sects.
[Sidenote: A Pharisee.]
Saul was a Pharisee; and a good Pharisee, too. He was just as sincere
in his belief and education as any good man could be. If Saul had been
a hypocritical Pharisee, he probably never would have found the truth,
but being sincere, that is, always doing what he thought was right, he
was led to the Gospel.
[Sidenote: A Roman Citizen.]
There is another thing to learn about this boy, "Saul of Tarsus;" viz.,
that he was born a Roman citizen. Tarsus, an exceedingly rich and
populous city, was a Roman municipium, or free corporation. This means
that the freedom of Rome (which ruled all those countries at that time)
had been given to the freemen of Tarsus. This freedom had been granted
because the men of Tarsus had defended two emperors of Rome during a
rebellion against them.
Thus, Saul, though a Jew, was a freeborn Roman citizen. In this double
capacity, he had two names, Saul and Paul; the first his Jewish name
and the latter his Roman or Latin name.
[Sidenote: A Tentmaker.]
As has been said, Saul was a student; but he was industrious, not only
with his head, but also with his hands. He was a tentmaker. This trade
he learned when he was still a boy. It was a constant practice of the
Jews to bring their children to some honest calling that, in case of
necessity, they might provide for themselves by the labor of their own
hands. The time came when Paul, though an apostle, labored at intervals
for twenty-nine years at the trade his father had taught him. It was
during such times that he wrote "These hands have ministered unto my
necessities."
[Sidenote: Gamaliel.]
When Saul had completed the studies as given in the Jewish schools at
Tarsus, and had learned his trade, he desired to attend college. He
was then, probably, about fourteen years of age. There were Gentile
universities near his home, but, as he wanted to become a Rabbi, he
went to Jerusalem, and became a student in the famous "School of
Hillel." The president of this noted institution of learning was, "a
Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law had in reputation among
all the people." [1] It is supposed that he was a son of Simeon who was
in the Temple when the little baby Jesus was blessed, and who said,
"Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace; for mine eyes have
seen Thy salvation."
But though Gamaliel was the most learned man of his day, he did not
know that the Messiah had come. Evidently, he did not believe what his
father had told him about the child Jesus.
Under the instruction and influence of his great teacher, Saul
continued for several years studying in Hebrew and Greek, and
memorizing all the important commandments which the old Testament
contained.
[Sidenote: Stephen.]
Saul completed his course under Gamaliel, and probably returned to
Cilicia. In the meantime, Jesus had been crucified and a bitter
persecution against some of His disciples had begun. The first to
suffer death during this persecution was Stephen, one of the seven
deacons chosen to look after the funds for the poor. Stephen was a very
faithful servant "full of faith and the Holy Ghost." He declared that
Jesus was the Savior of the world, and that all men must believe in His
name if they would be saved. Stephen knew that the Pharisees were wrong
in what they thought was necessary to salvation, and he, undoubtedly,
told them so. At any rate he disputed with them in the synagogue.
[Sidenote: Stephen Before Sanhedrin.]
Being defeated in their disputations, the angry Jews dragged Stephen
before the Sanhedrin and accused him of blasphemy. Even in court he
still bore testimony of the divinity, death and persecution of the
Savior, which so maddened the wicked Jews that they "gnashed on him
with their teeth," and finally dragged him out of the court room, and
stoned him to death.
[Sidenote: Consents to Stephen's Death.]
Among those blinded Pharisees who disputed with Stephen, was the young,
learned student, Saul of Tarsus. And when "they cried out with a loud
voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord," Saul
consented unto his death, held the cloaks of the murderers and stood by
and witnessed the cruel death of this first Christian martyr. Saul was
sincere in believing that Stephen was an enemy to the Jewish religion.
Probably Stephen recognized this when, just as he was dying he prayed,
"Lord, lay not this sin to their charge."
Footnotes:
1. Acts 5:34.
LESSON 23
SAUL'S CONVERSION
"Better is the wrong with sincerity, rather than the right with
falsehood."
[Sidenote: A Bitter Persecutor.]
[Sidenote: His Sincerity.]
After the death of Stephen, "there was a great persecution against the
church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad,
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria." One of the Saints' most
energetic and persistent persecutors, during those terrible days, was
the blinded Pharisee, Saul, of Tarsus. So determined was he to put an
end to what he thought was a heresy that he secured the right as an
officer of the Sanhedrin to arrest the followers of Jesus wherever he
found them. He went from house to house, dragging men from their wives
and children. He even arrested the women, and thrust them in prison!
Surely the cries and piteous pleadings of the little children must
have rent even his bitter heart almost more than the martyrdom of the
faithful Stephen. Surely, as he forced men and women away from their
homes, the blanched faces of crouching children, and their heartbroken
sobs must have imprinted upon his bigoted soul impressions that would
humble him if not haunt him all the days of his life! Only one thing
could give him comfort in later life as he looked back upon those awful
experiences. It was this, as expressed in his own words: "I verily
thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name
of Jesus of Nazareth." Saul was sincere in what he was doing. He did
not believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and thought it would
be pleasing to his Father in Heaven to make every believer in Christ
deny His name.
[Sidenote: Made Havoc of the Church.]
So Saul "made havoc of the church;" and when he had either imprisoned
or driven out of Jerusalem every man he could find who confessed the
Christ, with his soul "yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter
against the disciples of the Lord," he asked the High Priest for
"letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem." [1]
[Sidenote: Doubt.]
Damascus is about one hundred and fifty miles north of Jerusalem, so it
would take Saul and his attendants about a week to travel the distance.
Perhaps during those few days of comparative leisure, he began to
wonder whether what he was doing was right or not. Perhaps the shining
face of the dying Stephen and the martyr's last prayer began to sink
more deeply into his soul than it had done before. Little children's
cries for their parents whom Saul had bound began to pierce his soul
more keenly, and make him feel miserably unhappy as he looked forward
to more experiences of that kind in Damascus. Perhaps he wondered
whether the work of the Lord, if he were really engaged in it, would
make him feel so restless and bitter. He was soon to learn that only
the work of the evil one produces those feelings, and that true service
for the Lord, always brings peace and contentment.
[Sidenote: Light.]
But, whatever his thoughts and feelings were, he was hastening on with
a determination to arrest every follower of Jesus whom he could find.
As he neared the city, however, "suddenly there shined round about him
a light from heaven." Saul fell to the earth, and the men with him
stood around him speechless.
From that moment, Saul was a changed man. When he fell to the earth, he
was a proud, haughty Pharisee, a persecutor of innocent people: when
he arose, he was a humble, submissive seeker after truth, a repentant
follower of Him whom he had been persecuting. From the midst of the
light, came a voice saying:
[Sidenote: The Revelation.]
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
"Who art thou, Lord?" asked Saul.
"I am Jesus whom thou persecutest," and then He added, in effect. "The
more you persecute me the worse you feel; and the more your conscience
troubles you." Fighting the Lord is just like kicking a "prickly pear,"
the harder you kick the worse it hurts.
When Saul realized this, and knew he had been doing wrong, he asked,
"What wilt Thou have me to do?"
[Sidenote: A Commission.]
"Arise, go into the city, and it will be told thee what thou must do,"
not what Saul would like to do; not what he might do; but what he
_must_ do, if he would be accepted of the Lord.
[Sidenote: Eyes but Saw Not; Blind, but Sees.]
Saul had been blessed with eyesight but had been blinded spiritually.
Now he was blind physically, but light was coming into his soul. As he
arose he could see nothing, and his attendants led him into the city,
where he lodged in the house of Judas, in a street called Straight.
[Sidenote: Ananias.]
In the meantime, the Lord, in a vision, said to one of His servants
called Ananias, "Arise and go into the street called Straight, and
inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for,
behold, he prayeth."
But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done to Thy saints of Jerusalem: and here he hath
authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on Thy name."
Ananias was probably one whom Saul would have arrested first.
The Lord told Ananias to go as directed, for He had chosen Saul to bear
His name, "before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel."
[Sidenote: Saul Administered to.]
Ananias did as directed; and when he entered the house of Judas, he
found Saul not only penitent but blind. All the proud Pharisee's
bitterness was gone and he was praying for light--light in his eyes and
light in his soul. His prayers were answered, for God's humble servant
laid his hands upon him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus
that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that
thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."
[Sidenote: Receives Sight.]
And Saul received his sight immediately, and arose and was baptized.
This was one thing he had to do if he would be numbered in the
Church of Christ. Thus in the conversion of this great man, we find
illustrated the application of several principles of the Gospel, viz.:
Faith, in Jesus Christ; Repentance from wrong doing; Baptism and the
recognition of Christ's authority on earth.
Footnotes:
1. Acts 9:2.
LESSON 24
IN ANOTHER SCHOOL
"All the scholastic scaffolding falls as a ruined edifice, before one
single word--faith."
[Sidenote: Teachers Compared.]
For several days immediately following his wonderful conversion and
his restoration to sight, Saul "was with the disciples who were at
Damascus." Saul had now entered another school, but how different from
the one in which he sat at the feet of the learned Gamaliel! There he
listened to instruction from the most learned men of his day; now he is
listening to men who were thought unlearned. There he received training
of the intellect; now he is receiving training of the soul. There he
studied blindly; now he studies, truly seeing! His instructor is one of
the faithful men whom he had despised and whom he came to arrest. "Not
Peter, or James or John, no great and eminent apostle need be sent for,
to instruct the learned and highly talented Saul; but Ananias, some
poor, simple-hearted Christian of whom the Divine word has never before
made mention, is fully sufficient, in God's hand, to teach this most
richly endowed of all the early converts."
[Sidenote: True Zeal.]
As he listened, hour after hour, during those few memorable days, his
soul became fired with a true zeal; and we can imagine hearing him say
to his new teachers,
"Set on your foot. And with a heart new fir'd I follow you."
"And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the
Son of God."
[Sidenote: Jews Amazed.]
We are not told whether any of the men who accompanied him to Damascus
became converted. Perhaps one or two did; but, undoubtedly, some
of them thought Saul had turned traitor. So also did the Jews in
Damascus, who were amazed, and said to one another, "Is not this
he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and
came here for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the
chief priests?" But the more they opposed him, the more eloquently he
defended the name of Jesus and proved to them that Jesus is the Christ.
[Sidenote: The School of Solitude.]
After a few days of fiery disputations in the synagogues, Saul
concluded to leave Damascus and go into retirement; so, bidding his new
friends goodby, he went into Arabia in the mountains near the Red Sea.
Here he received instruction in the School of Solitude.
"O sacred solitude! divine retreat!
Choice of the prudent! envy of the great!
By thy Pure stream, or in thy waving shade,
We court fair wisdom."
Like Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and even the Savior Himself, Paul
now sought to be alone with God, and to learn how to get his spirit in
communion with the Holy Spirit.
How long he remained there, we do not know. All he says about this
journey is: "I went into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus."
HIS FLIGHT FROM DAMASCUS
No sooner had he returned to the city of his conversion, than he began
to preach again in the synagogues. Again the Jews began to dispute
him, and again he confounded them. Day after day, and week after week
the religious controversy continued until the Jews could stand it no
longer, and "took council to kill him."
[Sidenote: Every Gate Guarded.]
Around the city of Damascus was a high wall, and no one could go in or
out except through the gates. Therefore, when the Jews decided to kill
Saul, the first thing they did was to make sure he could not escape. So
they placed guards at every gate, and "watched day and night to kill
him."
[Sidenote: Friends.]
But Saul had his friends as well as enemies, and he had one Friend who
had chosen him for a great and useful mission, and as long as Saul was
faithful, his life would be spared until this special work was done.
Through inspiration or otherwise, Saul knew that his enemies were lying
in wait for him, so he kept out of their way.
[Sidenote: Over the Wall.]
Fortunately, one of his friends lived in a house built right near the
wall of the city; and from here, some of the disciples assisted Saul
to escape. They put him in a basket, and then watching carefully to
see that no enemies were in sight, they carried Saul to the top of the
wall, and let him down on the other side. Thus it happened that while
the wicked guards were watching day and night to entrap Saul, that
disciple of the Master was making his journey back to Jerusalem.
WITH THE DISCIPLES IN JERUSALEM
[Sidenote: Returns to Jerusalem.]
Three years before, he left Jerusalem as an officer of the Sanhedrin,
bearing a special commission, and accompanied by attendants and
officers. He left with enmity in his heart for every person who
professed to believe in Jesus Christ. Now he journeys back alone,
rejected by those whom he had served, a fugitive from the Jews who, a
few years before, awaited to welcome him as a hero! But Saul is happier
now alone as he is than when he went in pomp to arrest God's servants.
And yet he can look forward to no welcome in Jerusalem! His old friends
and teachers think he has turned traitor to their cause, and the
Apostles of Jesus doubt his conversion. "They were all afraid of him,
and believed not that he was a disciple."
[Sidenote: Barnabas.]
But there was one, an old friend and true, a classmate, and fellow
townsman who extended to Saul the glad hand of fellowship. That was
Barnabas, who "took him, and brought him to the apostles," declaring
how Saul had been converted by a light, and the voice of the Lord, and
how he had preached in Damascus in the name of Jesus.
With this testimony, the Apostles accepted Saul, and gave him their
companionship. Soon Saul was preaching in Jerusalem as boldly as he had
in Damascus. In his disputes with the Grecians, he evidently confounded
them as he had those in Damascus, and with the same effect--"They went
about to slay him."
[Sidenote: Back to Tarsus.]
When the brethren learned this, "they brought him down to Caesarea,
and sent him forth to Tarsus" back to his old home, to his parents and
to his sister. But what a changed man from what he was when he left to
practice in Jerusalem. In name he was still "Saul of Tarsus;" but in
nature he was Paul the disciple of Jesus Christ.
[IMAGE: MAP, ST. PAUL'S FIRST JOURNEY.]
CALLED TO ASSIST BARNABAS
During the persecution in which Stephen was martyred, the Saints
scattered to different places, and where ever they went, they preached
the Glad Tidings of Great Joy. "And the hand of the Lord was with them,
and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord."
[Sidenote: Christians.]
A large number of these converts gathered in Antioch and it was there
as you already know that the Saints were first called Christians. It
was first applied to them in derision just as the word "Mormon" was
first applied to the Church in this day, but later was accepted as an
honorable title.
[Sidenote: Barnabas Seeks Saul.]
Barnabas, who "was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of
faith" was appointed to look after the Saints in that great city.
Finding a great missionary opportunity in that field, and desiring able
assistance in carrying on the great work assigned him, Barnabas decided
to go to Tarsus, his old home, and try to find Paul. What a happy time
these old playmates must have had when they met once again in the
familiar scenes of their boyhood days! We are not told what they did,
nor what they said, nor what their old friends and relatives thought of
their new religion. We do know, however, that Paul accepted the call to
go with Barnabas to Antioch. There "they assembled themselves in the
Church, and taught much people." This seems to have been Paul's first
definite assignment in the Church.
LESSON 25
SPECIAL MESSENGERS TO JERUSALEM
"God has so ordered that men, being in need of each other, should learn
to love each other, and bear each other's burdens."
"To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is God-like."
[Sidenote: Agabus.]
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch, there came "prophets from
Jerusalem," one of whom was named Agabus. He is thought to have been
one of the Seventy chosen by the Savior; but just what priesthood and
what position in the Church he held we do not know for certain. But he
must have been a righteous man, and filled with the Holy Ghost, for
he could foretell, through the inspiration of the Spirit, things that
other people, by their own intelligence, could not see. At the time
of which we are speaking he prophesied that "there should be a great
dearth throughout all the world," meaning that there would be a famine
in the land, and that people would go hungry.
[Sidenote: Offerings to Poor.]