Father. But Jesus said, He is my Father, and I came down from heaven,
where he lives, and I shall go back to him some day.
At last the people took up stones to throw at him: but Jesus did not
choose to die yet, so he easily got away and went to a place where they
could not find him.
There he staid with his disciples a good while.
LESSON XXVIII.
LAZARUS.
JOHN, xi. 1-17.
JESUS staid with his disciples in a place by himself. The wicked
people, who wanted to kill him, could not find him, but Jesus’ friends
knew where he was.
Jesus had more friends besides his disciples.
One of his friends was called Lazarus. Lazarus had two sisters; their
names were Martha and Mary. These three all lived together. They all
three loved Jesus, and Jesus loved them. Jesus used often to come and
see them, and sit in the house and talk to them. Martha liked to make
a fine dinner when Jesus came, but Mary liked to sit and listen to his
sweet words.
At last Lazarus fell very sick.
Martha and Mary loved their brother Lazarus very much indeed. They knew
that Jesus could make Lazarus well; so they sent a man to tell Jesus
that Lazarus was sick.
The man went a great way to look for Jesus. Lazarus grew worse and
worse. At last he died. His friends wrapped white cloths round his
face, and his arms and his legs, and put him in a great hole, and
rolled a stone before it.
Martha and Mary waited and longed for Jesus to come.
Four days passed, and at last Jesus came. Martha and Mary did not think
that Jesus would make Lazarus alive again, for he had been dead so
long; so they sat upon the ground and cried.
When Martha heard that Jesus was on the road a little way off, she came
to Jesus and said, If you had been here, my brother had not died; and
even now you could make him alive.
Then Jesus said, Your brother shall rise again.
Yes, said Martha, I know he will rise again at the last day, when all
the dead people rise.
Martha was afraid that Jesus would not choose to make Lazarus alive
soon; but she knew that he was able to do it.
Martha went back to the house, and found Mary still sitting on the
ground, and a great many friends round her.
Martha whispered in her ear, and told her that Jesus wanted to speak to
her. So Martha and Mary went together, and found Jesus waiting for them
in the road.
Mary’s friends went with her, and they cried; and Mary cried very much
indeed: and when she saw Jesus she fell down at his feet and said,
Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died.
Jesus was very sorry to see her so unhappy, and to see so many people
crying: he felt very sad indeed, and he sighed very deeply. Jesus does
not like to see anyone in trouble, he is so kind.
Then Jesus said, Where have you put Lazarus?
Martha and Mary and their friends said, Come and see; and they showed
him the way.
As Jesus walked along, the tears rolled down his cheeks.
At last they came to the grave. It was a hole, and a very large stone
was before the hole.
Then Jesus said, Take away the stone.
Martha thought that Jesus was going to look at Lazarus lying dead; and
she said, Do not go in: his flesh has a bad smell by this time. He has
been dead four days. But Jesus told her to believe that he could make
him alive.
They then rolled away the stone.
Then Jesus lifted up his eyes to his Father in heaven, and thanked him
for helping him to do wonderful things.
A great many people were standing by, looking at Jesus, and wondering
what he would do.
Poor Martha and Mary were longing to see Lazarus alive again.
Then Jesus spoke loud and said, Lazarus, come forth.
Lazarus heard, though he was dead; for the dead hear the voice of
Jesus. He got up and walked to the door of the hole. His hands were
tied with cloths, and his feet wrapped round with cloths, and a cloth
was over his face.
But Jesus said, Undo the cloths.
How pleased Martha and Mary must have been to see his face again! How
they must have thanked the Lord Jesus for his kindness!
The people who saw all this were surprised, and said, Jesus must be the
Son of God.
Why flow the blessed Saviour’s tears?
Is it because the cross he fears?
Because he knows he soon shall die,
And shall within the cold grave lie?
He weeps to see the sisters weep
Of Lazarus, who lies asleep;
So tender is his heart, and kind,
That all from him may pity find.
CHILD.
When I see others full of fears,
I will remember Jesus’ tears;
And not upon my pleasures think,
While their sad hearts with sorrow sink.
LESSON XXIX.
JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM.
MATTHEW, xxi. 1-11, 14-17.
WHICH was the greatest miracle that Jesus ever did? It was making
Lazarus alive again; because he had been dead four days.
Many of the wicked people who hated Jesus heard of it; but they only
hated him the more. They said, We must kill him soon, or everyone will
believe that he is the Son of God.
Jesus knew that they wanted to kill him, and so he went again and hid
himself in a place they did not know of. They looked for him, but they
could not find him.
But could Jesus always stay in that little quiet place, where he was
hid with his disciples? No. He came down to die for us. He only waited
till the time came for him to die. Then he said to his disciples,
We must go to Jerusalem, and I shall be laughed at, and beaten, and
killed; but I shall come out of my grave after three days.
The disciples did not like to hear this; but they chose to go with
Jesus wherever he went.
Jesus walked fast along the road; at last he came near Jerusalem. Then
he stopped and said to his disciples, I shall ride into Jerusalem upon
an ass. Jesus had no ass of his own; he always walked from place to
place. But Jesus could put it into a man’s heart to lend him one.
He said to two of his disciples, Go along the road a little way, and
you will see an ass and a young ass tied, and a man standing near;
bring the ass and the young one to me, for I know that the man will let
them come.
So the two disciples went: when they had gone a little way they saw an
ass tied up, and a young one. They began to untie the ass; but a man
standing near said, Why do you untie the ass?
They said, The Lord hath need of them; and then the man let them go.
I suppose that man loved the Lord Jesus, and liked to lend him his
things.
The two disciples brought the two asses to Jesus. They took off some of
their clothes, and put them on the young ass, and Jesus sat upon it.
A great many people came out of Jerusalem to see Jesus, for they had
heard of his making Lazarus alive again. The people began to praise
Jesus, and call him king. They took off some of their clothes, and laid
them down upon the road for the ass to tread upon; and they picked
branches off the trees that grew near, and laid them too on the road.
So Jesus came to the great town of Jerusalem: all the people came
into the streets to look at him, and even the little children began
to praise him, and to call him King. The proud men, that hated Jesus,
were very angry at hearing all these praises. They did not like to hear
Jesus praised. They came to him and said, Why do you let these children
call you king?
But Jesus liked to hear the children sing his praise, and he would not
tell them to be silent.
Jesus loved little children, and these little children loved Jesus.
LESSON XXX.
THE TEMPLE.
LUKE, xix. 47, 48; xx. 19, 20; xxi. 37, 38.
THERE was a large place in Jerusalem, like a great church, called the
Temple. It was white outside, and very beautiful. The doors were open
all day, and people used to go in to pray to God. It was God’s house:
Jesus used often to be there with his disciples. Poor blind and lame
people came to him there, and Jesus cured them all, and talked to them
about his Father.
The little children sang his praises in the Temple. All day long Jesus
taught the people about God, and they listened to what he said, and
liked to hear him.
The wicked and proud men came to the Temple to laugh at Jesus, and to
speak rudely to him; but he bore all as meekly as a lamb.
At night he left the Temple, and went out of the town to a high hill,
where he prayed to God alone in the dark.
The wicked men longed to catch Jesus to kill him. They said to each
other, How can we get him? the people will not let us take hold of him
if they see us, or we would go to the Temple to catch him. If we could
find him alone in the dark, then we would put ropes on him, and take
him to the judge. This is what the wicked people said to each other as
they sat together.
Within the Temple fair and grand,
(Where holy men are wont to pray,)
Behold the gentle Saviour stand,
Teaching sweet wisdom all the day.
And many round him fondly press,
The blind, the lame, the weeping poor,
Who suffer sickness or distress,
Or grace or pardon would implore.
But see, another troop is near,
And much his words their pride displease;
Like hungry lions they appear,
Who long a gentle lamb to seize.
The Saviour all their malice knows,
And how his precious life they seek;
But still his lips he will not close,
Because his Father bade him speak.
Nor does his heav’nly patience fail,
Nor does he cease his love to show;
But while they mock, and jeer, and rail,
He strives to save their souls from woe.
CHILD.
And if, when trying to be kind,
I too should with unkindness meet,
O let me show a patient mind,
And ever let my words be sweet!
LESSON XXXI.
JUDAS.
JOHN, xii. 6. MATTHEW, xxvi. 3, 4, 14-16.
JESUS had twelve disciples. Did they all love him?
Peter loved Jesus, and John loved him, and all the rest loved him, but
one; his name was Judas. He did not love Jesus, but only pretended to
love him. He was like the devil.
Did Jesus know how wicked Judas was? Yes, he saw into his heart; but
the disciples thought Judas was good; for Judas used to kiss the Lord
Jesus, and speak kindly to him, and talk about God like the rest.
But Judas loved something; he loved money. He wanted to get a great
deal of money.
He was covetous, and he was a thief. The disciples had a bag, and when
they had money they put it in the bag; and all the disciples put their
money in the same bag. But there was very little money in the bag, for
they were very poor. Judas used to take care of the bag, and he used to
steal some of the money out of it, and keep it for himself; but no one
found him out, or thought he was a thief, except Jesus, and he knew it
well.
Judas was always thinking, How shall I get money?
One day, when the proud men were sitting together, Judas came in. Judas
said to them, You want to find Jesus when he is alone: will you give me
some money, and I will show you where he goes at night?
The proud people said, Yes, we will.
Judas said, How much money will you give me?
They said, Thirty pieces of silver.
Then Judas said, Some night I will bring you to Jesus when he is alone.
The wicked people were very glad to hear this.
Now, thought they, we shall soon catch him and kill him.
Judas went back to Jesus, but he did not tell the disciples what he had
done. Jesus knew what he had been doing; for Jesus could see all his
thoughts, and he knew all that Judas did, both in the day and in the
night. Yet Jesus did not tell Judas that he knew his wicked plans.
LESSON XXXII.
THE LAST SUPPER—PART I.
LUKE, xxii. 7-14. JOHN, xiii. 1-17.
JESUS said to his disciples, I am going soon to be killed, but before I
die I shall eat a supper with you in Jerusalem.
Then Jesus said to Peter and John, Go and get the supper ready; but
they said, Where shall we get it ready? For Jesus had no house in
Jerusalem: but Jesus knew how to find a room.
So Jesus said to Peter and John, Go into Jerusalem, and you will meet a
man carrying a jug; go after him: he will go into a house. The master
of the house will lend me a room. Tell him that I am going to die, and
that I want to eat a supper with my disciples.
Then Peter and John went into Jerusalem.
Whom did they meet? A man carrying a jug.
They followed him. He went into a house. Peter and John went in after
him, and they said to the master of the house, Jesus wants a room to
eat supper in with his disciples before he dies.
Then the master took them up stairs, and showed them a large room, with
a table in it, and seats all round the table, and a jug, and a basin to
wash their feet in, and a cup and dishes.
Then Peter and John got some bread and wine and other things, and
made the supper ready; and they went back and told Jesus (who was a
little way in the country) that supper was ready. So Jesus and all his
disciples came to the house in the evening; they went up stairs, and
they all sat down.
Jesus loved John better than all the rest, and John sat next to Jesus.
After they had been a little while at supper, Jesus got up and took a
towel, and tied it round his waist; and he took a jug and poured water
into a basin, and he began to wash his disciples’ feet, and to wipe
them with the towel round his waist.
But when he came to Peter, Peter said, You shall never wash my feet.
Peter thought it was too kind of Jesus to wash his feet, as if he
were a servant; but Jesus was not proud, but loved to be kind to his
disciples.
Then Jesus said to Peter, If I wash you not, you cannot be mine; but I
have made you clean already. Jesus had made Peter’s heart clean.
Then Peter was glad that Jesus should wash his feet.
All the disciples had clean hearts, except Judas, and his heart was
full of wickedness; Satan was in it. Yet Jesus washed Judas’ feet. He
was kind even to wicked Judas, who hated him.
When Jesus had washed all the disciples’ feet he sat down again, and
began to talk to them.
He said, Do you know what I have done to you? I have washed your feet,
though I am your Lord and Master. I wish to teach you to be as kind to
each other as I have been to you.
When the sad hour was almost come,
That Jesus must depart,
He gathered in an upper room
Those dearest to his heart.
Ah! great was their astonishment
When, rising from his seat,
Upon the floor he lowly bent
To wash his servants’ feet.
Beside the board again he sat,
And thus expressed his mind:
“If I, your Lord, upon you wait,
O should not you be kind?
“O! let the love that I have shown
By you remembered be;
And by _your_ love let it be known
That you belong to me.”
LESSON XXXIII.
THE LAST SUPPER—PART II.
JOHN, xiii. 21-30.
YOU know the wicked thing that Judas meant to do. Jesus knew that he
would bring the wicked people to take him and kill him. Jesus had been
very kind to Judas, and Jesus was sorry that he was so wicked.
As Jesus was sitting at supper, and all the twelve disciples sitting
round, he said, One of you will give me to the wicked men to be killed!
one of you, my disciples.
All the disciples were very sorry, and Peter said, Is it I? and John
said, Is it I? and each of them said, Is it I? but Jesus did not tell
them which.
Now John was leaning his head on Jesus’ bosom, and Peter whispered to
John and said, Do ask the Lord which it is that will show the wicked
people where he is?
So John whispered and said, Which is it?
And Jesus said, The one that dips the bread in the sop with me.
For there was a dish of sauce on the table, and Jesus dipped his bread
in it, and as he dipped it one of the disciples put his hand in the
dish too. Which was it?
Judas: he dipped his bread in the dish with Jesus. So John knew which
it was that was so wicked.
Then Jesus said to Judas, Go, and do what you mean to do.
And Judas got up and went out of the room.
Where did he go?
He went to the wicked people, to bring them to Jesus in the dark. But
the disciples thought he was going to buy something at a shop, or to
give money to the poor.
One night the Saviour said,
“My hours to live are few:
I soon shall be betray’d,
My friends, by one of you.”
“Lord, is it I?”
They all do cry.
Beloved above the rest,
John lean’d his gentle head
Upon the Saviour’s breast,
And, softly whisp’ring, said,
“Lord, tell me who
This thing shall do?”
“One of this little band,”
The Saviour, answ’ring, said,
“Will hither reach his hand,
And dip with me his bread.
Who dips with me,
The same is he.”
LESSON XXXIV.
THE LAST SUPPER—PART III.
MATTHEW, xxvi. 26-36. JOHN, xiv. 1-4; xviii. 1-3.
AFTER supper Jesus took some bread and broke it in little bits, and
gave a piece to each of the disciples, and said, This is my body: I am
going to die: eat this, and think of me.
Then Jesus poured some wine into a cup, and told them all to drink out
of it. He said, This is my blood; I shall soon bleed and die; drink
this, and think of me.
Jesus said, I shall not eat supper with you again before I die. I am
going to my Father; I must leave you, but I shall come back again.
Then they all sang a hymn.
Afterward Jesus got up from the table and went down stairs into the
street, and the disciples followed him. It was dark; but Jesus talked
to them as they went along. He said, I am going to die to-night, and
you will all leave me.
But Peter said, I will not leave you; I will go to prison with you; I
will die with you; but I will never leave you.
Jesus said to him, Yes, you will, Peter; you will say that you do not
know me; you will say that you are not my friend. This night, Peter,
you will say so, before the cock crows. (For cocks crow in the morning
when it is light.)
Jesus talked sweetly to his disciples. He said, Do not be sorry because
I am going away. I shall go back to my Father, and I shall soon come
back to you. When I am in heaven, I shall get ready a place in heaven
for you. I command you to love one another, and I will send the Holy
Spirit to comfort you.
At last Jesus came to a garden. He had often been to that garden with
his disciples, and wicked Judas knew the place.
Where was Judas now?
He was with the wicked, proud men.
You will soon hear how he came to the garden, and how he brought the
_servants_ of the wicked men with him. For these wicked men meant to
send their servants to catch Jesus.
“This is my flesh,” the sorrowing Saviour said,
And, as he spoke, he gave the broken bread:
“This is my blood,” and then he bade all drink,
And of their dying Master ever think.
“This night I die: this night my body’s bruised;
This night by wicked men my name’s abused;
And even you, my dearest friends, shall fly,
And leave your Master all alone to die.”
His friends in sorrow heard; then promised
With him they fondly loved their blood to shed;
And Peter loudest said, “With thee I’ll die,”
And little thought he should his Lord deny.
CHILD.
Sometimes I think I never will offend,
By doing wrong, my best, my heav’nly Friend;
How soon my heart forgets! To God I’ll pray
For grace to keep me in his holy way.
[Illustration: CHRIST’S ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.]
LESSON XXXV.
THE GARDEN.
MATTHEW, xxvi. 30-57. JOHN, xviii. 1-12.
WHEN Jesus was come to the garden, he told all his disciples to stop in
one place till he came back, except three that he took with him.
Who were they?
Peter, James, and John. He took them further on in the garden, and then
said to them, I feel very sad indeed. I am going to pray. Do you stay
here. Do not go to sleep, but pray while I am praying.
Then Jesus went a little way off by himself, and fell upon the ground,
and began to pray to his Father to help him. He ended his prayer by
saying, O Father, do thou what thou wilt, not what I will.
He prayed very earnestly, and he felt so unhappy that the blood came
out of his skin, and fell on the ground. Then he got up and went back
to Peter, and James, and John, but he found them asleep. He waked them,
and told them to pray.
Then he went back and prayed again to his Father, to help him in his
great sorrow; then he came back to his disciples, but they had fallen
asleep again.
Then Jesus prayed again, and his Father sent an angel from heaven to
comfort him. I do not know what the angel said, but I know the angel
loved him, and could speak sweet words to him, and tell him how his
Father loved him. The angel did not stay long; he soon went back to God.
Then Jesus came again to his disciples, and found them still asleep.
But Jesus waked them and told them to get up; for Judas is near.
While Jesus was saying this, a great many people were seen walking in
the garden. These were the servants of the proud men in Jerusalem. They
had swords, and sticks, and lanterns in their hands. And Judas went
before them to show them where Jesus was. But Judas came up slily to
Jesus, and gave him a kiss, pretending to love him.
Jesus knew what Judas was doing, and he said, Friend, why do you come
here? and why do you kiss me?
Jesus did not run away, but he went up to the wicked men, and said,
Whom are you looking for?
They said, For Jesus.
He said, I am he.
When he said that, God made all the wicked people fall upon their backs
upon the ground. Then Jesus could have run away; but he chose to stay,
that he might die for sinners.
The wicked people soon got up; God let them get up; but Jesus said to
them, If you want to have me, you must let my disciples go away.
It was kind of Jesus to think of them, and they were frightened and
glad to get away; they did not wish to stay to die with Jesus.
But Peter took a sword and cut off one of the wicked men’s ears. Peter
wished to fight; but Jesus said, Put up your sword. If I were to pray
now to my Father, he would send thousands of angels to help me. Then
Jesus touched the man’s ear, and made it well.
Why did not Jesus pray to God to send the angels?
Because he chose to die to save us. Had the angels come, and taken
Jesus back to heaven, then we should all have gone to hell.
Peter and all the rest of the disciples ran away, and left Jesus quite
alone with the wicked men. They took ropes, and tied his hands and
feet, and they led him away into Jerusalem; and he went along meekly as
a lamb.
LESSON XXXVI.
PETER’S DENIAL.
MATTHEW, xxvi. 57 to end.
THE wicked proud men, who hated Jesus, had sat up all night. They had
sent their servants with some soldiers to fetch Jesus. They were in
a fine house seated on seats round the room, talking together, and
longing for Jesus to be brought.
They said one to another, We will have him killed when he comes—we will
take him to the judge.
At last Jesus came in with the wicked servants. The proud men were glad
to see him. They made him stand up in the midst of the large room. Then
they spoke roughly. Are you the Son of God? they said.
And Jesus said, Yes, I am; and one day you will see me coming in the
clouds with the angels.
Then the wicked men were angry.
Do you hear what he says? they cried out. He calls himself the Son of
God! He must be taken to the judge to be killed.
Jesus stood meekly all this while, and hardly spoke a word.
What was become of his disciples? They had run away.
Had Peter run away? Peter said he would die with Jesus. But he ran away
too.
At last Peter thought, I will go and look for Jesus; I should like to
see what the wicked men are doing to him.
So Peter came to Jerusalem, and into the fine house. He came into the
hall first: the wicked servants were sitting round a fire in the hall;
a door was open, and through the door Peter could see Jesus. There he
was, standing before the wicked men. Peter hoped that nobody would know
that he was one of Jesus’ disciples, lest he should be killed. But as
Peter was sitting by the fire, warming himself, a maid said to him, You
are one of the disciples of Jesus.
Then Peter was frightened, and said, No, I am not; I do not know the
man you speak of.
Then Peter got up, and went outside the door; but another maid said to
him, I am sure you are one of the disciples of Jesus.
Peter said, I am not. So Peter went back again to the fire, and began
talking with the servants.
But some of them remembered having seen Peter in the garden, and
they came to Peter and said, We are certain that you are one of the
disciples. I saw you in the garden, said one.
Then Peter began to swear, and to say that he was not.
While Peter was speaking so wickedly he heard a cock crow. Then Peter
remembered what Jesus had said, and he looked at Jesus, and Jesus
turned round his face and looked at Peter. It was such a look! Jesus
did not speak, but his look seemed to say, Is this Peter, my friend,
who said he would die with me? Is this his love for me? Does he say he
does not know me?
Peter felt very sorry; he felt as if his heart would break, and he went
out of the house, and began to cry very much indeed. For Peter did
really love Jesus; only Satan had tempted him to be so wicked as to say
he did not know him.
If Peter had prayed in the garden instead of going to sleep, he would
have behaved better. But Christ had often prayed for Peter, that Satan
might not get his soul at last.
When Peter sat within the hall,
To see what should his Lord befall,
He said he never knew the man,
And e’en to curse and swear began.
His sorrowing Master turn’d his head,
And by his look he sweetly said,
“Does Peter say he knows me not?
Has Peter then my love forgot?”