JESUS AT THE SEA-SHORE.
WHILE Je-sus was down by the sea, the crowd grew so great that he went
in-to a boat and sat down to teach them as they stood on the shore.
[Illustration: THE SOW-ER.]
He said, A man went out in the field to sow his seed. And as he threw
the seed from his hand, some of it fell on the hard path by the
road-side, and the birds flew down and ate it. Some fell on the rocks
and stones where there was not much earth, and it soon grew up on top of
the ground. But the sun's warm rays made it droop, and as it had no
root, in a few days it was all dried up.
Some of the seed fell where thorns and weeds were, and these took up all
the room, so that there was no space for the seed to grow. The air and
the sun could not get at it, and soon it was choked to death.
But some of the seed fell in good ground, that the plough had made soft.
The rain fell on it, the sun shone on it, and it sprang up and bore a
large crop of grain.
When the crowd had left Je-sus, the twelve came near to ask him what he
had meant to teach by this talk of seeds that were sown here and there.
Je-sus told them the seed was the good news that he came to preach.
Those who preach, or teach, sow good or bad seed, which takes root in
the mind or heart.
Some who heard his words would not care for them, but would go on in
their sins and feel no change of heart. New thoughts and fresh scenes
would come and eat up the seed-thoughts that Je-sus had sown, as quick
as the birds ate up the seed sown by the road-side.
Some who heard him thought of his words for a-while, and tried for a
short time to do right. But it did not last long. This was the seed that
fell in the midst of stones, and sprang up at first, but in a few days
was all dried up.
Some would hear Je-sus preach, and were glad of the words that he spoke;
but the cares of this world, their wealth, and the gay things of life,
were so much in their thoughts that they could not do the things he had
taught them.
This was the seed that fell in the midst of thorns, and the thorns grew
up and choked it.
But there were some who heard Je-sus preach, and who tried each day to
do as he taught them. This was the seed that fell in good ground, which
took root and grew and brought forth ten times as much as had been sown.
[Illustration: THE EN-E-MY SOW-ING TARES.]
One of the talks of Je-sus was of a man who sowed good seed in his
field. And while he slept a foe came and sowed tares, or weeds, in the
midst of the wheat, and then went on his way. And when it was time for
the wheat to grow up, the weeds grew up with it.
And when the work-men on the farm saw this, they went at once to the
man of the house, and said to him, Didst thou not sow good seed in thy
field? Where then have these tares come from?
He said to them, A foe has done this.
The work-men said, Shall we go out, then, and pull them up by the roots?
And he said, No, lest while you pull up the tares you pull up the wheat
with them. Let both grow till it is time to reap the grain; and then I
will say to the reap-ers, Pull up the tares first and bind them in
stacks to burn. But put the wheat in my barn.
Je-sus told the twelve what he meant by this talk of the tares of the
field.
The field is the world. He who owns the field and sows the seed, is
Je-sus him-self. The wheat that grows up means those who hear his words,
and do as he has taught them.
The tares are bad men, who have no love for Je-sus.
The foe that sows them is Sa-tan.
The time to reap the grain is on the last great day. The reap-ers are
the an-gels.
Je-sus will let the good and the bad live in the world till the last
great day. Then he will send his an-gels to take the good to their home
on high, but the bad will be cast out in-to the fire that is to burn up
the world.
Then Je-sus spoke of a man who went out to buy pearls. He went from
place to place, and those who had pearls to sell brought them out for
him to look at, but he was hard to suit, and bought but few. At last he
found one that was worth more than all the rest that he had seen. But
its price was so great that he could not buy it. What did he do? Why, he
went and sold all that he had, and came back and bought this pearl of
great price.
So will it be with those who wish to be rid of their sins, and to be as
pure as a pearl with-in. Je-sus in us is the pearl of great price. Gold
can-not buy it. But when we learn its cost we should make haste to get
rid of all that keeps Christ out of our hearts, and make room for this
one pearl, which is worth more than all else in the world.
[Illustration: SEEK-ING GREAT PEARLS.]
Then Je-sus spoke of those who took their net, and went out in a boat to
catch fish. They cast the net out of the boat and threw it in-to the
sea, and when it was full drew it back to shore. Then they sat down to
sort the fish; the good ones were put in their boats, and the bad ones
were thrown a-way.
So it would be at the last day. The an-gels would come forth and sort
the good from the bad. And the good would be borne to their home on
high, but the bad would be thrown in-to a fire that would make them cry
out with pain.
Je-sus said, Have I made these things plain to thee? And they said, Yes,
Lord.
[Illustration: PAR-A-BLE OF THE NETS.]
One of the Scribes came to Je-sus, and said, I will not leave thee; but
where thou dost go I will go. Je-sus said to him, The fox-es have holes,
and the birds of the air have nests, but I have not where to lay my
head. He meant by this that he was poor, and had no place where he
could go and lie down when he had need of rest.
Night drew near, and the crowd was so great that Je-sus and the twelve
went in a boat to cross the Sea of Gal-i-lee. And there came up a great
storm, and the winds blew fierce, and the waves rose high and came with
a great dash in-to the boat.
And Je-sus slept, for he was quite worn out. The twelve were full of
fear; and at last they woke Je-sus, and said, Lord, save us, or we shall
sink.
Then he rose and spoke to the winds and the waves, and said to them,
Peace, be still. And the wind ceased to blow, and soon all was still and
calm.
[Illustration: STILL-ING THE TEM-PEST.]
And Je-sus said to the twelve, Why are ye in such fear? How is it that
ye have no faith?
As Je-sus left the boat a mad-man came out of the tombs to meet him. He
was so fierce that no man could bind him, or tame him. He broke loose
from all the ropes and chains, and no house could hold him. So night and
day he would roam on the hills and in the caves or tombs, where graves
had been dug, and cry out and cut him-self with bits of stones.
And while Je-sus was still far off, the mad-man saw him and ran and fell
down at his feet. And he cried out, What have I to do with thee, Je-sus,
thou Son of God? Harm me not, I pray thee.
Now there was there, close by the hills, a great herd of swine. And the
fiends that were in the man begged Je-sus to send them in-to the swine.
And Je-sus said, Go. And when they came out of the man they went in the
swine, and the herd ran down a steep place and were drowned in the sea.
And they that fed the swine went and told what had been done, and great
crowds came to the place where Je-sus was.
And when they saw that the mad-man sat with his clothes on and in his
right mind, they were in great fear. And they prayed Je-sus to leave the
place at once.
When Je-sus was come in-to the boat, he that had been out of his mind
begged that he might go with him. But Je-sus would not let him, and said
to him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them what great things the Lord
hath done for thee.
And the man went and told how he had been made well, and those who heard
him felt that Je-sus must have been sent from God, for no mere man could
do such strange things.