LEGENDS AND TRADITIONS OF ST. JOHN
St. John and the Robber-Chief--St. John and the Partridge--"Little
Children, Love One Another"--Miraculous Preservation from Death--The
Empty Grave--The Heaving Grave 251
~LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS~
St. John _Domenichino._ _Frontispiece_
Map of the Land Where St. John Lived 19
Sea of Galilee _Old Engraving_ 20
Site of Bethsaida _From Photograph_ 22
Calm on Galilee _From Photograph_ 26
Virgin, Infant Jesus and St. John
(Madonna della Sedia) _Raphael_ 32
Christ and St. John _Winterstein_ 35
Simeon and Anna in the Temple _Old Engraving_ 39
The Boy John _Andrea del Sarto_ 41
Jerusalem _Old Engraving_ 43
Joshua's Host Crossing the Jordan _Old Engraving_ 45
The Prophet Isaiah _Sargent_ 55
The Boy Jesus in the Temple _H. Hofmann_ 58
A Street Scene in Nazareth _From Photograph_ 60
Visit of Mary to Elisabeth _Old Engraving_ 62
The Wilderness of Judea _From Photograph_ 64
Traditional Place of Christ's Baptism _From Photograph_ 67
The Baptism of Jesus _Old Engraving_ 68
The First Disciples _Ittenbach_ 83
The Marriage at Cana _Old Engraving_ 85
Belshazzar's Feast _Old Engraving_ 87
The Hill of Samaria _Old Engraving_ 90
Jacob's Well _From Photograph_ 92
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes _Old Engraving_ 94
Raising the Daughter of Jairus _H. Hofmann_ 99
The Transfiguration _Old Engraving_ 106
Moses on Mt. Pisgah _Artist Unknown_ 109
Bethany _Old Engraving_ 120
Resurrection of Lazarus _Old Engraving_ 126
Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. _Gustave Doré_ 133
Christ and St. John _Ary Scheffer_ 140
The Last Supper _Benjamin West_ 156
In Gethsemane _Gustave Doré_ 163
The Valley of Jehoshaphat _Old Engraving_ 165
Christ Before Caiaphas _Old Engraving_ 167
Christ Before Pilate (Ecce Homo) _H. Hofmann_ 170
Christ Bearing His Cross _H. Hofmann_ 185
The Virgin and St. John at the Cross _Old Engraving_ 192
The Descent from the Cross _Rubens_ 195
In the Sepulchre _H. Hofmann_ 199
Jesus Appearing to Mary Magdalene
(Easter Morning) _B. Plockhorst_ 202
The Descent of the Spirit _Old Engraving_ 206
St. Peter and St. John at the Beautiful Gate _Old Engraving_ 211
Ephesus _From Photograph_ 227
The Isle of Patmos _Old Engraving_ 231
Smyrna _Old Engraving_ 234
Pergamos and the Ruins of the
Church of St. John _Old Engraving_ 242
Ruins of Laodicea _Old Engraving_ 246
[Illustration: MAP OF THE LAND WHERE ST. JOHN LIVED]
A Life of St. John
_CHAPTER I_
_A Home in the Blest Land, by the Sacred Sea_
"Blest land of Judæa! Thrice hallowed in song,
Where the holiest of memories pilgrim like throng,
In the shade of thy palms, by the shores of thy sea,
On the hills of the beauty, my heart is with thee."
--_Whittier_.
A Galilean boy, a fisherman, a follower of Jesus, one of the twelve
Apostles, one of the favored three, the beloved one, the Apostle of
love, the Apostle of childhood, the one of all men who gave to mankind
the clearest view of Jesus Christ--such was St John.
For young people he is a fitting study. To aid such is the purpose of
this volume.
Let us first glance at the land where he lived, surrounded by influences
that directed his life, and moulded his character.
Palestine was called by God Himself "The Glory of All Lands." He made it
the home of His people the Jews, who long waited for the promised time
when it should have greater glory by becoming the home of the Messiah,
the Son of God. Before He was born the Jews were conquered by the
Romans, and governed by them instead of the Jewish judges and kings. The
country was divided into three parts. The southern was called Judæa; the
middle, Samaria; and the northern, Galilee, which was the most beautiful
part. It contained the hills of Galilee, and the plain and sea of
Gennesaret, hallowed by the presence of Jesus, and what He there did.
At the time of which we write, two thousand years ago, Galilee was not
inhabited wholly or chiefly by Jews. Other peoples, called Gentiles,
were mixed with the Jewish race which continued to cultivate the land,
and to tend the vineyards and olive-yards, and to dwell in the
fisherman's huts and moor their boats on the sandy beach. Some Jews were
artisans, working at their trades in the smaller towns. But there were
vast crowds of foreigners whose life was a great contrast to that of the
Jews. Their customs were those of the nations to which they belonged.
They spoke their own languages. They worshiped their own false gods.
Their amusements were such as they were accustomed to in their distant
homes. This was especially true of the Romans who had theatres, chariot
races, and gladiatorial combats, by the peaceful waters of Galilee.
[Illustration: SEA OF GALILEE _Old Engraving_ Page 21]
There were also Greeks who had sought new homes far from their native
land. Many Arabians came from the deserts on swift horses, in roving
bands in search of plunder. They wore brightly-colored dresses, and
flashing swords and lances, carrying terror wherever they went. Egyptian
travelers came with camels loaded with spices and balm. The bazaars were
crowded with merchandise from India, Persia and Arabia. Long caravans
from Damascus passed through Galilee, with goods for the markets of
Tiberius on Lake Gennesaret, and the more distant cities of Jerusalem,
Cæsarea and Alexandria.
The gem of Galilee and of Palestine itself, is the Lake of Gennesaret,
or the Sea of Tiberius. Its length is twelve and three-fourths miles;
its greatest width, seven and one-fourth; its greatest depth, one
hundred and sixty feet. On the west is the beautiful Plain of Galilee.
On the east are rounded hills; and rugged mountains which rise nine
hundred feet above the waters, with grassy slopes, and rocky cliffs
barren and desolate. Bowers of olive and oleander deck the base of the
hills whose sides yield abundant harvest. Around the lake is a level
white beach of smooth sand. Gennesaret has been fittingly compared to a
sapphire set in diamonds; and to a mirror set in a frame of richness and
beauty.
"He hath made everything beautiful," says Solomon concerning God. It is
a well-known saying of Jewish writers, "Of all the seven seas God
created, He made choice of none but the Lake of Gennesaret." It was
called the "beloved of God above all the waters of Canaan."
The writer of this volume gratefully recalls blessed memories of
Gennesaret, wishing his young friends could view with their own eyes
those scenes which he asks them to behold through his own. Then could
they join him in singing with the saintly McCheyne,
"How pleasant to me thy deep blue wave,
O Sea of Galilee!
For the glorious One who came to save,
Hath often stood by thee.
* * * * *
"O Saviour, gone to God's right hand,
Yet the same Saviour still,
Graved on Thy heart is this lovely strand,
And every fragrant hill."
At the period of which we speak the region was full of people. Nine
large towns, each containing fifteen thousand inhabitants, bordered on
the lake. Numerous populous villages lined the shores, or nestled in the
neighboring valleys, or were perched on the hilltops. Fishermen's
huts--which were mere stone sheds--fringed the lake. They stood in every
rift of rock, and on every knoll, with their little cornfields and
vine ledges extending to the sandy beach.
[Illustration: SITE OF BETHSAIDA _From Photograph_ Page 23]
On the seashore, among the chief buildings, were palaces for Roman
princes, and quarters for Roman soldiers. The waters were covered with
boats for pleasure, merchandise and fishing. Four thousand floated at
one time on the narrow lake. Vast quantities of fish were caught in the
waters, supplying not only the people of Galilee, but the populous city
of Jerusalem, especially when crowded with pilgrims; and were even sent
to distant ports of the Mediterranean. We shall see John's interest in
such labors.
On the north-western shore of Gennesaret is a beautiful bay sheltered by
hills and projecting cliffs. The sight is such as would be a fisherman's
delight--a little haven from storm, with a broad beach of sand on which
to moor his boats. There is no place like it in the region of Galilee.
Close to the water's edge, it is supposed, was the town of Bethsaida,
probably meaning House of Fish.
_CHAPTER II_
_Five Boys of Bethsaida--Rambles About Home_
"Walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon who is
called Peter, and Andrew his brother."--_Matt._ iv. 18.
"And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son
of Zebedee, and John his brother."--_v._ 21.
"Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and
Peter."--_John_ i. 44.
Bethsaida was honored as being the home of five of the Apostles of
Jesus. We know nothing definitely concerning them until their manhood.
We wish we knew of their childhood. It is only because of their relation
to Jesus that they have been remembered. Had it not been for this they
would, like many other boys of Galilee, have lived on the shores of
Gennesaret, fished in its waters, died, and been forgotten. These five
Bethsaidan boys were two pairs of brothers and a friend. The names of
one pair were Andrew and Peter. They were the sons of Jonas, a
fisherman. As they grew up they were engaged with him in casting the net
and gathering fish, by day or by night, and thus securing a livelihood
without thought of change of occupation. It was a Jewish custom for
boys to learn a trade or business, which was generally that of their
fathers.
The names of the other pair of brothers were James and John. Their
father was named Zebedee. He also was a fisherman having so much
prosperity in his business that he employed servants to help him.
Judging by what we know of the family they must have been highly
respected by the people among whom they lived.
We do not know the exact date of John's birth. He was probably younger
than James, and several years younger than Peter.
The mother of James and John was named Salome. We know more of her than
of her husband. She was a warm friend of Jesus, ministering to Him when
He was living, and was one of the few who cared for His dead body. Her
sons seemed to be greatly attached to her. All were of kindred spirit,
having like thoughts, feelings and plans.
James and John were brothers indeed, companions until the death of James
separated them. The feelings of boyhood must have been greatly
strengthened in later scenes, and by influences which we shall have
occasion to notice. As we know of them as daily companions in manhood,
we think of the intimacy and affection of boyhood. It will help us to
gain an idea of their companionship, and the influences of their
surroundings, if we notice some things with which they were familiar in
the region of their home.
Standing on one of the hills behind Bethsaida they beheld a magnificent
panorama. In the northeast Hermon rose like a mighty giant, called by
the people of the land the "Kingly Mountain." They knew it by the name
Moses had given it--"the goodly mountain." They were to know it by the
name which Peter would give in after years, "The Holy Mount," so called
for a blessed reason of which all of them were to learn. Down from its
snowy glittering sides a thousand streamlets blended in larger streams
combining in the Jordan, which flowed through marshes and Lake Merom
until it entered Gennesaret near their home. Eastward, across the lake,
the rugged cliffs of Gadara cut off their view. Perhaps at this very
hour the winds from Hermon rushed through the gorges, first ruffling the
placid waters of the lake, and then tossing them as if in rage. They
little thought of a coming time when they themselves would be tossed
upon them until they heard a voice saying, "Peace be still." And now
"The warring winds have died away,
The clouds, beneath the glancing ray,
Melt off, and leave the land and sea
Sleeping in bright tranquillity.
Below, the lake's still face
Sleeps sweetly in th' embrace
Of mountains terraced high with mossy stone."
[Illustration: CALM ON GALILEE _From Photograph_ Page 26]
In another hour they watch the more quiet movements of pleasure
boats,--gay barges and royal galleys--and trading vessels, and fishing
boats,--all crowding together seemingly covering the lake.
As it narrows in the southern distance, the Jordan commences the second
stage of its journey of one hundred and twenty miles through rugged
gorges. As it leaves the quiet lake, we can almost hear them saying to
it
"Like an arrow from the quiver,
To the sad and lone Dead Sea,
Thou art rushing, rapid river,
Swift, and strong, and silently,
Through the dark green foliage stealing,
Like a silver ray of light."
Descending from the hill we may follow James and John in their rambles
in the region near their home. On the northern extremity of the lake,
among the colossal reeds, and meadow grass and rushes, they watch the
little tortoises creeping among them; and the pelicans which make them
their chosen home; and the blue and white winged jays that have strayed
from the jungles through which the Jordan has pushed its way; and the
favorite turtle-doves; and the blue birds so light that one can rest on
a blade of grass without bending it; and the confiding larks and storks
which, not fleeing, seem to welcome the visitors to their haunts. Here
grow oleanders of such magnificence as is seen nowhere else in the
country, twenty feet high, sometimes in clumps a hundred feet in
circumference; and "masses of rosy red flowers, blushing pyramids of
exquisite loveliness."
Our ramblers follow the western shore to the shallow hot stream, where
boy-like,--or manlike as I did--they burn their hands in trying to
secure pebbles from its bottom. They rest under the shade of an olive or
a palm. They gather walnuts which are in great abundance; and grapes and
figs, which can be done ten months in the year; and oranges and almonds
and pomegranates.
They wander through meadows rich in foliage, and gay with the brightness
and richness of flowers which retain their bloom in Galilee when they
would droop in Judæa or Samaria.
We hear the poet Keble asking them,
"What went ye out to see
O'er the rude, sandy lea,
Where stately Jordan flows by many a palm,
Or where Gennesaret's wave
Delights the flowers to lave,
That o'er her western slope breathe airs of balm?
"All through the summer night,
These blossoms red and white
Spread their soft breasts unheeding to the breeze,
Like hermits watching still,
Around the sacred hill,
Where erst our Saviour watched upon His knees."
To the poet's question James and John would answer that they "went out
to see the blue lupin and salvia, the purple hyacinth, the yellow and
white crocus, the scarlet poppy, and gladiolus, the flowering almond,
the crimson and pink anemone."
They also saw the cultivated fields, and the sower casting his seed
which fell on the hardened pathway, or barren rocks, or bounteous soil.
They watched the birds from mountain and lake gather the scattered
grain. They thought not of the parable into which all these would be
weaved; nor of Him who would utter it in their hearing near where they
then stood. They saw the shepherds and their flocks, the sparrows and
the lilies, that became object lessons of the Great Teacher yet unknown
to them. In their rambles they may have climbed the hill, only seven
miles from their home, not thinking of the time when they would climb it
again; after which it would be forever known as the Mount of Beatitudes.
Such were some of the charming and exciting scenes with which John was
familiar in his early life, and which would interest his refined and
observing nature, of which we know in his manhood. They must have had
an important influence in the formation of his character.
We have spoken of five Bethsaidan boys--Andrew and Peter, James and
John--and a friend. His name was Philip. We know but little of him. What
we do know is from John. He tells us that "Philip was of Bethsaida, the
city of Andrew and Peter." Perhaps he was their special friend, and so
became one of the company of five, as he afterward became one of the
more glorious company of twelve. We shall find three of these five in a
still closer companionship. They are Peter, James and John. One of these
shall have the most glorious honor of all. It is John.
_CHAPTER III_
_John's Royal Kindred_
It seems almost certain that Salome and Mary the mother of Jesus, were
sisters. Royal blood was in their veins. They were descendants of David.
The record of their ancestry had been carefully preserved for God's own
plans, especially concerning Mary, of which plans neither of the sisters
knew until revealed to her by an angel from God. We think of them as
faithful to Him, and ready for any service to which He might call them,
in the fisherman's home of Salome, or the carpenter's home of Mary.
Mary's character has been summed up in the words, "pure, gentle and
gracious." Salome must have had something of the same nature, which we
find again in her sons.
If Salome and Mary were sisters, our interest in James and John deepens,
as we think of them as cousins of Jesus. This family connection may have
had something to do with their years of close intimacy; but we shall
find better reason for it than in this kinship. There was another
relation closer and holier.
We wonder whether Jesus ever visited Bethsaida, and played with His
cousins on the seashore, and gathered shells, and dug in the sand, and
sailed on Gennesaret, and helped with His little hands to drag the net,
and was disappointed because there were no fish, or bounded with glee
because of the multitude of them.
We wonder whether James and John visited Jesus in Nazareth, nestled
among the hills of Galilee. Did they go to the village well, the same
where children go to-day to draw water? Did James and John see how Jesus
treated His little mates, and how they treated Him--the best boy in
Nazareth? Did the cousins talk together of what their mothers had taught
them from the Scriptures, especially of The Great One whom those mothers
were expecting to appear as the Messiah? Did they go together to the
synagogue, and hear the Rabbi read the prophecies which some day Jesus,
in the same synagogue, would say were about Himself?
Jesus was the flower of Mary's family, the flower of Nazareth, of
Galilee, of the whole land, and the whole world. Nazareth means
flowery--a fitting name for the home of Jesus. It was rightly named. So
must James and John have thought if their young cousin went with them to
gather daisies, crocuses, poppies, tulips, marigolds, mignonette and
lilies, which grow so profusely around the village. Did they ramble
among the scarlet pomegranates, the green oaks, the dark green palms,
the cypresses and olives that grew in the vale of Nazareth, and made
beautiful the hills that encircled it? Did they climb one of them, and
gain a view of the Mediterranean, and look toward the region where John
would live when his boyhood was long past, in the service of his cousin
at his side?
[Illustration: VIRGIN, INFANT JESUS, AND ST JOHN (Madonna della Sedia)
_Raphael_ Page 31]
A great artist, Millais, painted a picture of the boy Jesus,
representing Him as cutting His finger with a carpenter's tool, and
running to His mother to have it bound up. Did John witness any such
incident? How little did he think of a deeper wound he was yet to behold
in that same hand.
We cannot answer such questions. These things were possible. They help
us to think of Jesus as a boy, like other boys. James and John thought
of Him as such only until long after the days of which we are speaking.
While thinking of John and Jesus as cousins, we may also think of a
kinsman of theirs, a second cousin of whom we shall know more. John was
to have a deep interest in both of the others, and they were to have
more influence on him than all other men in the world.
There were some things common to them all. They were Jews. According to
Jewish customs they were trained until six years of age in their own
homes. Their library was the books of the Old Testament. They learned
much of its teachings. They read the stories of Joseph, Samuel and
David. At six they went to the village school, taught by a Rabbi. Some
attention was paid to arithmetic, the history of their nation, and
natural history. But, as at their homes, the chief study was the
Scriptures. They were taught especially about One--"Of whom Moses in the
law and the prophets did write." Let us remember those words for we
shall hear them again. That One was called the Messiah--He whom we call
Jesus, the Christ, the Saviour of the world. He had not then come. _We_
look back to the time when He did come: those boys looked forward to the
time when He _would_ come. The Messiah was the great subject in the
homes of the pious Jews, and in the synagogues where old and young
worshiped on the Sabbath.
[Illustration: CHRIST AND ST. JOHN _Winterstein_ Page 34]
_CHAPTER IV_
_The Great Expectation in John's Day_
Moses wrote of a promise, made centuries before the days of John, to
Abraham--that in the Messiah all the nations of the earth,--not the Jews
only--should be made happy with special blessings. Isaiah and other
prophets wrote of the time and place and circumstances of His coming,
and of the wonders He would perform.
The Jews understood that the Messiah would descend from David. They
believed that He would sit "upon the throne of David," ruling first over
the Jews, an earthly ruler such as David had been, and then conquering
their enemies; thus being a great warrior and the king of the world.
But they were sadly mistaken in many of their ideas of the Messiah. They
had misread many of the writings of the prophets. They had given wrong
meanings to right words. They made real what was not so intended. They
overlooked prophecies about the Messiah-King being despised, rejected
and slain, though God had commanded lambs to be slain through all those
centuries to remind them of the coming Messiah's cruel death. Each of
those lambs was a "Lamb of God." Remember that phrase; we shall meet it
again. They looked for wonders of kinds of which neither Moses nor the
prophets had written. Many did not understand what was meant by the
kingdom of God in the hearts of men, as differing from the earthly
kingdom of David. They did not understand that Messiah's kingdom would
be in the hearts of all people.
With such mistaken views of the Messiah at the time of which we are
writing, the Jews had not only the great expectation of the centuries,
but the strong belief that Messiah was about to appear.
A great event had happened which made them especially anxious for His
immediate coming. The Jewish nation had been conquered by the Romans.
The "Glory of All Lands" was glorious only for what it had been. Galilee
was a Roman province which, like those of Judæa and Samaria, longed for
the expected One to free them from the Roman yoke, and show Himself to
be the great Messiah-Deliverer of the Jews. They were prepared to
welcome almost any one who claimed to be He. Such an one was at hand.
In those days appeared a man who has been known as Judas of Galilee. He
had more zeal than wisdom. In his anger and madness at the Romans he was
almost insane. He was an eloquent man. He roused the whole Jewish
nation. Multitudes welcomed him as the promised Messiah. Thousands
gathered around him; many of them fishermen, shepherds, vine-dressers
and craftsmen of Galilee. They followed him throughout the entire land
with fire and sword, laying waste cities and homesteads, vineyards and
cornfields. Their watchword was, "We have no Lord or master, but God."
But this rebellion against the Roman government failed. Judas himself
was slain. Villages in Galilee--Bethsaida probably one of them--became
hospitals for the wounded in battle. The whole region was one of
mourning for the dead. There was terrible disappointment concerning
Judas of Galilee. None could say of him, "We have found the Messiah."
"We have found Him, of whom Moses in the Law, and the prophets, did
write." Again think of these words; they are yet to be spoken concerning
another.
What the five young Galileans of Bethsaida saw and heard of these events
must have made a deep impression on them. They were old enough to be
young patriots interested in their nation. Their sympathies would be
with those trying to free their people from Roman power. Perhaps their
thoughts concerning Messiah became confused by the false claims of
Judas, the pretender, and his deluded followers.
But this did not destroy their confidence in the Scriptures. They
believed the prophecy it contained would yet be fulfilled. At this time
John is supposed to have been about twelve years of age. Had he been
older, the temperament which he afterward showed, and which sometimes
misled him, allows us to think that he might have been drawn into the
rebellion. Peter also in his fiery zeal might have drawn his mistaken
sword. They might have become comrades in war, as they did become in
peace. For many years they continued their Scripture studies, without
however gaining the full knowledge of the Messiah and His kingdom, to
which at last they attained.
[Illustration: SIMEON AND ANNA IN THE TEMPLE _Old Engraving_ Page 39]
_CHAPTER V_
_Early Influences on Character_
As we trace the history of the five youthful Bethsaidans, it seems
almost certain that some special influence or influences helped to shape
their characters, and to unite them in thought, purpose and effort; and
so secure marked and grand results. This union was not a mere
coincidence. Nor can it be accounted for by their being of the same
nation or town, and having the same education common to Jewish boys.
There was something which survived the mere associations of boyhood, and
continued to, or was revived in, manhood. The influence whatever it was
must have been special and powerful. What was it? In that little village
were their faithful souls praying more earnestly than others, and
searching the Scriptures more diligently, finding spiritual meanings
hidden from the common readers, and so understanding more correctly,
even though not perfectly, who was the true Messiah, and what He would
do when He came? Or, was there some rabbi in Bethsaida like Simeon in
Jerusalem, of whom it could be said, "the Holy Ghost was upon him," and
"he was waiting for the consolation of Israel"--the coming of the
Messiah? Or, was there a teacher of the synagogue school in Bethsaida,
instructing his pupils as no other teacher did? Or, was there some aged
Anna, like the prophetess in the Temple, who "served God with fastings
and prayer," who going about the village full of thoughts concerning the
Messiah, "spake of Him to all them that looked for His coming"? Or, was
it in the homes of the five that we find that special influence? Did
Jonas talk with his sons as few other fathers did, while Andrew and
Peter listened most attentively to his words? Did Zebedee and Salome, as
Jonas, prepare by teaching their sons for the coming time when the two
pairs of brothers should be in closer companionship than the family
friendship of these Galilean fishermen and business partnership could
secure? Was Peter, full of boyish enthusiasm, a leader of the little
company; or did John in quiet loveliness draw the others after himself?
Did Philip have such family training as had the other four, or was he
guided by the lights that came from their homes?
And now in thought we disband the little circle of five, to be reunited
elsewhere after many years. We glance into the home of James and John.
We have already spoken of Salome's royal descent, and of the sympathy
between her and her sons. With what deep interest we would listen to her
teachings and watch the influence on them as they talked together of
David their ancestor, and of how they were of the same tribe and family
to which the Messiah would belong. Salome understood much about Him,
more probably than most mothers: but she was much mistaken about what
was meant by His Kingdom. She thought He would rule like David on an
earthly throne. Her sons believed as she did, and so were as sadly
mistaken. It was long before they discovered their mistake. That was in
circumstances very different from what were now in their minds.
[Illustration: THE BOY JOHN _Andrea del Sarto_ Page 41]
Thus far we have attempted to restore the surroundings of John in his
early days, which did much in shaping his early life, and fitting him
for the great work he was to perform. We have glanced at the country and
town in which he lived. As we see them through his eyes, he appears the
more real to us. We have watched the little circle of his intimate
friends, on whom he must have had an influence, and who influenced him.
We have glanced at his home with his parents and brothers. We have tried
to gain some idea of what and how much he had learned, especially
concerning the Messiah. We are now prepared to look at him alone, and
try to get a more distinct view of his character.
We are not told what kind of a boy John was. We are told of many things
he said and did when he was a man. These help us to understand what he
must have been when young. Though there be great changes in us as we
grow older, some things remain the same in kind if not in degree.
Judging by certain things in John's manhood, we form an idea of his
childhood. We may think of him as a lovable boy. His feelings were
tender. He was greatly interested in events which pleased him. He was
quick and active. He was modest and generally shy, yet bold when
determined to do anything. He was not ready to tell all he felt or knew.
He was helpful in his father's business. He thought and felt and planned
much as his mother did. He was thoughtful and quick to understand, and
sought explanation of what was not easily understood. He was frank in
all he said, and abhorred dishonesty, especially in one who professed to
be good. Above all he was of a loving disposition, and this made others
love him. He was beloved because he loved.
[Illustration: JERUSALEM _Old Engraving_ Page 44]
Yet John was not perfect, as we shall see in another chapter. We know of
some things he said and did when a man, which help us to understand the
kinds of temptations he had in his younger days. They were such as
these; contempt for others who did not think and do as he did, judging
them unjustly and unkindly, and showing an unkind feeling toward them; a
revengeful spirit, ready to do harm for supposed injury; selfishness;
ambition--wanting to be in honor above others. His greatest temptation
was to pride. But at last he overcame such temptations. What was lovable
in childhood became more beautiful in manhood. He more nearly reached
perfection than any other of whom we know--by what influence, we shall
see.
_CHAPTER VI_
_First Visit to Jerusalem_
At twelve years of age a Jewish boy was no longer thought of as a child,
but a youth. Before he reached that age he looked forward to an event
which seemed to him very great. It was his first visit to Jerusalem.
Peter was probably older than James or John. With boyish interest they
listened to the report of his first pilgrimage to the Holy City. When
the time came for James to accompany him, John's interest would increase
as he heard his brother's story; and much more when he could say, "Next
year I too shall see it all." And when at last he, probably the youngest
of the five Bethsaidan boys, could be one of the company, a day of
gladness indeed had come. With his father, and perhaps his mother, he
joined the caravan of pilgrims, composed chiefly of men and boys. Their
probable route was across the Jordan, then southward, through valleys
and gorges, and along mountain-sides which echoed with the Psalms which
were sung on these pilgrimages, called "Songs of Degrees."
At Bethabara, nearly opposite Jericho, the travelers recrossed the
Jordan. There John might think of that other crossing many years
before when Joshua led the hosts of Israel between the divided waters;
and when Elijah smote them with his mantle, and there was a pathway for
him and Elisha. John was to add to his memories of the spot. At a later
day he would there witness a more glorious scene.
[Illustration: JOSHUA'S HOST CROSSING THE JORDAN _Old Engraving_ Page 45]
At last from the Mount of Olives, at a turn in the road, he had his
first view of the Holy City; its walls and seventy towers of great
height, and the Holy House--the Temple of God, with which in after years
he was to become familiar. There he saw for himself of what he had often
heard;--the Holy Altar and lamb of sacrifice--reminders of the coming
Messiah; the offering of incense; and the many and varied forms of
stately worship.
At the time that John made this visit to Jerusalem, there was a
celebrated school known as that of Gamaliel, who was the most noted of
the Jewish Rabbis, or teachers. Boys were sent to him from all parts of
Palestine, and even from distant countries in which Jews lived. There
was one such boy from the town of Tarsus, in the Roman province of
Cilicia in Asia Minor. Though living in a heathen city, surrounded by
idolatry, he had received a Jewish training in his home and in the
synagogue school, until he was old enough to go to Jerusalem to be
trained to become a Rabbi. Like John he had learned much of the Old
Testament Scriptures, but it does not appear that he had the special
influences which we have imagined gave direction to the thoughts and
plans of the five boys of Galilee. In his boyhood he was known as Saul;
afterward as Paul. He and John in their early days differed in many
things; in the later days they became alike in the most important
thoughts, feelings, purposes and labors of their lives. And because of
this they became associated with each other, and are remembered together
as among the best and greatest of mankind.
It is possible that John visited the school of Gamaliel, and that the
boy from Bethsaida and the one from Tarsus met as strangers, who would
some day meet as friends indeed. It is more probable that they worshiped
together in the temple at the feast, receiving the same impressions
which lasted and deepened through many years, and which we to-day have
in what they wrote for the good of their fellow-men.
When John returns from Jerusalem to his home we lose even the dim sight
of him which our imagination has supplied. During the silent years that
follow we have two thoughts of him,--as a fisherman of Galilee, and as
one waiting for the coming of the Messiah. His parents' only thought of
him is a life of honest toil, a comfort in their old age, a sharer in
their prosperity, and an heir to their home and what they would leave
behind. They little think that he will be remembered when kings of their
day are forgotten; that two thousand years after, lives of him will be
written because of a higher relationship than that of mere cousinship to
Jesus; and that their own names will be remembered only because John was
their son. Only God sees in the boy playing on the seashore, and in the
fisherman of Gennesaret, the true greatness and honor into which He will
guide him.
_CHAPTER VII_
_John's View of the Coming Messiah_
In our thoughts of Jesus we have chiefly in mind the things that
happened at the time of His birth and afterward. We read of them in the
Gospels. John had the Old Testament only, containing promises of what
was yet to happen. We have the New Testament telling of their
fulfilment.
Thus far we have spoken of Jesus as John knew Him--as a boy in Nazareth,
the son of Mary, and his own cousin. We have also spoken of John's ideas
of the Messiah. As yet he has not thought as we do of Jesus and the
Messiah being the same person. It is not easy for us to put ourselves in
his place, and leave out of our thoughts all the Gospels tell us. But we
must do this to understand what he understood during his youth and early
manhood, respecting the Messiah _yet to come_.
Let us imagine him looking through the Old Testament, especially the
books of Moses and the prophets, and finding what is said of Him; and
see if we can what impressions are made on this young Bible student of
prophecy. His search goes back many years. He finds the first Gospel
promise. It was made while Adam and Eve, having sinned, were yet in the
Garden of Eden. It was the promise of a Saviour to come from heaven to
earth, through whom they and their descendants could be saved from the
power of Satan and the consequences of sin. We do not know how much our
first parents understood of this coming One: but we feel assured that
they believed this promise, and through repentance and faith in this
Saviour, they at last entered a more glorious paradise than the one they
lost. That promise faded from the minds of many of their descendants and
wickedness increased. But God had not forgotten it. John could find it
renewed by him to Abraham, in the words, "In thee shall all the families
of the earth be blessed,"--meaning that the Messiah should be the
Saviour of all nations, Gentiles as well as Jews. The promise was
renewed to Isaac, the son of Abraham; and then repeated to his son
Jacob, in the same words spoken to his grandfather. Jacob on his dying
bed told Judah what God had revealed to him, that the Messiah should be
of the tribe of which Judah was the head.
Many years later God made it known to David that the Messiah should be
one of his descendants. This was a wonder and delight to him as he
exclaimed, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house! for Thou hast
spoken of Thy servant's house for a great while to come." John must
have been taught by his mother that they were of the honored house of
David. They, in common with other Jews, believed that the "great while
to come" was near at hand.
John read in Isaiah of her who would be the mother of the Messiah,
without thought that she was his aunt Mary. He read that she should call
her son Immanuel, meaning "God with us," without thinking this was
another name for his cousin Jesus. John would find other names
describing His character. His eye would rest on such words and phrases
as these--"Holy One;" "Most Holy;" "Most Mighty;" "Mighty to Save;"
"Mighty One of Israel;" "Redeemer;" "Your Redeemer;" "Messiah the
Prince;" "Leader;" "Lord Strong and Mighty;" "King of Glory;" "King over
all the earth."
Most of all John would think again and again of a wonderful declaration
of Isaiah, writing as if he lived in John's day, saying, "Unto us a
child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon
His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The
Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the exercise
of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David."
Had John known that these words of Isaiah referred to Jesus, he might
have repeated them, not as a prophecy, but with a present meaning,
saying, "The Child _is_ born!" As he read the prophecy of Haggai,
uttered more than five hundred years before--"The desire of all nations
shall come"--he might have exclaimed, "He _has_ come!"
In John's reading in the Old Testament it seems strange to us that some
things made a deeper impression on him than did others, and that he
understood some things so differently from what we do, especially about
the Messiah's kingdom. He noticed the things about His power and glory,
but seems to have misread or overlooked those about the dishonor, and
suffering and death that would come upon Him. We read in the fifty-third
chapter of Isaiah, how He was to be "despised and rejected of men, a man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief, ... wounded for our transgressions
and bruised for our iniquities, ... brought as a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before his shearers, ... and make His grave with the
wicked." We know that all this happened. We think of a suffering
Saviour. We wonder that John did not have such things in his mind. But
in this he was much like his teachers, and most of the Jews. Though, as
we have imagined, his family and some others were more nearly right than
most people, even they did not have a full knowledge or correct
understanding of all that the Old Testament Scriptures taught,
concerning these things.
But at last John learned more concerning Christ than any of them. We are
yet to see how this came to pass. For the present we leave him in
Bethsaida, increasing in wisdom and stature. So is also his cousin in
Nazareth, of whom let us gain a more distinct view before He is revealed
to John as the Messiah.
_CHAPTER VIII_
_Jesus the Hidden Messiah_
"There has been in this world one rare flower of Paradise--a holy
childhood growing up gradually into a holy manhood, and always
retaining in mature life the precious, unstained memories of
perfect innocence."--_H.B. Stowe_.
The aged Simeon in the Temple, with the infant Jesus in his arms, said,
"Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart, O Lord, ... in peace; for mine
eyes have seen Thy salvation"--the expected Messiah. But it was not for
Him to proclaim His having come. The aged Anna could not long speak "of
Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem," or anywhere
else. For awhile the shepherds told their wonderful story, and then
died. The angels did not continue to sing their hymn of the Nativity
over the plains of Bethlehem. The Wise Men returned to their own
country. Herod died, and none thought of the young child he sought to
kill. The hiding in Egypt was followed by a longer hiding of another
kind in Nazareth. The stories of those who gathered about the infant
cradle were soon forgotten, or repeated only to be disbelieved. Mary,
and her husband Joseph--who acted the part of an earthly father to the
heaven-born child--carried through the years the sacred secret of who
and what Jesus was.
We long to know something of the holy childhood. We have allowed our
imagination to have a little play, but this does not satisfy our
curiosity, nor that desire which we have concerning all great men, to
know of their boyhood. What did He do? Where did He go? What was His
life at home, and in the village school? Who were His mates? How did He
appear among His brothers and sisters? So strong is a desire to know of
such things that stories have been invented to supply the place of
positive knowledge; but most of them are unsatisfactory, and unlike our
thoughts of Him. Thus much we do know, that, "He grew in wisdom and
stature" not only, but also "in favor with God and man."
It has been finally said; "Only one flower of anecdote has been thrown
over the wall of the hidden garden, and it is so suggestive as to fill
us with intense longing to see the garden itself. But it has pleased
God, whose silence is no less wonderful than His words, to keep it
shut." That "one flower" refers to Jesus' visit to Jerusalem just as He
was passing from childhood to youth, when He tarried in the Temple with
the learned Rabbis, asking them questions with which His mind was
full, and making answers which astonished them.
[Illustration: THE PROPHET ISAIAH _Sargent_ Page 50]
A most interesting question arises in connection with that visit; Did
Jesus then and there learn that He was the Messiah? When He asked His
mother, "Wist ye not that I must be in My Father's house," or, "about My
Father's business?" did He have a new idea of God as His Father Who had
sent Him into the world to do the great work which the Messiah was to
perform?
There were eighteen silent years between His first visit to Jerusalem,
and the time when, at thirty years of age, he made Himself known as the
Messiah. They were spent as a village carpenter. He was known as such.
No one suspected Him to be anything more. In His work He must have been
a model of honesty and faithfulness. We can believe that "all His works
were perfect, that never was a nail driven or a line laid carelessly,
and that the toil of that carpenter's bench was as sacred to Him as His
teachings in the Temple, because it was duty."
In His home He was the devoted eldest son. It was of that time that the
poet sings to Mary;--
"O, highly favored thou, in many an hour
Spent in lone musings with thy wondrous Son,
When thou didst gaze into that glorious eye,
And hold that mighty hand within thine own.
"Blest through those thirty years when in thy dwelling
He lived as God disguised with unknown power,
And thou His sole adorer, His best love,
Trusted, revering, waited for His hour."
--_H.B. Stowe_.
Joseph had probably died, and the care of Mary fell especially on Jesus.
But in the carpenter's shop, in the home, and wherever He was, He had
thoughts and feelings and purposes hidden from all others. They were
such as no mere human being could have. He was alone in the world. In
silence and solitude His communions were with His Father in heaven.
Calmness and peace filled His soul. His great work was before Him, ever
present to His thought. So was His cross, and the glory which should
come to God, and the blessedness to man, when His work on earth was
done. As John long after declared, "He was in the world and the world
knew Him not." As a great King He had come from heaven, and was waiting
for a certain one to proclaim His coming. Toward that herald let us turn
and with John listen to his voice.
_CHAPTER IX_
_"The Prophet of the Most High"_
"Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
... "Yea, and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most
High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready
His ways."--_Luke_ i. 67, 76.
"There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same
came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all
men might believe through him."--_John_ i. 6, 7.
"He was the lamp that burneth and shineth."--_John_ v. 35.
"In devotional pictures we see St. John the Evangelist and St. John
the Baptist standing together, one on each side of Christ."--_Mrs.
Jameson_.
Salome and Mary had a cousin named Elizabeth. Her home was not in
Galilee, but in Judæa--the southern part of the Holy Land--probably near
Hebron, possibly near Jerusalem. She had a son also named John. He was
so called because the angel Gabriel, who had told Mary to call her son
Jesus, had said to Zacharias, an aged high priest, the husband of
Elizabeth, concerning their son, "Thou shalt call his name John." This
name means "The Gift of God." Born in their old age he seemed especially
such to them. He was a gift not only to his parents, but to his country
and mankind. While Zebedee and Salome had not been told what their John
should become, Zacharias and Elizabeth had been told the future of their
John. The angel declared, "He shall be great." Had he said only this, we
might think he meant great in power, or learning, or in other things
which men call great, but which the Lord does not. Gabriel said, "He
shall be great in the sight of the Lord."
Mary visited the home of Elizabeth and the happy cousins praised God for
what He had revealed to them concerning their sons.
The greatness to which Elizabeth's son was to attain was that of a
prophet--greater than Elijah, or Isaiah, or any other who had lived
before him. With exultation Zacharias said to him, "Thou, child, shalt
be called the prophet of the Most High."
God had arranged that he should be ready to proclaim the coming One just
before the Messiah should appear among men. For this reason he was
called the Fore-runner of the Messiah. But though Jesus was in the
world, the time for His appearance as the Messiah had not yet come.
John was greatly saddened by what he saw of the wickedness of men, even
those who professed to be the people of God, and their unfitness to
receive Him for whom they were looking. Led by the Spirit of God, John
retired to the wilderness of Judæa, in the region of the Dead Sea and
the Jordan, for meditation and communion with God. But he was not
entirely concealed. There were a few who heard of his sanctity and
wisdom, sought instruction from him, and abode with him, becoming his
disciples. He seems to have had special influence over young men. Our
Bethsaidan boys have now grown to be such since we saw them in their
early home, and as school and fisher boys. They were now toiling at
their nets with their fathers, closer than ever in their friendship for
each other, still waiting and watching for Him whom they had been taught
from their earliest days to expect. We think of their interest in the
rumors concerning the prophet of Judæa.
[Illustration: THE BOY JESUS IN THE TEMPLE _H. Hofmann_ Page 54]
As the two pair of brothers talk together, we can hear one of them
saying, "I must see and hear and know for myself. I will lay aside my
fishing, and go to the wilderness of Judæa." To this the others reply,
as on another occasion to Peter, "We also come with thee." Leaving the
quiet shores of Gennesaret, they follow the road each has traveled
annually since twelve years of age on his way to the feast in Jerusalem.
They met the hermit in the wilderness. His appearance was strange
indeed. His hair was long and unkempt; his face tanned with the sun and
the desert air; his body unnourished by the simple food of locusts and
wild honey. His raiment was of the coarsest and cheapest cloth of
camel's hair. His girdle was a rough band of leather, such as was worn
by the poor,--most unlike those made of fine material, and ornamented
with needlework. His whole appearance must have been a great contrast to
his gentle and refined namesake from Galilee.
The solemn earnestness of the prophet, and the greatness of the truths
he taught, were well calculated to excite the greatest interest of the
young Galileans. They looked upon him with increasing conviction that he
was "a prophet of God." Instead of returning to their homes, they
remained in Judæa and attached themselves to him, and became known as
his disciples. In their new service there was a new bond of union for
themselves, which--though they then knew it not--would lead to another
yet stronger.
At last "the word of the Lord came unto" John, when he was about thirty
years old, calling him to a more public ministry. So "He came into all
the country about Jordan." Beginning in the south he moved northward
from place to place.
Rumors concerning the new strange prophet spread rapidly. "There went
out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about
Jordan." Shepherds left their flocks and flocked around him. Herdsmen
left their fields, and vine-dressers their vineyards, and Roman soldiers
their garrisons, for the wilderness. Rabbis left their parchments in
the synagogue, the schoolroom and the home, to hear the living voice of
a teacher greater than any one of them. Self-righteous Pharisees and
common people followed them. Some sought the preacher only from
curiosity; some to hear the truth. John's preaching was summed up in two
phrases,--"Repent ye," and "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."
[Illustration: STREET SCENE IN NAZARETH _From Photograph_ Page 55]
His preaching was bold, clear, earnest, and forcible. Many yielded to
the power of his preaching. They were baptized by him; for this reason
he was known as St. John the Baptist, or the Baptizer.
John of Galilee was one of those who obeyed the injunction "Repent ye."
With all his lovable qualities which we have imagined in his
childhood--his refinement, his faithfulness in his home and synagogue,
and his honest toil--he saw that within himself which was not right in
the sight of God. He repented of his sins and sought forgiveness. A
lovely character became more lovely still, to be known as the loving and
beloved one. He was ready to welcome the Messiah of whom the Baptist
told. He had no fears that another Judas of Galilee had arisen. He
believed that the promises concerning the coming One were being
fulfilled. He was a faithful disciple of the prophet and forerunner, to
whom he must have been a great joy, but who was ready to have him,
whenever the time should come, transfer his following to the Lord of
them both. For how long a period the two Johns continued together, we do
not know, but it was drawing to its close.
[Illustration: VISIT OF MARY TO ELISABETH _Old Engraving_ Page 58]
_CHAPTER X_
_The Messiah Found_
"They found Him not, those youths of noble soul;
Long seeking, wandering, watching on life's shore,
Reasoning, aspiring, yearning for the light.
* * * * *
"But years passed on; and lo! the Charmer came,
Pure, simple, sweet, as comes the silver dew,
And the world knew Him not,--He walked alone,
Encircled only by His trusting few."
--_H.B. Stowe_.
"We"--Andrew and John--"have found the Messiah."--_Andrew to
Peter_.
"We"--Andrew and Peter, James and John, and Philip--"have found
Him, of Whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of
Nazareth."--_Philip to Nathanael_.
"The fulness of the time was come," not only when "God sent forth His
Son," but "when the Son should reveal Himself to the world." So Jesus
came forth from His retirement in Nazareth to enter on His public
ministry.
"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, unto John to be baptized of
him." What a meeting! Probably the first in their lives. It is no marvel
that John said, "I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to
me?" But he obeyed Jesus' bidding, "Suffer it to be so now." "So He was
baptized of John in Jordan." Then followed the prayer of the Son of God;
and then "the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon
Him"; and then the voice of the Father, saying, "Thou art my beloved
Son: in Thee I am well pleased." Let us remember that voice: we shall
hear it again.
And then for forty days and forty nights Jesus was hidden completely
from the face of man, alone on the Mount of Temptation, with wild
beasts, until ministering angels come to Him from heaven.
He returned to the region where the Baptist was preaching. "John seeth
Jesus coming to him." His eye is turned away from the multitude
thronging about him, and is fastened upon Jesus only. His thought is of
Him of whom Isaiah wrote long before--"He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter." Pointing to Jesus he exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world!"
The Galilean disciples were doubtless present, and were deeply moved by
their Master's exclamation. Because of their previous training in their
homes, and in the wilderness with the prophet, it must have kindled in
them deeper emotion than it did in any others of that astonished throng.
But it was to become deeper still. This was especially true of two of
them.
[Illustration: THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA _From Photograph_ Page 59]
The next day, probably a Sabbath, was to become a memorable day in the
history of the two and of their master. It was a morning hour. We think
of the three as alone, before the multitudes had gathered, or the day's
ministry of preaching and baptizing had begun. They walked along the
bank of the river communing together of Him whom they had seen the day
before. In the distance John saw the Figure again. In awe and reverence,
and with a fixed gaze, "John was standing, and two of his disciples; and
he looked upon Jesus as He walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God!"
The exclamation was in part that which they had heard in the presence of
the multitude; but that was not enough. It was as if John had said,
"Behold the Messiah for whom our nation has waited so long; Him of whom
our Scriptures have told us; Who has been the theme in our homes from
childhood; of whom I have been the prophet and herald. He it is of whom
I have taught you, my disciples, as you have followed me in the
wilderness until I now can bid you behold Him. Henceforth follow Him."
John says that one of the two was Andrew. There is no doubt that the
other was himself. We shall notice in his writings that he never uses
his own name. This incident is our first definite knowledge of him. All
we have said hitherto is what we think must have been true, judging from
circumstances of which we do know, and from his character revealed
after this time.
We long to know whether "Jesus as He walked" came near the Baptist, and
with what salutation they met, and what were their parting words, for
this seems to be the last time of their meeting. If Mary and Salome were
sisters, and Elizabeth was their cousin--as we use the term--John of
Galilee and Jesus were related to John the Baptist in the same way. But
there was a closer relationship than that of family. In this Jesus was
the connecting link between the two Johns. "One on each side of
Christ"--this was their joy and their glory. One was the last prophet to
proclaim His coming: the other was to be the last evangelist to tell the
story of His life on the earth.
When the Baptist the second time uttered the cry, "Behold the Lamb of
God!" "the two disciples heard Him speak and followed Jesus." Their old
master saw them turn from him without a jealous, but with a gladsome
thought. Encouraged by him, and drawn by Jesus, with reverential awe, in
solemn silence or with subdued tone, they timidly walked in the
footsteps of the newly revealed Master. The quickened ear before them
detected their footsteps or conversation. "Jesus turned and saw them
following," as if to welcome their approach, and give them courage. He
then asked them a question, "What seek ye?" It was not asked because
He was ignorant, but to encourage them in familiar conversation, as He
did at other times. Their answer was another question, "Rabbi, where
abidest Thou?" They longed for a fuller opportunity than that on the
road to be taught by Him. "Come and see," was His welcome reply. "They
came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day." First by a
look, then a question, then an invitation, then hospitality, they were
drawn to Him, and into His service.
[Illustration: TRADITIONAL PLACE OF CHRIST'S BAPTISM
_From Photograph_ Page 63]
Often in after years must Andrew and John have recalled that walk with
Jesus, and "rehearsed the things that happened," and said one to
another, "Was not our heart burning within us while He spake to us in
the way?" So afterward did other two, of Emmaus, when "Jesus Himself
drew near and went with them." But the eyes of Andrew and John were not
"holden that they should not know Him." The pleasing dream of years was
past: they were wakening to a glorious reality. Their following of Him
in that hour has been claimed to be "the beginning of the Christian
Church."
That day of abiding with Jesus was the first of many days these
disciples spent with Him, knowing Him more and more perfectly, and the
truth which He alone could reveal. They were then passing from the
school of the Baptist to that of the Greatest Teacher. What was said in
those sacred hours? John has reported other private interviews with
Jesus, but concerning this one his lips are sealed. Did he tell of his
surprise and joy to learn that He, Jesus, the son of his aunt, Mary, was
the Messiah of whom his mother, Salome, had taught him from his early
days? Were there any memories of childhood--of the sandy beach of
Bethsaida, or the hills of Nazareth; or, were all such thoughts buried
in newer and deeper question? Was there any hint of their future
relation too sacred for others then to know? Was this the beginning of
that sweet intimacy so private then, but of which the whole world should
hear in all coming time?
After the evening meal in Emmaus the two disciples there "rose up the
same hour, and returned to Jerusalem," with joyful and quickened steps
to report the glad tidings of what they had seen and heard. Andrew and
John were to be of the number who, in three years, would hail these
disciples from Emmaus. Like them, Andrew and John hastened away from the
sheltering booth on the Jordan bank on a like errand. But they went not
together, nor to an assembled company. They each went in search of his
own brother--Andrew for Peter, and John for James. Andrew found his
brother first. Afterward John found his: so we infer from his narrative.
Each carried the same tidings, "_We have found the Messiah!_"
[Illustration: THE BAPTISM OF JESUS _Old Engraving_ Page 64]
Andrew is thought to have asked leave to bring his brother. "He
brought him to Jesus." When John wrote that simple statement, he did not
think how much was included in it concerning Peter and his own relation
to him. As little did Andrew think to what the promptings of his
brotherly affection would lead. His mission seems to have been that of
bringing others to Christ--his own brother, the lad with five loaves and
two fishes, and certain Greeks who desired to see Jesus. John only has
made note of these three incidents. In so doing he has given to us the
key to the character of his friend, and caused him to be held in
everlasting remembrance. Andrew is remembered in the cross that bears
his name; in his anniversary day; in the choice of him for the patron
saint of Scotland; in orders of knighthood, and in Christian societies
of brotherhood named after him, as an example and inspiration to the
noblest of Christian endeavor--that of bringing old and young to Christ.
It is John alone who wrote of that memorable day on the Jordan. His
impressions were deep and lasting. The record of them is so fresh and
minute that we seem to be perusing a notebook which was in his hands
when these events were transpiring. His memory is distinct of the exact
location of each; of the attitudes and movements of the actors,--as when
"John stood," and "Jesus walked," and "Jesus turned"; of the fixed and
earnest look of Jesus--as on Andrew and John in the way, and Peter in
the place of His abode. John remembered the words of the Baptist, and of
his two disciples, and of Jesus. He remembered the day not only, but
that "it was about the tenth hour when he accepted the invitation to
come and see where Jesus was tarrying."
All these pictures hung unfading on the walls of John's memory. This was
not strange. It was the day and the hour for which he looked through all
his early years, and to which he looked back in his latest. Then was the
beginning of a most blessed relationship, alone in the history of
mankind; that which was to make his name immortal, and radiant with a
halo which encircles none other.
"The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth
Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the
city of Andrew and Peter." So writes John, recalling to us the Galilean
group of Bethsaidan boys. When we became familiar with their names,
there was no prospect that the two pairs of brothers and their friend
would head the roll of disciples of the Messiah for whom they were
looking. But such a day had come. We know not that Philip had a brother
whom he could bring to Jesus, as did Andrew and John, but he was as full
of wonder and joy as they. Like them he must go in search of some one
to whom he could repeat their exclamation. The search was not long. John
tells the result. "Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have
found Him." But this simple declaration is not enough for Philip. He
recalls those Scripture scrolls in his home and the Rabbi's school, and
the synagogue, that told of the coming Messiah, and so he exclaims, "We
have found Him of whom Moses and the Law, and the Prophets did
write"--thus repeating the phrase we were to remember till we should
hear it again. Nathanael, coming to Jesus declared in wonder and
admiration, "Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel." His
name was added to those of the Galilean group.
The disciples now numbered five or six--Andrew, John, Peter, Philip,
Nathanael, and probably James. These were one half of a completed circle
to surround Jesus. All but one of them were of the Bethsaidan band. John
has drawn lifelike pictures of them, more complete than those of the
other apostles,--except that of Judas, whom he contrasts with all the
rest. We have thought of James and John as nearest to Jesus in kinship.
We are already beginning to think of John as nearest in discipleship.
_CHAPTER XI_
_John a Wedding Guest_
"There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus
was there: and Jesus also was bidden, and His disciples to the
marriage."
"The mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine."
"The ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine."
"This beginning of His signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and
manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him."--_John_
ii. 1-3, 9, 11.
Again John notices the very day on which occurred a remarkable event, of
which he had a vivid recollection. It was the third, as is probable,
after the departure of Jesus from Jordan for Galilee.
He was invited to a wedding in Cana. His disciples were invited also, we
may suppose out of respect to Him. James and John might have been there
without the rest. It is possible that they were relatives of the family,
as their aunt Mary is thought to have been. She was there caring for the
guests, and what had been provided for them. The marriage feast lasted
several days. Jesus and His disciples were not present at the beginning.
After their arrival, Mary discovered that the wine had given out. Like
the sister of another Mary, in whose house Jesus was a guest, she was
troubled because it looked as if the family had not provided for all the
company. She had probably been a widow for several years, and as Jesus
was her oldest Son, she had gone to Him for advice and help when in
trouble at home. So now "when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus
saith unto Him, They have no wine." We are not to suppose that she
intended to ask Him to do a miracle. Perhaps she simply said, "What
shall we do?" as many a housekeeper has said when in doubt. He made a
reply which seems harsh and unkind, unless we understand His meaning,
and imagine His words to have been spoken in a kind tone, and with a
kind and loving look. She was not offended by His reply. Thinking He
might do something--she knew not what--she said unto the servants,
"Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it."
It might be said of Him at this time, as it was at another, "He knew
Himself what He would do." He gave three simple commands to the
servants. The first was, "Fill the water-pots with water." They did as
Mary had said, and obeyed Him. Watching them until the jars were full,
He said, "Draw out now and bear unto the ruler of the feast." This was
probably a special friend of the family, who with Mary was directing it.
While Jesus' command was being obeyed, His first miracle was performed.
"When the ruler had 'tasted the water now become wine, and knew not
whence it was,' ... he called the bridegroom," and in a playful joke
praised the goodness of the wine which he imagined had purposely been
kept to the last.
"The water now become wine" is the brief statement of the first of the
thirty-six recorded miracles of our Lord. It was seen by the six
disciples. They witnessed the first of the miracles since those in the
days of Daniel, of which they had read in their Scriptures, one of the
last of which was at the impious feast of Belshazzar. There the holy
cups from Jerusalem were used in praising false gods of silver and gold,
in the hands of the king and his lords, as they read the handwriting on
the wall, interpreted by Daniel. How different the feast in Cana. There
was no fear there. When the disciples saw the cup in the hands of the
hilarious governor, and heard his playful words, they were not in a
sportive mood. Theirs was that of astonishment and reverence at the
miracle. No Daniel was needed to interpret the meaning of that water
changed into wine. John tells us what they understood thereby--that
"Jesus manifested His glory." He showed the power which belongs to God
only.
John immediately adds, "And His disciples believed on Him." This is the
first time they are spoken of as such. As yet they were disciples only.
At the end of the blessed week in which they had "found the Messiah,"
there had been formed a close companionship which was to become closer
still. But the time had not yet come for them to leave their homes and
business, and attend Him wherever He went. They were not yet Apostles.
The marriage feast had become to them more than a social festival. Their
Lord had intended that it should be so. Their faith in Him on the
Jordan, was strengthened in Cana.
"This _beginning_ of miracles," says John. What was this beginning? It
was not the healing of the sick, nor raising of the dead, nor supplying
a hungry company with bread, nor furnishing a necessary drink. There was
no display. Jesus stretched forth no rod over the water-jars, as did
Moses over the waters of the Nile when the same Divine power changed
them into like color, but different substance, and with a different
purpose. The first manifestation of His glory was for "the increase of
innocent joy."
When John had read the story of Jesus in the first three Gospels, and
found no record of this miracle, did he not feel that there had been a
great omission which he must supply? Nowhere else does Jesus appear just
as He did at that feast, though other incidents of His life are in
harmony with it. It is sometimes said He "graced" that marriage feast,
as royalty does by mere presence. But He did more. He entered into the
innocent festivities, and helped to their success. A glance into that
village home is a revelation of Jesus in social life, and His interests
in human friendships and relations.
We must remember that it was only innocent pleasures that He helped to
increase, in which alone we can seek the presence of His Spirit, and on
which alone we can ask His blessing.
This marriage feast must have been of special interest to John, if, as
is supposed, the family was related to Mary and probably to him. This
would seem to be her first meeting with Jesus since He bid her farewell
in Nazareth, and left the home of thirty years, to be such no longer.
Did not Mary, mother-like, call John aside from the festive scene and
say to him, "What has happened at the Jordan? tell me all about it." I
seem to hear John saying to her; "It is a wonderful story. Of some
things I heard, and some I both saw and heard. You know of the ministry
of your cousin Elizabeth's son John--of his preaching and baptizing.
Jesus was baptized by him. Immediately they both had a vision of 'the
Spirit of God descending upon Him; and lo! a voice from heaven saying,
This is My beloved Son.' Then John was certain who Jesus was. He told
the people about the vision, saying, 'I saw and bear record that this
is the Son of God.' And one day when my friend Andrew and I were with
him, he pointed us to Jesus saying, 'Behold the Lamb of God,' whom we
followed, first to His abode on the Jordan, and then here to Cana. We
were disciples of John, but now are _His_ disciples, and ever shall be.
You know, aunt Mary, how from childhood I had thought of Him as my
cousin Jesus, and loved Him for His goodness. From what my mother has
told me, which she must have learned from you, there has been some
beautiful mystery about Him. It is all explained now. Hereafter, I shall
love Him more than ever, but I shall think of Him, not so much as my
cousin Jesus, as the Messiah for whom we were looking, and as the Son of
God."
How the mother-heart of Mary must have throbbed as she listened to her
nephew John's story of Jesus on the Jordan. How it must have gone out
toward him, because of his thoughts about her son, and his love for Him.
How grieved she must have been as she thought of her own sons who did
not believe as John did concerning their brother Jesus. The time was to
come when Jesus would make her think of John, not so much as a nephew,
as a son.
In that festive hour, Mary too learned the lesson that human
relationships to Jesus, however beautiful, were giving way to other and
higher. The words He had spoken to her at the feast, like those He had
uttered in the Temple in His boyhood, and the things that had happened
on the Jordan, showed her that henceforth she should think, not so much
of Jesus as the Son of Mary, as the Son of God.
In thoughts she must have revisited the home of Elizabeth, whose walls,
more than thirty years before, had echoed with her own song, "My soul
doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."
_CHAPTER XII_
_John and Nicodemus_
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews: the same came unto Him by night."
"We speak that we do know, and bear witness of that we have
seen."--_John_ iii. 1, 2, 11.
"There is Nicodemus, who visited Jesus by night--to the
astonishment of St. John--but who was soon afterward Jesus'
friend."--_John Watson_.
"The report of what passed reads, more than almost any other in the
gospels, like notes taken at the time by one who was present. We
can almost put it again into the form of brief notes.... We can
scarcely doubt that it was the narrator John who was the witness
that took the notes."--_Alfred Edersheim_.
Three incidents mentioned by John only comprise all we know of
Nicodemus. In each of them he refers to him as coming to Jesus by night.
That visit seems to have made a deep impression on John. We may think of
Him as present at the interview between the Pharisee and the "Teacher
come from God."
We are not told why Nicodemus came at a night hour. Perhaps he thought
he could make sure of a quiet conversation, such as he could not have in
the daytime. Perhaps he did not want to appear too friendly to Jesus
until he knew more about Him, though he already had a friendly feeling
toward Him. Perhaps he was afraid of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish
Court. Most of its members hated Jesus and had commenced their
opposition to Him, which was continued during His life, and resulted in
His death. Not so felt Nicodemus, though a member. At a later day he
opposed their unjust treatment of Him. If he did not think of Jesus as
the Messiah, he yet thought of Him as a prophet, "a teacher come from
God." He was anxious to know more. So cautiously and timidly he sought
Jesus in the night.
We suppose that, at the time of Jesus' death, John had a home in
Jerusalem. It has been thought possible that when and before he became a
disciple of Jesus he had an abode there, attending to the business
connected with the sale of fish from his home in Galilee. There Jesus
might be found in the guest-chamber on the roof of the oriental house
which was reached by an outside stair. Nicodemus had no invitation, such
as Andrew and John had to Jesus' abode on the Jordan, but he had an
equal welcome to John's home, whither he had come on a like errand,
though with different views of Jesus, to learn of Him. He sees still
burning in the upper chamber the night lamp of Him whom he is to know as
"the light of the world." He ascends the stair, stands at the door and
knocks; and it is opened. Apparently without lengthy salutation, or
introduction, he makes known his errand in the single sentence, "Rabbi,
we know that Thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these
signs that Thou doest, except God be with Him." He might have added,
"What shall I do?" Jesus gave a very solemn answer to his
question,--"Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." He taught him that doing certain things, and not doing others, was
not enough; he must _be_ good. To be good there must be a change of
spirit. As a child has a beginning of its earthly life, he must have the
beginning of a spiritual life, or he cannot be fitted for the kingdom of
God in this world or that which is to come. That great change comes
"from above," from God Himself.
Listen to some of the wonderful truths Jesus taught to Nicodemus. They
are for us as well as for him. 1. Those who do not have this change of
spirit must "perish." 2. But none need to perish, for "eternal life" has
been provided. 3. This life is through the suffering and death of the
"Son" of God. 4. God "gave His only begotten Son" to do all this. 5. God
did this because He "so loved the world." 6. This "eternal life" can be
had only by "believing on" the Son of God. 7. "Whosoever" so believes
may have eternal life.
All this is included in one sentence:
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
This is the golden text of St. John's Gospel, and of the whole Bible.
Through all the ages it has sounded, and will sound to the end of time,
as the gospel itself.
John must have been a most attentive listener to all that Jesus said.
This was at the beginning of His Lord's ministry. Fresh truths easily
impressed him. They were the buddings of which he was to see the bloom,
of whose fruitage he would partake most abundantly, and which he would
give to others long after the echo of the Great Teacher's words had died
in the chamber where he and Nicodemus heard them.
It was long after that nightly visit that John wrote his account of it,
including the golden text whose keyword was _Love_. It is supposed that
he wrote his Epistle about the same time. That text was so present in
his thought that he repeated it in almost the same words: "Herein was
the Love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent His only begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through Him."
At the close of his long life, in which he had learned much of the power
and justice and holiness and goodness of God, it seemed to him that all
these were summed up in the one simple saying, "God is love."
[Illustration: THE FIRST DISCIPLES _Ittenbach_ Page 67]
When John bade Nicodemus good-night, he could not look forward to the
time, nor to the place where we see them together again. John the lone
apostle with Nicodemus and his Lord at the beginning of His ministry, is
the lone apostle at the cross. Then and there, he recalls the first
meeting of the three as he beholds the Rabbi approaching. This is his
record; "Then came also Nicodemus, who at the first came to Jesus by
night."
There is a tradition concerning Nicodemus that after the Resurrection of
Jesus, his faith in Him was strengthened. The "teacher come from God" he
now believed to be the Son of God. The timid Rabbi became a bold
follower of the Lord whom he once secretly sought. For this he was no
longer permitted to be a ruler of the Jews. He was hated, beaten, and
driven from Jerusalem. At last he was buried by the side of the first
martyr Stephen, who had baptized and welcomed him into the fellowship of
the Christian Band.
_CHAPTER XIII_
_St. John and the Samaritaness_
"He cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar.... Jacob's well was
there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on
the well. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said
unto her, Give Me to drink."--_John_ iv. 5-7.
"Probably John remained with the Master. They would scarcely have
left Him alone especially in that place; and the whole narrative
reads like one who had been present at what passed."--_Edersheim._
The vale of Sychar is one of the most interesting spots in the Holy
Land. Jacob's well is one of the sacred sights about whose identity
there is no dispute. I count the Sabbath when my tent overshadowed it
one of the most memorable of my life. It was a privilege to read on the
spot John's story of the Master tarrying there, and of the truths there
revealed.
John tells us that Jesus, on His way from Judæa to Galilee, passed
through Samaria, arrived at Jacob's well, and "being wearied with His
journey sat thus on the well," while His disciples went "away unto the
city to buy food."
It is not necessary to suppose that all of the six went to the
neighboring city. Probably John remained with the Master. His narrative
is one of the most distinct word-paintings in the whole Gospel story.
He writes like one who saw and heard all that passed, not only when the
other disciples were with him, but also and especially what happened
when they were absent from the well.
[Illustration: THE MARRIAGE AT CANA _Old Engraving_ Page 72]
John tells us that Jesus "was wearied with His journey." The observing,
tender-hearted disciple saw and remembered his Master's weariness. In
this simple, brief record, he reminds us of Jesus' humanity, and so how
much He was like ourselves. How much of his Lord's weariness and
suffering the sympathizing disciple was yet to witness.
We may think of John alone with Jesus, seated in an alcove which
sheltered them from the sun. They may often have been thus found in
loving companionship. With what delight would we read of those private
interviews. How sacred and precious they must have been to John.
At the well, what subjects there were for conversation, suggested by
memories of the spot. Here Abraham had erected his first altar in Canaan
to the true God, whom Jesus was about to reveal more perfectly. This was
the parcel of ground which Jacob had bought, and in which he had buried
the false gods of his household. Here Joseph had been a wanderer seeking
his brethren. This was the place which Jacob when dying had given to his
son Joseph, on whose tomb Jesus and John looked as they talked
together. The twin mountains of Ebal and Gerizim looked down upon them,
reminders of the days of Joshua, when the two Israelitish bands called
to each other in solemn words, and the valley echoed with their loud
"Amen." Not every Jew could have the personal interest in that well,
such as the two weary travelers could claim, through the family records
of their common ancestor even to Abraham. It was not on account of John
that these records had been kept, but of the "Son of Man" at his side,
whom he had learned to look upon as "the Son of God." As they sat
together John could not look into the future, as his Master could, and
think of the time when they would be in the region together with an
unfriendly reception; nor of that other time when John would come to it
again and have a friendly reception, but with memories only of his Lord.
[Illustration: BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST _Old Engraving_ Page 74]
But their visit alone did not last until the return of His disciples. It
was suddenly interrupted. "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw
water." She was no fitting companion for them. She was not prepared to
enter into their thoughts and feelings. She was an ignorant woman of the
lower order of society, sinful, and not worthy of the respect of those
who knew her. "Give me to drink," said Jesus--fatigued, hungry, thirsty.
She gazed upon Him with astonishment. She knew by His appearance and
dress that He was a Jew. She supposed that any such would be too full
of hatred and pride to ask even such a simple favor of a Samaritan. Her
answer showed her surprise. He gently spoke of her ignorance of Him, and
of a richer gift than the one He asked, and which He was ready to
bestow. It was "living water"--"the grace and truth of which He was
full." Changing her manner toward Him, and addressing Him more
respectfully, she asked, "Art _Thou_ greater than our father Jacob?" She
meant, "Surely Thou art not greater." How strange this must have sounded
to John as his eye turned from her, to Him before whom Jacob would bow
in adoration could he have joined that circle on the spot where he had
built an altar many years before. Jesus explained more fully the
difference between the water for which He had asked, and that which He
would give. He had asked a very small favor of her; He would bestow the
greatest of gifts, even eternal life.
Not fully understanding Him, and yet believing He was some wonderful
person, she repeated His own request, but with a changed meaning,--"Sir,
give me this water." Perhaps to make her feel her sinfulness and to lead
her into a better life, He showed her that though He was a stranger, He
knew her past history. Her astonishment increased and she exclaimed,
"Sir, I perceive that Thou art a Prophet." Ashamed, she quickly changed
the subject.
She and her people claimed that Mount Gerizim was the holy place of the
Holy Land; while the Jews said that Jerusalem was "the place where men
ought to worship." She wanted the Prophet she had so unexpectedly met to
decide between them. With calmness, solemnity and earnestness, He made a
sublime declaration to her, meant for Jews, Samaritans and all men. It
was this: "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this
mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.... The hour
cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in
spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be His worshipers.
God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth."
But this did not satisfy her. It was all so new and strange, so
different from what she and her people believed, that she was not
prepared to accept it from an unknown stranger, though he seemed to be a
prophet. She thought of One greater than she thought He could be, One
who was wiser than any prophet then living, or who ever had lived, One
who she believed was to come. So, with a sigh of disappointment, her
only reply was, "I know that Messiah cometh; ... when He is come, He
will declare unto us all things."
How the quickened ear of John must have made his heart thrill at the
name Messiah. Until a few weeks before, he too had talked of His
coming, but already had heard Him declare many things which no mere
prophet had spoken. Is he not prompted to break the silence of a mere
listener? Is not his finger already pointed toward Jesus? Are not the
words already on his tongue?--"O woman, _this is He_," when Jesus makes
the great confession he made before Pilate, saying to the Samaritaness,
"I that speak unto Thee, am He."
So it was that He whose coming the angels in their glory announced to
the shepherds in Bethlehem, He whom the Baptist proclaimed to multitudes
on the Jordan, He whose glory was manifested to the company in Cana,
made Himself known to this low, ignorant, sinful, doubting, perplexed
stranger, in words "to which all future ages would listen, as it were
with hushed breath and on their knees."
These words of Jesus to the woman, "I am He," closed their conversation,
so unexpected to her when she came with her water-pot, in which she had
lost all interest. Her mind and heart had been filled instead. She had
drawn from Him richer supplies than Jacob's well could ever contain.
From that hour she thought of it, not so much as Jacob's well as the
Messiah's well.
The disciples returning from the city, coming within sight of Jesus,
"marveled that He was speaking with a woman." The people then and there
had a mistaken idea that to do so was very improper. The disciples were
the more astonished because she was a Samaritan. But they had such a
sense of His goodness, that they did not dare to ask, "Why talkest Thou
with her?"
She was interrupted in her conversation with Jesus, by the coming of the
disciples. She left her water-pot at the well. Too full of wonder and
gratitude to stop to fill it, or to be hindered in carrying it, she
hastened to the city with the good news of what she had seen and heard.
So had Andrew and John each carried the good news to his brother saying,
"We have found the Messiah." She believed she had found Him. But the
good news seemed almost too good to be true, and she wanted the men of
the city to learn for themselves. So she put her new belief in the form
of a question, "Is not this the Christ?" A great number obeyed her call,
and believed with her that Jesus was the Messiah.
[Illustration: THE HILL OF SAMARIA _Old Engraving_ Page 84]
Meanwhile the disciples asked Him to eat of the food they had brought.
But His deep interest in the woman, and joy in the great change in her,
was so great that for the moment He felt no want of food. So He said to
them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not." ... "My meat is to do the
will of Him that sent Me." Never again did the disciples marvel that
their Master talked with a woman, or with a sinner of any kind. We
seem to see John, weary and hungry as his Master, but unmindful of
bodily discomforts, because of his intense interest in what is passing.
His record does not give his own experiences, but we can imagine some of
them. His watchful eye detects every movement and expression of his
companions,--the calm, earnest, loving, pitying look of Jesus; and the
excited, scornful, surprised, joyful, constantly changing looks of the
woman. He first marks her pertness of manner; then the respectful "Sir";
then the reverence for a prophet; and at last the belief and joy in the
Messiah.
Whether or not John was witness to all that passed at the well, or
whether Jesus gave him the minute details, or whether the Samaritaness,
during the two days that Jesus and His disciples remained in Sychar,
told Him all, his story is one of the most lifelike in the Gospels,
teaching the greatest of truths.
If that noon hour at Jacob's well was a memorable one for the woman, it
was also for John. For him Christ was the Well of Truth. Of it he was to
drink during blessed years. Standing nearest to it of any mortal,
receiving more than any other, he was to give of it to multitudes
thirsting for the water of life.
_CHAPTER XIV_
_The Chosen One of the Chosen Three of the Chosen Twelve_
"Walking by the sea of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon, who is
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea,
for they were fishers. And He said unto them, Come ye after Me, and
I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left the nets,
and followed Him. And going on from thence He saw other two
brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the
boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called
them. And they straightway left the boat and their father, and
followed Him."--_Matt._ iv. 18-22.
"He was the Supreme Fisher, and this day He was fishing for
them."--_Stalker._
"When it was day, He called His disciples; and he chose from them
twelve, whom also He named apostles, Simon, whom He also named
Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and
Philip...."--_Luke_ vi. 13, 14
"Jesus taketh with Him Peter, and James, and John."--_Matt._ xvii.
1.
"One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved."--_John_ xiii. 23.
"We know not all thy gifts,
But this Christ bids us see,
That He who so loved all,
Found more to love in thee."
Once more we find the two pair of brothers on the shore of Gennesaret,
not together, but within hailing distance. All night long they have
toiled at fishing without any reward. The morning has dawned. Wearied
and with the marks of labor on their persons and their garments, their
empty boats drawn upon the beach, they are mending their nets which have
been torn by the waves, and cleansing them from the sand which has been
gathered instead of the fishes they sought.
[Illustration: JACOB'S WELL _From Photograph_ Page 91]
Meanwhile a multitude of people in the neighboring field is listening to
the Master. The fishermen may hear His voice, but their nets must not be
left in disorder; they must be put in readiness for another trial,
which, though they know it not, will be most abundantly rewarded.
They cannot go to Him, but He comes to them with a greeting and a
command, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men."
The time had come for Him to gather His first disciples more closely
about Him for instruction and preparation and service in His kingdom.
They had seen proofs of His Messiahship. They had been with Him long
enough to know something of His work and teachings, and what was
included in His call to follow Him. They understood it meant leaving
their boats and nets by which they had earned their daily bread, and
even leaving their homes, and going with Him wherever He went, trusting
Him for support, ready to do anything to which all this would lead them.
Their belief in Him, and their love for Him, were enough to secure
immediate obedience to the new command.
In their faithfulness in their duties in their former life, in the
carefulness in mending their nets, in the patience and perseverance
during the nights of fruitless toil, in their thoughtfulness, skill and
experience in catching fish--in such things Christ found likeness of
what He would make them to become--fishers of men. From their old
business He would teach them lessons about the new,--of His power, the
abundance of His store, and the great things they were to do for Him and
their fellow-men. Before they leave it, He makes Himself a kind of
partner with them. Having used Simon's boat for a pulpit for teaching,
He tells him to launch out into the deep and to let down his net. It
encloses a multitude of fishes. Andrew and James with their brothers
whom they had called to Jesus, the first company to follow Him from the
Jordan, are the first to do so in a new and fuller sense from the shores
of Gennesaret, where they first learned of Him.
There is something touching in the special reference to the call of the
sons of Salome, whose relation to Mary first interested us in them. It
is said of Jesus, "He saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother
and He called them. And they immediately left their father in the ship
with the hired servants. They forsook all and followed Him."
[Illustration: THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES _Old Engraving_ Page 94]
What reminders do we here have of the past! James and John, true
brothers in childhood, united in business in early life, now hand in
hand commence life anew. Having become the help, and much more the
companions of their father they must leave him to the companionship of
hired servants. But in this hour of sundering family ties, the loving
father and loving sons rejoice in Jesus as their Master whom they all
willingly obey.
He chose twelve whom He called Apostles. Such was the glorious company,
composed of young men, the most honored in all earthly history, to be
His closest companions, His missionary family. During the remainder of
His life He would train them; and when leaving the world trust their
faithfulness and devotion in extending His kingdom. The two pair of
brothers and their early friend Philip are the first named of the
Apostles. The early Bethsaidan group composed almost one-half of the
apostolic company. But within that circle there was another. Three of
the twelve were chosen by the Lord for closer intimacy. They were to be
special witnesses of His greatest power, His most radiant glory, and His
deepest sorrow upon earth. They were Peter, James and John. Two of the
three, Peter and John, were to be united in special service for their
Lord while He was with them, and so continue after He was gone. But of
the twelve Jesus drew one closest to Himself, most loved and the most
glorious of them all: it was John.