The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
JESUS SEEKS REST
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
JESUS SEEKS REST
So many people were now unfriendly to Jesus that it seemed best for Him to leave the country for a while. So, with His disciples, Jesus traveled to Phoenicia, which was a country north of Galilee, where Children of Israel did not live. The Children of Israel were very proud of their nationality. In fact, the Children of Israel at this time in history, called every one of another nationality, ‘Gentile.’ Sometimes they spoke of them as ‘Gentile dogs.’ In other words, they did not think much of them.
Into this Gentile country, Jesus and His disciples traveled, thinking that they might find much needed rest. They went into a house, hoping that no one would know they were there. But Jesus could not be hid. A woman who lived there had in someway heard that the One who worked such miracles among the Children of Israel was now in her country.
She had a daughter at home who was insane. So, the mother came to Jesus, and, falling at His feet, said, “O Lord, Son of David, have pity on me; my daughter is very ill.”
But Jesus paid no attention to her. The apostles grew tired of hearing her call, and asked their Master to help her and send her away. Jesus said, “My work is only among the Jews; she is not a Jew.”
The woman heard what Jesus said. She knew she was not part of the nationality of the Children of Israel. In fact, some of the Children of Israel might have even called her a ‘Gentile dog.’ Yet she needed help and must have it, for her daughter. Coming nearer she cried, “Lord, help me.”
Jesus then said, “It is not right to take the children’s meat and give it to the dogs.”
The woman answered Jesus, “True, Lord, but the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”
Her answer pleased Jesus. Here was a woman too much in earnest to be discouraged when Jesus seemed unwilling to help her. She trusted Him through it all, and that trust gave her what she wanted. Jesus said to her, “O woman, great is your faith. I will give you what you ask.”
And from that hour her daughter was well.
After a few days, Jesus and His disciples left this part of the country and went to another, near the Sea of Galilee, still among the Gentiles. There they went up into a mountain and sat down. The people had never seen Jesus before, yet somehow they knew that here was a man who was different from any one else they had ever seen. Great crowds came to Jesus. They brought with them all their sick friends. There were lame, blind, dumb, and deformed, and many others, and Jesus healed them all.
These Gentile people who had never before seen the miracles of Jesus, wondered very much about what they saw when Jesus made the lame men walk, and when He gave those who were blind their sight, and when the Lord made those who were deformed straight and strong like other people. They praised the God of the Children of Israel. They praised the God who could help men to do much more wonderful things than their false gods ever did for them. Some of the Gentile people even thought Jesus was Himself the God of the Children of Israel, and they were not very far from being right, because Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and the Savior of the world.
One Gentile man who was brought to the Savior was both deaf and dumb. Jesus took this man away from the rest of the people. The Lord put His fingers in the deaf man’s ears, and then spat and touched the tongue that could not speak. Jesus said, “Be opened.” At once both ear and tongue obeyed Jesus. The man could now hear and talk. Jesus asked him and the others He cured, as He had so many times asked the Children of Israel, not to tell how they had been made well. But the more Jesus asked them to be quiet the more they spread the news around.
For three days the crowds stayed with Jesus, forgetting everything but the pleasure being around the Lord. At the end of the three days Jesus called His disciples, and said to them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been with me for three days, and are now hungry, and they have nothing left to eat. If I send them away hungry, they will be faint before they reach home, for many of them live a long way off.”
It seems that the Lord’s disciples forgot about the other time when Jesus fed thousands of people with only a little boy’s small amount of food, because instead of thinking their Master could feed these people, they asked Jesus, “Where in this mountain can we find bread enough to feed so many?”
Jesus asked them, “How many loaves have you?”
They answered, “Seven loaves, and a few small fishes.”
Jesus then commanded the people to sit down on the grass. Then the Lord Jesus took the seven loaves and the fishes, broke them into pieces and gave them to His disciples to set before the people.
After everyone had eaten all he wanted, the disciples found that the food that was left filled seven baskets full. For the second time Jesus had made a little food grow into enough to feed thousands of people. This time there were more than four thousand people fed.
When the people were satisfied, Jesus sent them away. The Lord and His disciples then went down to the shore of the lake. The twelve were not sent away by themselves this time. This time Jesus entered the boat with them, and together they set said for Galilee.
Jesus loved Galilee. He longed to be once more with His own people and have them near and be friendly to Him. Jesus had been away for some weeks, and perhaps He thought they might have missed Him and would be glad to have Him with them once again. So, Jesus and the twelve sailed across the lake to their home land.
But no sooner had the boat come to the shore than some of the Pharisees met Jesus. They told the Lord that if He was the Christ He must show some sign to them to prove it. This Jesus was not willing to do. He had proved that he was the Christ to them many times, but they were not willing to believe Him. Asking for a sign from heaven was only a way for these Pharisees to excuse themselves for not trusting Jesus, especially since they had already seen so many of the Lord’s wonderful miracles. In fact, they had seen enough of the Lord’s great miracles to make them believe what He said, but they did not believe because their hearts were set against Him.
Jesus could do nothing for people who would not believe Him. So, with a sad heart Jesus left them and went again to another part of the lake shore. As they crossed the lake Jesus warned His apostles not to trust the Pharisees. He also warned them not to believe the teaching of the Pharisees. Jesus warned His apostles that the Pharisees were deceitful men, and would not allow the truth to be told to the people.
Their boat landed at Bethsaida. As soon as they got to the shore a blind man was brought to Jesus. The Savior took the man by the hand and led him outside of the village. There the Lord spat on the blind man’s eyes and laid His hands on them. Then Jesus asked the blind man if he could see anything. The man said, “Yes, I see men, but they look like trees walking.”
Jesus then touched his eyes again, and told him to look up. The blind man did as Jesus told him. Now men looked like men to the man. Everything was now clear to these eyes which a short time before had been blind. The man could now see! Jesus then sent him away, saying, “Do not go back into the town, and do not tell any one in the town what made you see.”
Do you remember that this is what Jesus told a lot of those He cured?
Leaving the man, Jesus and His disciples went on their journey, traveling toward the North Country again. As they walked slowly along, talking together along the way, Jesus asked this question, “Whom do men say that I am?”
The apostles, while on their preaching trip, had heard what people were saying about this famous Rabbi, and they were ready to answer, “Some say you are John the Baptist, and others think that you are one of the old prophets come back to life again.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Whom do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This answer made the Master happy. This little band of twelve men believed in Jesus, if no one else did. Jesus then said to Simon Peter, “Simon, you are truly blessed. You have learned this, not from what any man has told you, but because the Father himself has taught you. With friends such as you my work will go on, even when I am taken away from you.”
Then Jesus began to talk with His disciples about things that made them very sad. The Lord said that He would not be with them much longer. Jesus said to them that in a short time He would go to Jerusalem and there would have to suffer many things from the priests, the scribes, and the Pharisees. Do you remember that these people were very unkind to Jesus, and were trying very hard to find some wrong in the Lord? Jesus said this about them, “They will have things their own way, and will kill me, but on the third day I will rise again.”
Hearing such sad news made the apostles very unhappy. Must their dear Master leave them in that way and never be their king? Could the Lord not save Himself from harm? Peter was very apt to speak without thinking, and he said to Jesus, “Lord, this shall never happen to you.”
But Jesus knew more about it than Peter did. Jesus knew that these things must happen. Jesus knew that though He was king, His throne was in the hearts of people, not in Jerusalem. Jesus knew that only His death could He be the Lamb of God, and take away the sins of the world. It was not pleasant to think that such a thing could happen, but Jesus knew that it must be, and that it was right.
So Jesus turned and answered Simon Peter as He did the tempter in the wilderness, Go away from me, Satan. I do not like to hear you talk so, for it shows that you want to please yourself, and that you want to have things done in your own way, not as God wills. I must suffer these things, if I do what is right; and any man who follows me must do as I have done. He must teach what is right and live right, even if, like me, he has to lose his life for it. But then it is better to lose one’s life than to lose one’s manhood by doing wrong; for what would a man really gain if he should gain the whole world but lose his own soul?
One evening about a week after this talk with His apostles, Jesus took Peter, James, and John with Him into a high mountain to pray, leaving the rest of His disciples behind at the foot of the mountain. Peter, James, and John finished praying, and as they waited for Jesus, they began to grow sleepy. At last their eyes were so heavy that they could not keep them open. Have you ever been that sleepy? Their heads nodded, and they fell sound asleep.
Jesus prayed a long time, and as He prayed He was transfigured before them. By that we mean that Jesus was altogether changed in the way He looked. His face shone and glistened like the sun, and His clothing was whiter than any cloth that was ever made. It was as white as the light of the sun.
Two men were with Jesus. These two men were speaking about those things of which Jesus had talked about with His disciples. They spoke about Jesus going to Jerusalem. They spoke about Jesus being put to death there. These two men appearing with Jesus were Moses and Elijah. Moses was the man of God who years before had given to the Children of Israel the Ten Commandments and their laws. Elijah was one of the old prophets whom the Children of Israel most loved. In fact, they worshiped the memory of these two men who were now talking with Jesus.
The bright light, or something, awoke Peter, James, and John in time for them to see this glorious sight. They did not know what to make of it. As they looked, the forms of the two men with Jesus began to vanish. They wanted to hold them back. Peter, without really thinking about what he was saying, called out, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles (or booths), one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But even while Peter was speaking they lost sight of what had so astonished them. A cloud wrapped itself around the bright forms of Moses and Elijah and they could not be seen anymore. But surely they heard a voice coming from the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, hear him.”
It was the voice of God.
Peter, James, and John were very afraid. They were so afraid that they hid their faces on the ground. But in a moment they the soft touch of Jesus’ hand and heard His sweet voice saying to them, “Rise, and do not be afraid.”
Lifting up their eyes they saw only Jesus; no one else. Moses and Elijah were gone, but Jesus was left with them, and the Father in heaven had told them to listen to His Son’s teachings.
As Jesus, Peter, James, and John walked down the mountain side the next morning to join the other disciples, Jesus said to them, “Do not tell any one what you have seen just now. Wait till I have gone from you, then you may tell them.”
How sorry they were to hear Jesus say that. Why could they not go and tell the people about what they had seen? One of the reasons the scribes gave for not believing in Jesus was that the prophets had foretold that Elijah should come before the Christ. Do you think that perhaps after seeing Elijah, Peter, James, and John might have thought that if they could now tell the scribes what they had seen, maybe the scribes would change their mind about Jesus? Would the scribes not then believe that Jesus was the Christ?
But Jesus knew best, and He said, “No”
Jesus made them understand that nothing would change the belief in the minds of the scribes that John the Baptist was the Elijah who had been promised. Yet, though Jesus, the Son of God, had come and the scribes had seen and known Him, still most of them did not believe in Jesus, and wanted Him put to death. These scribes would treat the Christ in the same way, even if the disciples should tell what they had seen on the mountain. So Jesus said, “Tell no one until after my death.”
As they got to the foot of the mountain they found the other disciples in trouble. They were surrounded by a great crowd of people who seemed to be very angry and excited. The people were talking in loud tones. One man among them had his son with him. His son was a boy who was not only deaf and dumb, but he was also very ill.
When the father saw Jesus coming, he took his boy to Him and said, “O Master, I beg you to help my boy, for he is my only child. I have asked your disciples to cure him, but they cannot do it.”
While the man was talking to Jesus, his son became very ill. The boy fell to the ground, where he lay tossing around.
Jesus asked the father how long his son had been this way. The father answered, “Ever since he was a little child; and when he has had these bad spells he has sometimes fallen into the water, sometimes even into the fire, and I am afraid he will be killed. If you can do anything to help him, will you not do it?”
Jesus said, “Do you trust me? There is nothing I cannot do for one who trusts me.”
The father answered, “I do trust you. Help me to trust you even more.”
Then Jesus spoke to the boy who was tossing around on the ground. At once the boy’s body became quiet. The boy lay there very still. So still that the people said, “He is dead.”
But Jesus took his hand and lifted him up. He was not dead. He was now a cured and well boy. He was not deaf any longer. He was not dumb any longer. He was now like other children.
The days Jesus had planned to spend in the northern country were now over. Once more His little band started toward the south. They traveled through Galilee quietly, without stopping to teach or to cure the sick. Jesus did not want the scribes and Pharisees to know that He had returned.
Very soon after they came to Capernaum, a man came to the door of the house where they were staying. The man asked Simon Peter if his Master was going to pay the tax. This tax was one which the Children of Israel took from their men once a year after they were twenty years old. It was a tax taken in the springtime, and the money was used to pay some of the expenses of the temple service. Peter at once answered, “Yes”
Peter then went into the house to get the money.
Jesus stopped Peter, and asked him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take taxes, from their own children or from strangers?”
Peter said to Jesus, “From strangers.”
Jesus then said to Peter, “Then, the children are free. I do not need to pay this tax, for it is money given to God, the King. I am the Son of God, and need not pay taxes to him. Still, that no one may think he has reason to find fault with us, go to the seaside and throw out your hook. Catch the first fish that comes up, and when you have opened his mouth you will find a piece of money; take it, and pay the tax for yourself and me.”
While they had been traveling on their way, some of the apostles had talked about who should be the greatest in the Master’s kingdom. You see, the Lord’s apostles still believed that Jesus was the promised king of the Children of Israel. They just could not think of Jesus as being different from other kings. Jesus had tried several times to explain it to them, but they cold not seems to understand that Jesus would rule the world through His life and teachings, but He would never sit on an earthly throne. The apostles still hoped that before long Jesus would live in a king’s palace in Jerusalem, and that they, His twelve best friends, would be the Lord’s chief officers.
Jesus did not seem to notice what they were saying at the time, but when they were together in the house at Capernaum, Jesus asked them, “What were you talking about on the way?”
No one wanted to answer the Lord. The apostles were all ashamed to have Jesus know about it. So, they kept still. But they did not need to answer the question, because Jesus knew what they had been saying.
Sitting down, Jesus called them to come around Him. He said to them, “In my kingdom the one who wants to be first of all shall be last of all, for not the selfish but the unselfish are the great ones. To be great is not to have a high office and make other people serve you; it is to be a servant yourself, to be ready at any time to help those who need you.”
Jesus then called a child to Him. When the Lord had taken the little child in His arms, He said, “Whoever wants to be great in the kingdom of heaven must be like this little child, loving and obedient and trustful. This child does what he knows how to do without thinking whether he has a high or a low place, and all the time he is growing stronger, and better able to fill any place which God may give him. This is the spirit which every one must have who belongs to my kingdom; for unless you become as little children you cannot enter into it.”
Though Jesus did not go out to work among the people, He was not idle during these days. There was so much the twelve apostles needed to know before they could do the Lord’s work. So, Jesus spent His time teaching them. Some of the words Jesus said to them are very precious to us now. The Savior taught them that the one who did anything for the love of the Christ would have his reward in the love of his Father in heaven. Even as little a thing as giving a cup of cold water to someone who was thirsty was enough to win that love. But it is very important that such a cup of cold water be given to someone who is thirsty because we want to do something for Jesus Christ, who has done so much for us. Anyone, even the youngest and weakest can get this reward, because it is not given in return for our doing great things, but in return for our great love. And the love of our heavenly Father is the greatest reward that anyone can have.
Jesus showed His apostles what a terrible thing it is to make anyone do wrong, and how carefully we should guard against doing that. Jesus said to them that it would be better for a person to give up everything in this world, rather than to do what was displeasing to the heavenly Father.
The Lord told them that just as a man was glad to find a lamb which had been lost, even though he had many more, so the Father was unwilling that anyone, even a child that trusted Him should be lost.
Another thing Jesus said to His disciples was that if two or three people met together to pray for something they wanted very much, He would be there with them, though they could not see Him, and He would give them what they asked for. Of course, we must understand that God will not give us something that is bad for us just because two or three ask Him, anymore than a good father on earth will give his children something that will hurt them, even if they all ask for it. Sometimes we think God does not answer our prayers, because He does not give us what we ask for. But perhaps what we have been praying for would be very bad for us, and the best answer our Father could give us is simply to say “no.”
After Jesus taught them all these things, Peter asked the Lord how often he should forgive his brother for doing him wrong. Peter asked, “Until seven times?”
Peter probably thought that was a lot of times to forgive anyone. But Jesus said to Peter, “I do not say ‘till seven times,’ but until seventy times seven.”
And then Jesus told Peter this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who began to look over the accounts which he kept with his servants. One of them owed him ten thousand talents. That was a very, very large sum of money. The servant did not have enough money to pay such a big debt. So the king commanded that he should be put in chains, and that his wife, his children, and all that he had should be sold to get the money to pay the big debt. The servant could not bear to think that his family must be sold as slaves. So, he fell down at the king’s feet and begged him not to do it. He said to the king, ‘Lord, if you will have patience with me, I will pay you all that I owe you.’ He looked so troubled and begged so hard that the king had pity on him. The king told him he need not pay the big debt. The king then forgave him of all he owed the king. The king then commanded the officers to let him go free. When the servant left the king, he found another man who owed him a very, very small amount of money. This man who owed the servant a little amount of money was poor and could not pay even such a small sum of money to the servant. The king’s servant took this poor man by the throat, and said, ‘Pay me what you owe me!’ But this poor man cried to the king’s servant as the servant had cried to the king, and said, ‘If you will be patient with me I will pay you all.’ But the king’s servant would not, and had the poor man put into prison until he could pay the debt. The king’s servant had just been forgiven a very, very big debt, and had a chance to show kindness and mercy to someone else. But he would not! Now other servants of the king who saw all this, told the king all about it. When the king heard the story he was very angry. He sent for his servant, and said to him, ‘O you wicked servant! I forgave you all that great debt because I was sorry for you. Ought you not to have had pity as well on the man who owed you?’ Then the king ordered his officers to take the servant to prison, and to keep him there till he paid his debt.”
After telling this story, Jesus said, “So will my heavenly Father do to you if you do not from your hearts forgive those who wrong you.”
