"Teacher, show us some sign from heaven that you are a prophet or one whom G.o.d has sent."

They wished Jesus to do some miracle or wonderful work, not that they might believe in him, but only that they might see what he could do.

Everywhere the Pharisees, who looked upon themselves as leaders, were opposed to Jesus and stirred up the ignorant people against him.

We have already seen that Jesus never gave any cures or wonderful works merely to be looked upon. He would help those who were in need or in trouble; but he would not merely satisfy an idle desire to see a miracle. He answered these Pharisees as he had answered others:

"I will give you a sign from heaven. In the evening, at sunset you say, 'It will be fine weather, for the sky is as red as fire.' But in the morning, if the sky is red, you say, 'It will be a stormy day, for the sky is red as fire, and threatening.' You learn to read the signs in the sky, yet you do not know how to read the signs of the times. If you would look, you might see whether I come from G.o.d or not. It is a wicked and a disobedient people who continually ask for signs. No sign shall be given to this people, except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

He did not even tell them how Jonah was to be a sign or token to them.

Perhaps a few months later, when these people heard that Jesus had been slain and buried; then after three days had risen again to life, just as Jonah had come forth alive after being buried for three days in the great fish, they would then understand how Jonah had been as a sign of Jesus.

Jesus saw at once that this was no place to find quiet and a chance to teach his disciples, so he went into the boat again, with his disciples, and sailed away up the lake. They left in such haste that the disciples did not think, while they were ash.o.r.e, to buy some bread, and they had with them in the boat only one loaf for Jesus and twelve men.

While they were rowing over the sea, Jesus said to them:

"Take care and be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

They thought that he was speaking to them about their having failed to bring more bread, and they began talking among themselves. Jesus noticed this, and he said:

"Why are you talking to one another about your being short of bread? How little trust you have in me! Do you not remember the five loaves with which I fed the five thousand, and the twelve baskets full of pieces that you picked up afterward? Have you forgotten about the seven loaves among the four thousand, and the seven baskets full that you picked up?

How is it that you do not see that I was not speaking to you about bread? No, be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."

In warning his disciples against the leaven of the Pharisees, Jesus meant their pride and pretense of religion and exactness in obeying rules, while failing to serve G.o.d with the heart. By the leaven of Herod, he meant the spirit of living for the world, of guilty pleasure, without a thought of doing G.o.d's will.

They came to Bethsaida; and as soon as the people saw Jesus they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him, hoping to see Jesus give him his sight. But Jesus would not let them look on the curing of the man. He took him away from the crowd, and outside the town, to a lonely place. There, after spitting upon the man's eyes, he laid his hands upon him, and asked him:

"Can you see anything?"

The man looked up, and said, "Yes, I can see a little, but not very clearly. I see men moving about, but they look like trees."

Then Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes. He looked around, and now could see everything distinctly.

Jesus said to him, "Now go directly to your home; and do not go into the town, where men will see you and ask how you received your sight."

Jesus and his disciples did not stop in Bethsaida; for he felt that he must find some quiet, lonely place, where he could teach his disciples the great truths of which they knew nothing; truths, too, which it would be hard for them to believe and to understand. So from Bethsaida he went on, following a road beside the river Jordan to the foot of Mount Hermon, far in the north.

The Great Confession

CHAPTER 47

FROM BETHSAIDA by the Sea of Galilee Jesus led his twelve disciples northward, to the very end of the land of Israel, at the foot of Mount Hermon. Here, at one of the great springs from which the river Jordan flows, was the city of Caesarea-Philippi, or "Philip's Caesarea," so called because it was in the land ruled by Herod Philip, the brother of Herod Antipas, who was ruling in Galilee. Jesus did not go into the city of Caesarea-Philippi, but into one of the villages near the city, for he wished not to have a crowd around him, but to be alone with his disciples.

The time had now come for the disciples to know more about Jesus, who he was, the work that he was to do and what he was soon to suffer. His plan of teaching them was not to tell them, but to lead them on by questions so that they might learn the truth by finding it out themselves. One day, after he had been alone praying to his Father, he asked his disciples:

"Tell me, who do the people say that I am?"

"Some say that you are John the Baptist, raised up from the dead,"

answered the disciples; "others say that you are Elijah the prophet come to earth again; and still others say that you are the prophet Jeremiah or some other one of the old prophets."

"But you, who do you say that I am?" asked Jesus.

At once Simon Peter answered, for he was the one among the Twelve always ready to speak:

[Ill.u.s.tration: "But you, who do you say that I am?" asked Jesus of Simon Peter.]

"You are the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d!"

You know that the Jews everywhere were looking for a king to rule over them, set them free from the Roman power and make of them a great conquering nation. This king, in their own language, they called "the Messiah," which means, "the Anointed One," for in Israel a new king was chosen by having oil poured upon his head. The word "Messiah," in the Greek language, which was spoken everywhere, was "Christ," also meaning "The Anointed One." Peter, in speaking those words, "Thou art the Messiah, the Christ," meant to say that Jesus was the King of Israel, for whom all the people were looking.

"You are a blessed man, Simon, son of Jonah," answered Jesus, "for no human being has made this known to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Yes, and I say to you, 'Your name is Peter--a Rock--and on this rock I will build my church; and all the powers of the underworld shall not succeed against it.' Also, Simon Peter, I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth shall be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth shall be allowed in heaven."

Because Simon Peter was the first to make this confession of Jesus as the Messiah-Christ, the King, he was given special honor among the followers of the Lord. You remember that more than a year before, when Jesus met Simon for the first time, beside the river Jordan, he gave him the new name Peter, which means "a rock."

Then Jesus told the disciples that they were not to speak to any of the people of what Peter had said, that Jesus was the Christ, the King, for the time had not yet come to make it public. But now, since they knew that he was to be a king and rule over Israel, he began for the first time to speak of certain other things, which they found very hard to understand.

"Very soon," said Jesus, "we are going up to Jerusalem; and there I must endure great suffering from the rulers of the people, the chief priests and teachers of the law. I must be slain and buried; and on the third day I shall rise again."

The disciples could not understand how if he was to reign as King of Israel, it could be possible for him to suffer these things and to die.

Peter took Jesus aside, where he could speak with him alone.

"Master," said Peter, "you must not speak of such things. G.o.d will not allow these things to come to you. You are not going to be put to death in Jerusalem; you are going to Jerusalem to sit on the throne of David, and reign over the land!"

But Jesus turned his back upon Peter, and looking upon his disciples, said:

"Get away from me, Satan! You would turn me away from doing G.o.d's will!

For you look at things, not as G.o.d looks at them, but as man does!"

Jesus saw that in Peter's mind was the view of the kingdom that Satan had shown him in his great temptation on the mountain, not as a kingdom of G.o.d, but as a kingdom such as men were expecting, a kingdom like those of the world.

Then Jesus called to his disciples, and to the people that were around them, and said:

"If any man has the will to come after me and be my disciple, let him give up his own will, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever for my sake loses his life shall find it. What good will it do to a man to gain the whole world if in gaining he loses his own life? What will a man give that is worth as much as his life? For the Son of Man is coming in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he will give to every man what his acts deserve. And I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not die until they have seen the Son of Man coming to reign in his kingdom."

[Ill.u.s.tration: Nazareth]

[Ill.u.s.tration: The three disciples beheld with wonder the change which had come over their Lord. His face shone with a glory so great they could not bear to look upon him, and beside him they saw standing the prophets, Moses and Elijah.]

The Vision on the Mountain

CHAPTER 48