ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. CHAPTER II. HISTORY OF THE CLOSING SCENES OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST. § 1. THE SUPPER AT BETHANY. JOHN 12: 1. Then Jesus, six days before the passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper, and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. (Luke 10: 40. Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her, therefore, that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things; but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.) -3. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. MARK 14: 3. And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there, came a woman, having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. JOHN 12: 4. Then saith one of the desciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein. MARK 14: 6. Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always; and when ye will ye may do them good, but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying; verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached, throughout the whole world, this also, that she hath done, shall be spoken of, for a memorial of her. § 2. HIS PUBLIC ENTRANCE INTO JERUSALEM. LUKE 19: 28. When he had thus spoken he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. MAT. 21: 1. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway, ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them, and siraightway, he will send them. LUKE 19: 32. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, the Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus; and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. JOHN 12: 12. And much people that were coming to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him. LUKE 19: 36. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice, and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed is the King that cometh in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest! MAT. 21: 8. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way. Others cut down branches § 3. SCENES IN THE TEMPLE. I. Purification of the Temple. MARK 11: 11. And Jesus went into the temple of God; and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the even tide was come, he went out unto Bethany, with the twelve. On the morrow of the trees and strewed them in the way. And the multitude that went before and that followed cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest ! -4. All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, (Fear not. John 12: 15,) behold thy king cometh unto thee, meek and sitting upon an ass and a colt the foal of an ass. (John 12: 16. These things understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him. The people, therefore, that were with him, when he called Lazarus II. Prediction of the Destruction of out of the grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.) LUKE 19: 39. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out. JOHN 12: 19. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him. LUKE 19: 41. And when he was come near he beheld the city and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace. But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in, on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. MAT. 21: 10. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitule said, This is Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet of Galilee. when they were come from Bethany the Temple and the Cily. : And as MAT. 24: 1. And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple and his disciples came to him, for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false not when the time of the fruit drew Je ¶ 23: 1. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of MAT. 21: 33. Hear another par- their garments, and love the upperable. There was a certain house- most rooms at feasts, and the chief holder, which planted a vineyard, seats in the synagogues, and greetand hedged it round about, and dig-ings in the markets, and to be called ged a wine-press in it, and built a of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not tower, and let it out to husbandmen, ye called Rabbi: for one is your and went into a far country: and Master, even Christ; and all ye are II. Christ's last public Discourse; Conviction and Condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees. 36 brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte: and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is_he_that cometh in the name of the Lord. III. Conspiracy against Christ. MAT. 21: 45. When the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. 22: 15. Then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.-23. The same day came unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection. 34. When the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 26: 3. Then assembled together the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty and kill him. LUKE 22: 2. And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him, for they feared the people. 'Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve. And he went his way and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money; and he promised and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude. § 4. THE LAST PASSOVER. MAT. 26: 17. Now, the first day of the feast of unleavened bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover? LUKE 22: 8. And he sent Peter and John saying, Go and prepare us the passover that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you bearing a pitcher of water: follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the good man of the house (My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples, Mat. 1.) where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went and found as he had said unto them, and they made ready the passover. - 14. And when the hour was come, he sat down and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire, I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. — 24. And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. Pe ¶ JOHN 18: 4. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash his disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter said unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. ter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am, If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I speak not of you all; I know whom So, |