The Life of
Christ
by J.
Gresham Machen (1881-1937)
This following selection
has been extracted from a joint work of J. Gresham Machen and
James Oscar Boyd entitled "A Brief Bible History: A Survey
of the Old and New Testaments" (The Westminster Press, Philadelphia,
1931). Boyd contributed the sections devoted to the Old Testament,
while Machen was given the responsibility of covering the New
Testament. This edition only represents the first nine of Machen's
23 chapters (more will be made available here soon). The electronic
edition of this book was scanned and edited by Shane Rosenthal
for Reformation Ink. It is in the public domain and may
be freely copied and distributed. The above title was created
for this on-line edition. The actual title of Machen's section
appears as follows: "The Life of Christ and the Development
of the Church in New Testament Times."
Chapter 1: The Preparation
-
- At the time when the Old Testament
narrative closes, the Jews were under the rule of Persia. The
Persian control continued for about one hundred years more, and
then gave way to the empire of Alexander the Great. Alexander
was king of Macedonia, a country to the north of Greece; but
the language and culture of his court were Greek. After Greece
proper had been conquered by Alexander's father, Philip, Alexander
himself proceeded to the conquest of the East. The Persian Empire
fell in 331 B.C., and with the other Persian possessions Jerusalem
came into the hands of the conqueror. In 323 B.C., when Alexander
died, his vast empire, which extended around the eastern end
of the Mediterranean Sea and to the borders of India, at once
fell to pieces. But the kingdoms into which the empire was divided
were to a large extent Greek kingdoms. Short-lived, therefore,
as Alexander's empire was, it had the permanent effect of spreading
the Greek language and Greek civilization over the Eastern world.
It became thus as will be seen, one of the most important factors
in the divine preparation for the gospel.
-
- After the death of Alexander,
the country of Judea became a bone of contention between two
of the kingdoms into which Alexander's empire was divided-the
Greek kingdom of Syria and the Greek kingdom of Egypt. At last,
however, the Syrian kingdom, with its capital at Antioch, near
the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, gained the
upper hand. Judea became part of the territory of the Syrian
monarchs.
-
- In the reign of Antiochus IV
of Syria, called Antiochus Epiphanes, 175-164 B.C., the Jews
began a war for independence. Antiochus Epiphanes had desecrated
the Temple at Jerusalem by setting up an image of a heathen god
in the Holy of Holies. The result was the glorious revolt of
the Jews under Mattathias and his sons-the family of the Maccabees.
The Maccabean uprising, of which a stirring account has been
preserved in the First Book of the Maccabees, an apocryphal book
attached to the Old Testament, certainly constitutes one of the
most glorious chapters in the history of liberty. The uprising
was successful, and for about one hundred years the little country
of the Jews, though surrounded by powerful neighbors, succeeded
in maintaining its independence.
-
- At first the Maccabees had been
animated by a religious motive; the revolt had been due not to
an interference with what may be called civil liberty, but to
the desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes of the Temple and to the
attempt at prohibiting the worship of Jehovah. As time went on,
however, the Maccabean rulers became more worldly in their purposes
and thus alienated the devout element among their people. Hence
the little kingdom became an easy prey to the next great world
empire which appeared upon the scene.
-
- That empire was the empire of
Rome. Originally a small city-state in Italy, Rome had gradually
extended her conquests until she came into conflict with Greece
and with the Greek kingdoms of the Eastern world. Weakened by
many causes, the successors of Alexander soon succumbed, and
among them the monarchs of Syria. Judea could not, resist the
new conqueror. In 63 B.C., the famous Roman general, Pompey,
entered Jerusalem, and Jewish independence was at an end.
-
- The Roman control was exerted
in Palestine for a time through subservient high priests, until
in 37 B.C. Herod the Great was made king. Herod was not a real
Jew, but an Idumaean; and at, heart he had little or no attachment
to the Jews' religion. But he was wise enough not to offend Jewish
feeling in the outrageous way that. had proved so disastrous
to Antiochus Epiphanes. Throughout his reign Herod was of course
thoroughly subservient to the Romans; though a king, he was strictly
a vassal king. Herod reigned from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C. His kingdom
embraced not only Judea, but all Palestine. It was near the end
of Herod's reign that our Saviour was born. Thus the reckoning
of the Christian era, which was instituted many centuries after
Christ, is at least four years too low; Jesus was born a little
earlier than 4 B.C.
-
- When Pompey conquered Jerusalem
in 63 B.C., Rome was still a republic. But before many years
had elapsed Julius Ceasar assumed the supreme power, and the
ancient Roman liberties were gone. After the assassination of
Caesar in 44 B.C., there was a long period of civil war. Finally
Augustus was triumphant, and the Roman Empire began. In the long
reign of Augustus, 27 B.C. to A.D. 14, our Saviour was born.
-
- The political events which have
just been outlined did not take place by chance. They were all
parts of the plan of God which prepared for the coming of the
Lord. When Jesus finally came, the world was prepared for his
coming.
-
- In the first place, the Roman
Empire provided that peace and unity which was needed for the
spread of the gospel. War interrupts comunication between nations.
But when the apostles went forth from Jerusalem to spread the
good news of Christ to the world, there was no war to interrupt
their course. Nation was bound to nation tinder the strong hand
of Rome. Travel was comparatively safe and easy, and despite
occasional persecution the earliest missionaries usually enjoyed
the protection of Roman law.
-
- In the second place, the Greek
language provided a medium of communication. When the Romans
conquered the Eastern world, they did not endeavor to substitute
their own language for the language which already prevailed.
Such an attempt would only have produced confusion. Indeed, the
Romans themselves adopted the Greek language as a convenient
medium of communication. Greek thus became a world language.
The original, local languages of the various countries continued
to be used (Aramaic, for example, was used in Palestine), but
Greek was a common medium. Thus when the apostles went forth
to the evangelization of the world, there were no barriers of
language to check their course.
-
- In the third place, the dispersion
of the Jews provided the early missionaries everywhere with a
starting point for their labors. As a result not only of captivity,
but also of voluntary emigration, the Jews in the first century
were scattered abroad throughout the cities of the world very
much as they are scattered to-day. But there was one important
difference. Today the Jewish synagogues are attended only by
Jews. In those days they were attended also by men of other races.
Thus when Paul and the other Christian missionaries exercised
their privilege of speaking in the, synagogues, they were speaking
not only to Jews but also to a picked audience of Gentiles.
-
- Questions on Chapter 1.
-
- 1. Name in order the foreign
powers which possessed the country of the Jews, beginning with
Old Testament times and continuing down to the present (lay.
- 2. What was the importance of
the Maccabean uprising in the. preparation for the coming of
the Lord? What would have happened if Antiochus Epiphanes had
been successful?
- 3. What was the importance of
the Roman Empire for the spread of the gospel? of the Greek language?
of the dispersion of the Jews?
-
-
-
-
-
- Chapter 2: The Coming
of the Lord
-
- John 1: 1-18
-
- When the Son of God came to
earth for our salvation, the world was ready for his coming.
The whole course of history had been made to lead up to him.
And he was well worthy of being thus the goal of history. For
the One who came was none other than the eternal Son of God,
the Word who was with. God and who was God. He had existed from
all eternity; he had been the instrument in creating the world.
He was himself truly God, the same in substance with the Father,
and equal in power and glory. Yet the One who was so great humbled
himself to be born as a man and finally to suffer and die. His
coming was a voluntary act, an act of the Father in giving him
for the sins of the world, and his own act which he performed
because he loved us. It was an act of infinite condescension.
The Son of God humbled himself to lead a true human life; he
took upon himself our nature. He was born, he grew in wisdom
and stature, he suffered, he died." He was always God, but
he became also man. Who can measure the depth of such condescending
love? I
-
- What, then, was the manner of
his coming? The story is told, in beautiful narrative, in the
first two chapters of Matthew and Luke.
-
- Luke1:5-25,57-80
-
- First, the birth of John the
Baptist, the forerunner, was announced by the angel Gabriel to
Zacharias, a devout priest, as he was ministering in the Temple.
Luke 1:5-25. Zacharias was old; he had given up hope of children.
The promise seemed to him too wonderful to be true; he doubted
the angel's word. But the punishment which was inflicted upon
him for his doubt was temporary merely, and the bitterness of
it was swallowed up in joy for the child that was born. The tongue
of Zacharias, which had been dumb on account of his sin, was
loosed, and he uttered a wonderful song of praise. Vs. 57-80.
-
- Luke 1: 26-56
-
- But before John was born, in
fulfillment of the angel's promise, there was a promise of a
greater than John. Luke 1:26-56. "The angel Gabriel was
sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin
betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house ,of David;
and the virgin's name was Mary." It was a far more wonderful
promise than that which had come to Zacharias, not only because
of the greater glory of the promised Son, but also because of
the mystery of his birth. The child was to have no human father,
but was to be given by the power of the Holy Spirit. But this
time, despite the strangeness of the promise, there was no unbelief,
as in the case of Zacharias. "Behold, the handmaid of the
Lord," said Mary; "be it unto me according to thy word."
And then Mary went to Judea to visit her kinswoman Elisabeth,
the wife of Zacharias; and while in Judea she gave glorious expression
to her thanksgiving in the hymn which is called, from the first
word of it in the Latin translation, the "Magnificat"
-
- "My soul doth magnify the
Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Then
Mary returned to her own home in Nazareth.
-
- Matthew 1:18-25
-
- But another announcement of
the Saviour's birth was made to Joseph, who was betrothed to
Mary. Matt. 1:18-25. Joseph was to have the high privilege of
caring for the child that was to be born. "Fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife," said the angel to Joseph in a
dream, "for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Spirit." And here again, there was no unbelief and no disobedience.
Joseph "did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and
took unto him his wife."
-
- Luke 2:1-7
-
- Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth,
a town of the northern part of Palestine, which was called Galilee.
But the promised Child was to belong to the house of David, and
it was fitting that he should be born at Bethlehem, a little
town five miles south of Jerusalem where David himself had been
born. To cause him to be born at Bethlehem, God made use of an
event of world politics. Luke 2:1-7. A decree had gone out from
the emperor, Augustus, that the whole empire should be enrolled.
This enrollment or census seems to have been carried out in the
kingdom of Herod the Great by the Jewish method which took account
of family relationships. So, although at the time Joseph and
Mary were living at Nazareth, they went up to the home of Joseph's
ancestors, to Bethlehem, to be enrolled. And at Bethlehem the
Saviour was born. There was no room in the lodging place. The
Child was laid, therefore, in a manger that was intended for
the feeding of cattle.
-
- Luke 2: 8-20
-
- But humble as were the surroundings
of the newborn King, his birth was not without manifestations
of glory. Luke 2:8-20. Shepherds, keeping watch in the fields
by night, heard a multitude of the heavenly host praising God
and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace
among men in whom he is well pleased. "The shepherds went
then to see the sign which had been made known to them. It was
a strange sign indeed-Christ the Lord, the promised King, wrapped
in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger I
-
- Luke 2:21-38; Matthew 2:1-12
-
- Forty days after the birth of
Jesus, Joseph and Mary made the offering according to the Old
Testament law, and presented the Child, as the first-born, to
the Lord in the Temple at Jerusalem. Luke 2:21-38. Then they
must have returned to Bethlehem, for it was at Bethlehem that
gifts were presented by Wise Men from the East. Matt. 2: 1-12.
The Wise Men had been guided to Bethlehem partly by a wonderful
star which they had first seen in their own country, and partly
by questions which were answered by the scribes.
-
- Matthew2:13-23
-
- But the life of the infant Saviour
was not all to be a hearing of angels' songs and a reception
of gold and frankincense and myrrh. The Lord bad come to suffer
for the sins of the world, and the last great suffering on the
cross was anticipated by the persecution which came in the early
days. Matt. 2 :13-18. The suspicions of Herod, the jealous king,
had been aroused by the questions of the Wise Men. He sent to
Bethlehem to put a possible rival out of the way. But it was
too late.'
-
- 'The king's rage was vented
upon the innocent children of the little town, but God had cared
for the infant Saviour. The Lord was finally to die for the sins
of the world. But meanwhile many words of wisdom and grace were
to fall from his lips; his hour was not yet come. Joseph was
warned of God in a dream, and took the young Child and his mother
away to Egypt, out of the way of harm, until Herod the Great
was dead. Then they returned to Nazareth, where the Child was
to spend long, quiet years of preparation for his work.
-
- Questions on Chapter 2.
-
- 1. What life had our Saviour
lived before he came to earth? Did he cease to be God while he
was on earth?
- 2. Why did he come?
- 3. Who was his forerunner? What
sort of persons were the parents of the forerunner?
- 4. How did Jesus come to be
born at Bethlehem?
- 5. What was the character of
his mother?
-
-
-
-
- Chapter 3: The Baptism
-
- Luke 2: 40-50
-
- The New Testament tells very
little about the boyhood and early manhood of our Saviour. One
incident, however, is narrated. Luke 2:41-50. Joseph and Mary,
we are told, were in the habit of going up from Galilee to Jerusalem
every year in the spring at the feast of the passover. When Jesus
was twelve years old, he went up with them. But when they left
Jerusalem on the return, Jesus remained behind in the Temple,
to study the Old Testament; and when Joseph and Mary found him,
he replied to their inquiries, "Knew ye not that I must
be about my Father's business?" The incident shows the presence
even in the human consciousness of the boy Jesus of a knowledge
of the great mission that he was called to fulfill and of his
special relation to God.
-
- Luke 2:51, 52
-
- But the consciousness of these
great things did not prevent our Saviour from performing the
humble tasks of daily life and from being obedient to his human
parents. Luke 2 :51, 52. Jesus became a carpenter, and since
Joseph also was a carpenter, no doubt Jesus learned the trade
in early youth. Mark 6:3; Matt. 13:55. For many years, till he
was about thirty years old, the Saviour of the world labored
at the carpenter's bench, and lived as an obedient son in a humble
home at Nazareth. Luke 3:23.
-
- At last, however, the time came
for the beginning of his public ministry. Before that ministry
is studied, it may be well to cast a glance at the condition
of the country into which Jesus now came forward.
-
- When Herod the Great died in
4 B.C., his dominions were divided among his three sons. Archelaus
received Judea, the southern part of Palestine, with Jerusalem
as its chief city; Herod Antipas, the "Herod" who is
mentioned in the Gospels in connection with Jesus' public ministry,
received Galilee and a district to the east of the Jordan River
called Perea; and Philip received a region lying to the east
of Galilee and to the north of Perea. When Archelaus was banished
in A.D. 6, his territory was placed under the control of Roman
officials called procurators. The procurator who was in office
during Jesus' public ministry was Pontius Pilate. Herod Antipas,
with the title of "tetrarch," continued to rule until
A.D. 39; Philip until about A.D. 33. The public ministry of Jesus
extended from A.D. 26 or 27 to A.D. 29 or 30. During most of
that time he was in the territory of Herod Antipas and of Pontius
Pilate, though occasionally he entered the territory of Philip.
-
- Matthew 3:1-12, and Parallels
-
- The beginning of Jesus' public
ministry was prepared for by the work of John the Baptist. Matt.
3:1-12, and parallels. John was the last and greatest prophet
of the old dispensation, who came just before the dawn of the
new age. For centuries prophecy had been silent. But at last
a prophet came in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the
heart of the people for the promised Messiah.
-
- Even in dress and in manner
of life, John was like a prophet of the olden time. His food
was locusts and wild honey; he was clothed with a rough camel's-hair
garment; and his preaching was carried on in the, deserts. The
substance of his message is summed up in the words, "Repent
ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt. 3:2.
-
- The phrase, "kingdom of
heaven," or "kingdom of God," was evidently familiar
to the hearers of John, and the meaning of the phrase, up to
a certain point, is perfectly clear. As the kingdom of Caesar
is the place where Caesar bears rule, so the Kingdom of God is
the place, or the condition, where God bears rule. In one sense,
the whole universe is the Kingdom of God, for nothing happens
apart from God's will. But evidently John was using the phrase
in some narrower sense; he meant by the Kingdom of God the condition
where God's will is wrought out to completion, where the sinful
disobedience which Prevails in the world is banished and God
is truly King.
-
- The Jews expected an age which
should be under the perfect control of God. But they were surprised
by what John the Baptist said about the requirements for entrance
into that age. They had supposed that all Jews would have the
blessing of the Kingdom, but John told them that only the righteous
would be allowed to enter in. It was a startling message, since
the hearers of John knew only too well that they did not possess
the righteousness which was required. Repentance, therefore,
or cleansing from sin, was necessary. And the sign of cleansing
was baptism.
-
- Matthew 3:13 to 4: 11, and Parallels
-
- Among those who came to be baptized
was Jesus of Nazareth. Matt. 3 :13-15, and parallels. Jesus did
not need to be baptized for his own sake, for he had no sin to
be washed away. But his baptism was part of what he was doing
for his people. Just as on the cross he received the punishment
of sin, though there was no sin of his own, so in his baptism
he represented the sinful people whom he came to save.
-
- When Jesus had been baptized,
there was a wonderful event which was perceived not only by him
but also by John the Baptist. Matt. 3 :161 17, and parallels.
The Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and
there was a voice from heaven which said, "This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased." This event marks the beginning
of Jesus' public ministry as Messiah. He had been the Messiah
already, and he had already possessed the Holy Spirit; but now
the power of the Spirit impelled him to come forward definitely
as the promised One.
-
- At the very beginning, however,
there was temptation to be overcome. Matt. 4:1-11, and parallels.
Jesus was led up from the deep Jordan Valley, where the baptism
had taken place, into the wilderness on the heights. And there
he was tempted. The temptation was based upon the holy experience
which he had just received. The voice from heaven had designated
Jesus as Son of God. "If that be true," said the Tempter,
"if thou art really Son of God, use thy power to obtain
creature comfort, test out thy power by casting thyself down
from a pinnacle of the Temple, obtain the immediate enjoyment
of thy power by doing obeisance to me." The Devil quoted
Scripture for his evil purpose. But Jesus did not need to repudiate
the Scripture in order to refute him. The Holy Scriptures themselves
contained a sufficient answer to every suggestion of the Evil
One. The great victory was won. The Kingdom of the Messiah was
not to be a worldly realm, and it was not to be won by worldly
means. The path to the Messiah's throne led by the way of the
cross. And that path our Saviour was willing to tread for our
sakes.
-
- Questions on Chapter 3.
-
- I. What is known about the boyhood
and youth of Jesus?
- 2. Describe the physical features
and the political divisions of Palestine at the time of our Lord.
Where was Jesus born, where did he spend his youth, and where
was he baptized?
- 3. What was the meaning of John's
baptism? Why was Jesus baptized? 4. What was the meaning of each
of the three temptations, and how did Jesus overcome them?
-
-
-
-
- Chapter 4: The Early
Judean Ministry
-
- John 1:19-34
-
- After the temptation Jesus descended
again into the Jordan Valley, where the baptism had taken place.
There he received the testimony of John the Baptist. John 1:19-34.
John had come not to perform a work of his own, but to be a witness
to the greater One who was to follow. He put aside, therefore,
all thoughts of personal ambition, declared plainly that he was
not the Christ, and rejoiced when his disciples left him in order
to follow the One. whom he had come to announce. John had had
revealed to him, moreover, not merely the fact that Jesus was
the Saviour, but also something of the way in which the salvation
was to be wrought. Jesus was to die, like a sacrificial lamb,
for the sins of others. "Behold, the Lamb of God,"
said John to his disciples, "that taketh away the sin of
the world!"
-
- John 1:35-51
-
- Two pairs of brothers, in those
early days, left John to follow the Saviour. John 1:35-42. One
pair consisted of Andrew and Peter; the other, no doubt, consisted
of the two sons of Zebedee, James and John, although John, who
wrote the Gospel in which this narrative is contained, has never
mentioned his own name in his book. Two other men, besides these
four, came to Jesus on the following day-Philip and Nathanael.
Vs.43-51.
-
- John 2: 1-11
-
- After the meeting with these
six disciples, our Lord ascended again from the valley of the
Jordan to the higher country of Galilee. And there, in the village
of Cana, he wrought the first of his miracles. John 2:1-11. Ile
was a guest at a wedding feast, and when the wine ran out he
supplied the lack by turning water into wine. Thereby he not
only manifested his power, but also indicated the manner of his
ministry. He was not to be an austere person like John the Baptist,
living far from the habitations of men. On the contrary, his
ministry was, for those whom he came to win, a ministry of joy.
He entered not merely into the sorrows, but also into the joys
of men; the One who was to die for the sins of the world was
also willing to grace a marriage feast!
-
- John 2:12-22
-
- After a brief sojourn at Capernaum,
on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he was afterwards
to carry on a large part of his ministry, Jesus went southward
to Jerusalem at passover time. At Jerusalem his first recorded
act was an act of stern rebuke. John 2:13- 22. The Temple area
was filled with the tables of those who sold the sheep and oxen
and doves which were intended for sacrifice; the sacred precincts
of God's house had been made a place of business. There was no
hesitation on the part of Jesus; he made a scourge of cords and
drove the traffickers out. It is a mistake to suppose that the
wonderful gentleness of our Saviour or his gracious participation
in innocent joys was any indication of weakness. Though always
merciful to the penitent, Jesus could be indignant against blatant
sinners; and the righteous anger of the Saviour was a terrible
thing.
-
- John 2:23-25
-
- At Jerusalem Jesus won adherents
because of the miracles which he wrought. But he was able to
distinguish true devotion from that which was false. He "knew
all men,...and needed not that any one should bear witness concerning
man; for he himself knew what was in man." John 2:24, 25.
-
- John 3:1-15
-
- One example of this knowledge
was afforded by the case of Nicodemus, John 3:1-15; Jesus knew
what Nicodemus lacked. Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to
Jesus by night, to discuss the substance of what Jesus had been
saying. But our Lord would not waste time with things that lay
on the surface. He went straight to the heart of the matter,
and said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born anew." V. 7.
None of the learning, none of the worldly influence of Nicodemus
would avail; true life could come only by a new birth, which
all, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, must receive, and receive,
not by their own efforts, but by the mysterious power of the
Spirit of God. Jesus spoke, too, on that memorable night, of
the sacrificial death which he himself was to die for the sins
of men. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,"
he said, "even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that
whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life."
-
- John 3:22-30
-
- Then Jesus left Jerusalem' the
capital, and carried on, through his disciples, a -ministry of
baptism in the country districts of Judea. John 3:22-30. He was
thus engaging in a work which before had belonged peculiarly
to John the Baptist. Some of John's disciples were perhaps inclined
to be envious. But there was no envy in the heart of John himself.
He had come not for his own sake but to be a witness to Jesus
as Messiah. And now he rejoiced in the growing prominence of
Jesus. "The friend of the bridegroom," he said about
himself, "rejoices at the voice of the bridegroom. He must
increase, but I must decrease." Vs. 29, 30, in substance.
-
- John 4:1-42
-
- When this early Judean ministry
was over, Jesus went back to Galilee. On the way he passed through
Samaria. John 4:1-42. The inhabitants of Samaria were not of
pure Jewish race, and although they accepted the five books of
Moses and looked for the coming of a Messiah, they did not accept
all of the Old Testament. They were despised by the Jews. But
even for the Samaritans, and for the most degraded among them,
the Saviour had a message of hope. Wearied by his journey, our
Lord was sitting by Jacob's well near the city of Sychar. When
his disciples had gone into the city to buy food, a woman came
to draw water at the well. For that woman it was a memorable
hour. Jesus was willing to labor, and that in the midst of his
weariness- for one sinful soul, as well as for all the multitudes
that had crowded around him in Judea. The woman was of sinful
life, and she could not hide her sin from Jesus But Jesus searched
out her sin, not in order to condemn her, but in order to bring
to her the message of salvation. Attracted, then, by what the
woman had said, a number of the Samaritans came to Jesus and
recognized him as the Messiah and as the Saviour of the world.
-
- Questions on Chapter 4.
-
- 1. Give an account of the testimony
of John the Baptist to Jesus. How did John know that Jesus was
the Messiah?
- 2. What happened at Cana? Who,
besides Jesus, was a guest at the feast?
- 3. Give an outline of all the
journeys of Jesus up to his passage through Samaria.
- 4. Give an account, fuller than
the outline given, of the early Judean ministry. What did Jesus
say when he was asked to give a sign?
- 5. What is the meaning of the
"new birth"? Is it still necessary to-day if a man
is to be saved? How does it come?
-
-
-
-
- Chapter 5: The Beginning
of the Galilaean Ministry
-
- After passing through Samaria,
Jesus arrived in Galilee, and it was in Galilee that a large
part of his ministry was carried on. The Galilaean ministry is
narrated for the most part by the first three Gospels, which
are called Synoptic Gospels, whereas the Gospel According to
John deals more particularly with the work in Judea.
-
- Luke 4:16-30
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- After the healing of a nobleman's
son, when Jesus was at Cana of Galilee, our Lord began his preaching
in the Galilaean synagogues. Early in this period he went to
Nazareth, the place where he had been brought up. Luke 4 :16-30.
But the people of Nazareth could not believe that the carpenter's
Son whom they had known was really chosen by God to fulfill the
glorious prophecies of Isaiah. When rebuked by Jesus they even
desired to kill him. Thus did they illustrate, to their own eternal
loss, the words of Jesus that "No prophet is acceptable
in his own country."
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- Leaving Nazareth, our Lord went
down and dwelt at Capernaum, making that city apparently the
center of his work. But before the details of the Galilaean ministry
are studied, it will be well to cast a hurried glance at the
geographical features of the country where Jesus' ministry was
carried on.
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- The political divisions of Palestine
have already been mentioned Galilee in the north, under the tetrarch,
Herod Antipas; Samaria and Judea to the south, under the Roman
procurator, Pontius Pilate. But the physical features of the
country do not correspond at all to the political divisions.
Physically the country is divided into four narrow strips, each
about one hundred and fifty miles long, running from north to
south. The westernmost strip is the coastal plain, along the
Mediterranean Sea, into which Jesus hardly went; then comes the
low hill country, the "shephela"; then the highlands,
upon which Jerusalem is situated, reaching an altitude of some
2500 feet above sea level. These central highlands of Palestine
are broken by the plain of Esdraelon, in southern Galilee. A
little to the north of this plain, in a hill country, lies the
town of Nazareth. East of the central highlands is the deep valley
of the Jordan River. The Jordan rises in the extreme north of
Palestine, one of its sources being on the slopes of the lofty
Mount Hermon; then flows southward to the lake called "the
waters of Merom"' then, issuing from that lake it flows,
after a short course, into the Lake of Gennesaret, or Sea of
Galilee, which is about twelve miles long; then, issuing from
the Lake of Gennesaret, it flows southward, through a very deep
valley to the Dead Sea, which has no outlet and is extremely
salt. During most of its course the Jordan Valley lies far below
the level of the sea, being on account of this peculiarity absolutely
unique among the river valleys of the world. The Dead Sea is
1292 feet, and the Lake of Gennesaret 682 feet, below sea level.
It was on the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret that a large part
of our Lord's ministry was carried on. Centuries of misrule have
now ruined the country, but in those days Galilee supported a
large population. The shores of the lake, particularly, were
lined with villages and towns. The work of our Lord was thus
carried on amid "life's throng and press," though from
time to time he sought out the desert places for rest and prayer.
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- Matthew 4:18-22,and Parallels
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- At the beginning of the ministry
on the shores of the Lake of Galilee Jesus called the two pairs
of brothers-Simon Peter and Andrew, and James and John. Matt.
4 :18-22, and parallels. They had known Jesus before, and had
devoted themselves to his service. But now they were commanded
to show their devotion by leaving their ordinary occupation and
becoming Jesus' permanent followers.
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- Mark 1: 21-39, and Parallels
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- The Gospels give a vivid picture
of a Sabbath which Jesus spent at Capernaum. near the beginning
of his Galilaean ministry. Mark 1:21-34, and parallels. As usual,
he went into the synagogue. Our Lord knew how to find God's handiwork
in the flowers of the field; but he was not like those who think
that the worship of God through nature is any substitute for
the public worship of the Church. In the synagogue the people
were astonished at Jesus' teaching: "He taught them as having
authority, and not as the scribes." But they were also astonished
at his power; he commanded even the unclean spirits and they
obeyed him. He was not merely a teacher, but also a healer; he
brought not merely guidance, but also active help.
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- After the synagogue service,
Jesus went into the house of Simon and Andrew with James and
John. In the house he healed Simon's wife's mother who was sick
of a fever. Others had heard of the wonderful power of Jesus,
and desired to be healed. But in order not to break the Sabbath,
they waited until sunset, when the Jewish Sabbath was over. At
sunset they brought to Jesus those who were sick and those who
were possessed with demons, and Jesus put forth his divine power
to heal.
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- It had been a crowded, busy
day. Our Lord must have been weary as night at last came. But
even in such busy days, he took time to seek the source of all
strength. A great while before the dawn he went out into a desert
place and there prayed. Mark 1:35-39, and parallels.
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- Matthew 9:1-8, and Parallels
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- After a tour in the Galilaean
synagogues, with both preaching and healing, our Lord returned
to Capernaum. There, as is told in one of the vivid narratives
of the Gospels, Jesus healed a paralytic. Matt. 9:1-8, and parallels.
The sick man could not be brought in by the door of the house
because of the crowds. But he and his friends were not to be
denied. The four friends who bore his couch lowered him through
the roof into the place where Jesus was. They had found the Healer
at last. But bodily healing was not the first gift which Jesus
bestowed. "Son," said Jesus, "thy sins are forgiven."
It was a strange physician indeed who could forgive sins. The
scribes said that the word of Jesus was blasphemy. And so it
was, unless Jesus himself were God. As a proof of his divine
power, the Lord said also to the paralytic, "Arise, and
take up thy bed, and walk." And so the man went away from
the presence of the great Healer, whole in body and in mind.
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- Questions on Chapter 5.
-
- 1. Describe the political and
the physical divisions of Palestine. In what parts of the country
was our Lord's ministry carried on? Where was Nazareth? Capernaum?
Point out these places on a map.
- 2. Describe the call of the
four disciples. When and where had they followed Jesus before?
What was their occupation?
- 3. Give an account of the Sabbath
in Capernaum that is described in the Gospels. What great divisions
of Jesus' work were illustrated on that day?
- 4. Describe the healing of the
paralytic. What can be learned from this incident about the nature
of Jesus' person? Why were the scribes offended?
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-
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- Chapter 6: The Period
of Popularity
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- During the first part of the
Galilaean ministry, our Lord had the favor of the people. Great
crowds followed him so that he could scarcely enter into a house.
On one occasion he embarked in a little boat and put forth a
short distance into the lake, so as to be able to speak to the
throng on the shore.
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- This popularity, it is true,
was not universal. The common people heard Jesus gladly, but
the official teachers were hostile. These teachers, who are called
scribes, belonged for the most part to the sect of the Pharisees.
At the time of Christ there were two chief parties among the
Jews-the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Sadducees were a worldly
aristocracy, in possession of the high-priestly offices at Jerusalem,
favored by the Romans, and satisfied with the existing political
order. The Pharisees, on the other hand, were a strict Jewish
party, insisted on a strict interpretation of the Mosaic Law,
and added to the Law a great mass of oral "tradition,"
which ostensibly consisted of interpretation of the Law, but
really meant an enormous and oppressive addition to it. The Pharisees
were opposed to Jesus for at least two reasons. In the first
place, they were envious of his success in teaching, which endangered
their own position. In the second place, they were opposed to
the contents of his teaching; he rejected their interpretation
of the Law, and rebuked them for paying such attention to the
detailed rules which were set forth in their tradition as to
forget the weightier matters of justice and mercy.
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- The conflict of Jesus with the
Pharisees was precipitated particularly by the attitude of Jesus
toward the Sabbath. The Sabbath controversy was carried on partly
in Galilee and partly, John, ch. 5, during a visit of Jesus to
Jerusalem. The Pharisees had developed for the preservation of
the Sabbath an elaborate set of rules which went far beyond what
was set forth in the Old Testament. They were offended, therefore,
when Jesus refused to rebuke his disciples for plucking the ears
of wheat on the Sabbath Day, and when he himself insisted on
using the Sabbath to perform works of mercy like the healing
of the man that had a withered hand.
-
- But for the present the opposition
of the Pharisees was held in check by the favor which our Lord
had among the people.
-
- This favor was due partly to
the teaching of Jesus and partly to his miracles. He interpreted
the Scriptures in a fresh, original way; "He taught as one
having authority and not as their scribes." And he had power
to heal every manner of disease and to cast out demons. It was
no wonder that the crowds followed so wonderful a teacher.
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- Matthew 4:17
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- The Galilaean teaching of Jesus
began with the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The message
sounded at first somewhat like the message of John the Baptist.
Quite like John, Jesus came forward with the summons, "Repent
ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." But the new teacher
differed from John in the more complete account which he gave
of the nature of the Kingdom, and especially in the central place
in the Kingdom which he assigned to himself.
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- Matthew, Chapters 5 to 7
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- The nature of the Kingdom of
God is set forth in the great discourse of our Lord which is
commonly called the Sermon on the Mount Matt., chs. 5 to 7. Having
gone up from the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the heights
which surround the lake, our Lord taught his disciples what was
to be the life of those who should have a part in the Kingdom
of God. In one sense, the Kingdom lay altogether in the future;
it would be ushered in with full power only at the end of the
world. But in another sense, it was present already wherever
there were those who were truly submitting their lives to Jesus.
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- The Sermon on the Mount contains
certain features which are fundamental in all of Jesus' teaching.
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- In the first place, God is presented,
in the Sermon on the Mount, as "Father." The fatherhood
of God, in the teaching of Jesus, is sometimes misunderstood.
Jesus did not mean that God is Father of all men. God stands
indeed to all men in a relation which is analogous to that of
a father to his children; he cares for all, he makes his sun
to rise upon all. Matt. 5:45. But in the teaching of Jesus and
in the whole New Testament the lofty term, "Father,"
is reserved for a still more intimate relationship. So in the
Sermon on the Mount the great world without is sharply distinguished
from the company of Jesus' disciples; it is only the latter who
can say, "Our Father which art in heaven."
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- There was nothing narrow in
such teaching; for although in Jesus' teaching the intimate relation
of sonship toward God was offered only to those who should be
of the household of faith, yet the door of the household of faith
was open wide to all who would be willing to come in. Indeed
Jesus himself died on the cross with the purpose of opening that
door. Our Saviour did far more than teach men that they were
already children of God; he came to make them children of God
by his saving work.
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- In the second place, the Sermon
on the Mount tells what kind of life is led by those who should
have entered into the Kingdom and been made the children of God.
That life is far more than obedience to a set of external rules;
the purity which Jesus demanded is a purity of the heart. The
life in the Kingdom is also far removed from all pretense; the
children of God engage in prayer and good works not to be seen
by men but to be seen by God. Finally, the life in the Kingdom
is a life of perfect trust; all anxious thought for the morrow
is banished, since God will care for his children.
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- One difficulty arises in the
reading of the Sermon on the Mount. How can such an ideal be
attained? It might be possible to obey a set of rules, like the
rules of the Pharisees, but how is it possible for sinful men
to attain purity of heart? The righteousness of the Kingdom of
heaven exceeds by far the "righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees." How can such righteousness be attained?
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- The answer to this question
was partly understood even by the, first hearers of the Sermon
on the Mount. The disciples of Jesus knew even then that Jesus
alone could give them entrance into the Kingdom; they trusted
in him already not merely as teacher but also as Saviour. But
the answer to the question is far plainer to us; for we know
the cross. The atoning death of Christ it was that gave men the
kind of righteousness required for entrance into the Kingdom
of God, for it gave them the righteousness of Christ himself.
The significance of the cross was spoken of by our Lord even
during his earthly ministry, but the full explanation of it was
left to the apostles. The saving work of Jesus could be fully
explained only after it had been done.
-
- Questions on Chapter 6.
-
- 1. What is the meaning of "the
kingdom of God," in Jesus' teaching?
- 2. Who were the Sadducees? Who
were the Pharisees, and why were they opposed to Jesus?
- 3. Give an outline of the Sermon
on the Mount.
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-
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- Chapter 7: The Turning
Point
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