His Life Part 4

And Nathanael said unto him. "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"

Philip saith unto him, "Come and see."

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"

Nathanael saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me?"

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee."

Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of G.o.d; thou art King of Israel."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Because I said unto thee, 'I saw thee underneath the fig tree,' believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these."

And he saith unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of G.o.d ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

THE FIRST MIRACLE.

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and Jesus also was bidden, and his disciples, to the marriage.

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, "They have no wine."

And Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come."

His mother saith unto the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' manner of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, "Fill the waterpots with water."

And they filled them up to the brim.

And he saith unto them, "Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast."

And they bare it. And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants that had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast calleth the bridegroom, and saith unto him, "Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now."

This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples; and there they abode not many days.

JESUS IN JERUSALEM

CLEANSING HIS FATHER'S HOUSE.

And the pa.s.sover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; and to them that sold the doves he said, "Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise."

His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for thy house shall eat me up."

The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, "What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?"

Jesus answered and said unto them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

The Jews therefore said, "Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?"

But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake thus; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

THE VISIT OF NICODEMUS.

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the pa.s.sover, during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did. But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, and because he needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews; the same came unto him by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from G.o.d; for no one can do these signs that thou doest, except G.o.d be with him."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of G.o.d."

Nicodemus saith unto him, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of G.o.d. That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 'Ye must be born anew.' The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, "How can these things be?"

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that which we know, and bear witness of that which we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things? And no one hath ascended into heaven but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life.

"For G.o.d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For G.o.d sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of G.o.d. And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in G.o.d."

PREPARATORY PREACHING

JESUS BAPTIZING AND PREACHING.

After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized (although Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples).

And John also was baptizing in aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison.

And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age.

JOHN'S TRIBUTE TO JESUS.

There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purifying. And they came unto John, and said to him, "Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou hast borne witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him."

John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but, that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease."