The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young Part 5

At the beginning of his ministry, our Saviour did not make much use of parables. But, after he had been preaching for some time, he made a change in his way of teaching, in this respect. He began to use parables very freely. His disciples were surprised at this. On one occasion, after he had used the parable of the Sower, they came to their Master and asked him why he always spake to the people now in parables? We have our Saviour's answer to this question in St. Matt, xiii: 11-18. And it is a remarkable answer. The meaning of it is that he used parables for two reasons: one was to help those who really wished to learn from him to understand what he was teaching. The other was that those who were not willing to be taught might listen to him without understanding what he was saying. These people had heard him when he was teaching without parables. But, instead of thanking him for coming to teach them, and of being willing to do what he wanted them to do, they found fault with his teaching, and would not mind what he said.

Now, there is a great difference between the way in which we are to learn what the Bible teaches us about G.o.d and heaven; and the way in which we learn other things. If we want to learn what the Bible teaches us we must be careful that we are having right feelings in our hearts; but if we want to learn other things it does not matter so much what our feelings are. For instance, suppose you have a lesson to learn in geography; no matter how you are feeling, whether you are proud, or humble; whether you are cross, or gentle; yet if you only study hard enough, and long enough, you can learn that lesson. But, if you want to learn one of the lessons that Jesus teaches, no matter how hard, or how long you study it, yet while you are giving way to proud, or angry feelings in your heart, you can never learn that lesson. And the reason is that we cannot learn these lessons unless we have the special help of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit.

But this help can never be had while we give way to wrong feelings in our hearts. In learning geography, and other such lessons, we do not need the _special_ help of G.o.d. We can learn them ourselves, if we only try. But we cannot learn the lessons that Jesus teaches in this way. This is what the Psalmist means when he says:--"The _meek_ will he teach his way." Ps. xxv: 9. And this was what our Saviour meant when he said: "If any man will do his will, _he shall know_." St.

John vii: 17. We must be willing to be taught;--and willing to obey; if we wish to understand what Jesus, "The Great Teacher," has to tell us.

Some one has well said that truth, taught by a parable, is like the kernel hid away in a nut. The parable, like the sh.e.l.l of the nut, covers up the kernel. Those who really want the kernel will crack the sh.e.l.l, and get it: but those who are not willing to crack the sh.e.l.l will never get the kernel. The sh.e.l.l of the nut keeps the kernel safe _for_ one of these persons, and safe _from_ the others.

But, after the time of which we have spoken, Jesus used parables freely. We are told that--"without a parable spake he not unto the people." St. Mark xiii: 34. He used parables among his disciples for two reasons: these were to help them to _understand_, and to remember what he taught them.

We have a great many of the parables of Jesus in the gospels. A full list of them will contain not less than _fifty_. It would be easy enough to make a sermon on each of these parables. But that would make a larger work than this whole LIFE OF CHRIST, on which we are now engaged. It is impossible therefore to speak of all the parables.

We can only make selections, or take some specimens of them. We may speak of five different lessons as ill.u.s.trated by some of the parables of Christ. These are--_The value of religion: Christ's love of sinners: The duty of forgiveness: The duty of kindness: and the effect of good example_.

_Well then, we may begin by considering what Jesus taught us of_--THE VALUE OF RELIGION--_in his parables._

The parable of The Treasure Hid in the Field teaches us this truth.

We find this parable in St. Matt. xiii: 44. Here Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The words "kingdom of heaven" are used by our Saviour in different senses. Sometimes, as here, they mean the grace of G.o.d, or true religion. And what Jesus teaches us by this parable is that true religion is more valuable than anything else in the world.

The next parable, in the forty-fifth and forty-sixth verses of the same chapter, is about The Pearl of Great Price. This teaches the same lesson. It reads thus:--"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it." By this "pearl of great price" Jesus meant true religion, as he did by the treasure hid in the field in the former parable. And the truth he teaches in both these parables is that religion is more important to us than anything else in the world. Let us look at some incidents that may help to ill.u.s.trate for us the value of religion.

"Jesus Makes Everything Right." A poor lame boy became a Christian, and in telling what effect this change had upon him, these are the words he used to a person who was visiting him: "Once every thing went wrong at our house; father was wrong, mother was wrong, sister was wrong, and I was wrong; but now, since I have learned to know and love Jesus it is all right. I know why everything went wrong before:--it was because I was wrong myself." And this is true. The first thing that religion does for us is to make us _be_ right ourselves, and then to _do_ right to others.

"Be." A young lady had been trying to do something very good, but had not succeeded. Her mother said, "Marian, my child, G.o.d gives us many things to _do_, but we must not forget that he gives us some things to _be_; and we must learn to _be_ what G.o.d would have us be, before we can _do_ what G.o.d would have us do."

"O dear mother, please tell me about _being_, and then I shall know better about doing."

"Well, listen my child, while I remind you of some of the Bible be's: G.o.d says:

"_Be_--ye kindly affectioned one to another."

"_Be_--ye also patient."

"_Be_--ye thankful."

"_Be_--ye children in malice."

"_Be_--ye therefore perfect."

"_Be_--courteous."

"_Be_--not wise in your own conceits."

"_Be_--not overcome of evil."

"Thank you, dear mother," said Marian. "I hope I shall have a better day to-morrow; for I see now that _doing_ grows out of _being_."

This is a point worth dwelling on, and so I will introduce to your notice here:

A SWARM OF BEES WORTH HIVING.

"Be patient, Be prayerful, Be humble, Be mild, Be wise as a Solon, Be meek as a child.

"Be studious, Be thoughtful, Be loving, Be kind, Be sure you make matter subservient to mind.

"Be cautious, Be prudent, Be trustful, Be true, Be courteous to all men, Be friendly with few.

"Be temperate in argument, pleasure and wine, Be careful of conduct, of money, of time.

"Be cheerful, Be grateful, Be hopeful, Be firm, Be peaceful, benevolent, willing to learn;

"Be courageous, Be gentle Be liberal, Be just, Be aspiring, Be humble, because you are dust.

"Be penitent, circ.u.mspect, sound in the faith, Be active, devoted; Be faithful to death.

"Be honest, Be holy, transparent and pure; Be dependent, Be Christ-like and you'll be secure."

Here is a swarm of between forty and fifty bees. The religion of Jesus will help us to make these all our own. How great then must the value of religion be! Surely it is worth while for each of us to try and secure it!

I think I never saw a better view of the value of religion than is seen in the following statement of what it does for us. I know not by whom it was written, but it is put in the form of that sacred sign to which we owe all the blessings of salvation--the sign of

THE CROSS.

"Blest they who seek While in their youth, With spirit meek, The way of truth.

To them the sacred scriptures now display Christ as the only true and living way; His precious blood on Calvary was given To make them heirs of endless bliss in Heaven.

And e'en on earth the child of G.o.d can trace The glorious blessings of the Saviour's grace.

For them He bore His Father's frown; For them He wore The th.o.r.n.y Crown; Nailed to the Cross, Endured its pain, That his life's loss Might be their gain.

Then haste to choose That better part, Nor dare refuse The Lord thy heart, Lest he declare,-- 'I know you not,'

And deep despair Should be your lot.

Now look to Jesus, who on Calvary died, And trust on him who there was crucified."

"Leaving it All with Jesus." Annie W ... was a young Christian. In her fourteenth year she was taken with a severe illness, from which the doctor said she could not recover. When she became too weak to leave the sofa, she would send for one and another of the neighbors to come in to see her, and then she would speak to them of Jesus and his great salvation. One day a poor old woman who was not a Christian, came in to see her.

"You are very ill, my dear," she said to Annie.

"Yes," she replied, "but I shall soon be well."

The poor woman shook her head as she looked at Annie's mother, saying, "Poor dear creature; she cannot possibly get well. No: she will never get over it." Then turning to Annie, she said:

"Don't you know, my dear, that you are going to die?"

"I know I am going to live," she said with a sweet smile. "I shall soon be with Jesus in heaven, and live forever with him."

"Oh, how can you know that, my dear? We must not be _too_ sure you know," said the poor woman.

"Oh," said Annie, pointing to a card hanging on the wall, near her bed, on which was printed in large letters the hymn headed--"I leave it all with Jesus." "That's what I do! That's what I do." These are the words of the hymn which gave that dear child so much comfort on her dying bed:

"I leave it all with Jesus, Then wherefore should I fear?

I leave it all with Jesus, And he is ever near.