The Real Jesus of the Four Gospels Part 3

The remainder of the chapter contains warnings of the trials that will befall the apostles on their mission, admonitions against losing their courage and promises of the rewards that will follow the faithful performance of their work. Jesus also predicts the family dissensions that will accompany the gradual introduction of His Gospel, and in that connection uses the expression: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matt. X:34).

The place of this statement is not fixed, nor the time, except that it appears in the narrative after the Sermon on the Mount and the raising of Jairus' daughter.

Mark tells how Jesus went "up into a mountain and calleth unto Him whom he would" (Mark III:13). He then "ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach" (Mark III:14).

Then follow the names of the twelve apostles, the calling of four of whom Mark had already related (Mark I:16-20). At a somewhat later time he tells of the sending forth of the twelve apostles, but condenses the instructions to them into four verses (Mark VI:7-13).

Luke tells that Jesus, "having gone out into a mountain to pray, called unto Him His disciples, and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles" (Luke VI:13, 14). The calling of Andrew, Peter, James and John, and of Levi (if he were one of the apostles) had already been given (Luke V:1-10, 27, 28). The instructions to the apostles appear later in his narrative and are condensed into three verses (Luke IX:1-6).

Luke alone of the four evangelists tells that, at a later date, Jesus "appointed other seventy also" to go before Him and preach (Luke X:1).

To these seventy are given instructions similar to those given to the twelve in Matthew (Luke X:2-12).

John tells of the calling of Andrew, Peter and Philip (John I:40, 41, 43), but has no account of any special instructions given to the apostles.[28]

THE TEMPERATE LIFE

In rebuking the obduracy of the then generation of the Jews, Jesus ill.u.s.trates His view of right living, viz: temperance in all things.

"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous and a wine bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners"

(Matt. XI:18, 19).

In the face of the example of asceticism set by John the Baptist, Jesus neither fasted Himself, nor did He enjoin fasting on His disciples (Matt. XI:18, 19; IX:14; Mark II:18; Luke V:33). While He objected to the charge of excess, He both ate meat and drank wine in moderation, and inculcated the same practice on His disciples. "And in the same house remain eating and drinking such things as they give" (Luke X:7). He must have been companionable in His every-day life, for He both entertained in His own house (Matt. IX:10; Mark II:15), and was a welcome guest at entertainments given in His honor. "And Levi made Him a great feast at His own house" (Luke V:29). "And it came to pa.s.s as He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day"

(Luke XIV:1). "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus was called and His disciples to the marriage" (John II:1, 2). "There they made Him a supper" (John XII:2).[29]

He could sympathize with the spirit of joy and cheer appropriate to such occasions, for when the wine failed at the wedding in Cana, He provided a fresh supply, better than the first (John II:3-10).

THE OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH

On a certain Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples were pa.s.sing through the corn fields (Matt. XII:1; Mark II:23; Luke VI:1). Luke says that it was "the second Sabbath after the first," probably calling "the first"

the one on which Jesus preached in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke IV:16). The disciples, being hungry, began to pluck and eat the ears of corn. The Pharisees object that they "do that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day." Jesus cites the example of David eating the shew-bread in the house of G.o.d, and says that if they understood the meaning of the saying, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice," they would not have condemned the guiltless. "And He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath" (Mark II:27).

On another Sabbath day (Luke VI:1, 6), a man with a withered hand was in the synagogue, and the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they might accuse him." Jesus cites the case of a sheep falling into a pit on the Sabbath day, and says: "Wherefore it is lawful to _do well_ on the Sabbath day." Thereupon He restores the man's hand "whole" (Matt. XII:10-13).

In Mark and Luke, Jesus asks the question of the scribes and Pharisees as to whether it was lawful to _do good_ on the Sabbath day. "But they held their peace. And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, stretch forth thine hand" (Mark III:1-5; Luke VI:6-10).

Again Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath and cures a woman of a "spirit of infirmity" of eighteen years' continuance. The "ruler of the synagogue" objects "with indignation" to this healing on the Sabbath, because "there are six days in which men ought to work."

Jesus says: "Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his a.s.s from the stall, and lead him away to watering"

(Luke XIII:11-17).

Another similar case occurred when Jesus "went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath," and healed a certain man "which had the dropsy." Here He cites against the Pharisees the ill.u.s.tration of an a.s.s or an ox falling into a pit on the Sabbath day (Luke XIV:1-6).

John records two more cases of cures being performed on the Sabbath day, and of the Pharisees objecting to them as unlawful acts (John V:1-17; IX:1-38. See John VII:23).[30]

THE TRANSFIGURATION

Six (or eight) days after certain preaching, Jesus "taketh Peter, James and John" and "bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt. XVII:1, 2). Moses and Elias then appear and talk with Jesus (Matt. XVII:3). Peter proposes that they make three tabernacles (Matt. XVII:4). A cloud then overshadows them and a voice comes out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. XVII:5). The disciples are afraid, fall on their faces, but Jesus touches them and tells them to arise and be not afraid (Matt. XVII:6, 7). When they arise they see no man, except Jesus (Matt. XVII:8). As they come down from the mountain, Jesus charges them, "Tell the vision to no man, until the _Son of Man_ be risen again from the dead" (Matt. XVII:9).

Mark follows closely the narrative of Matthew, and adds that the disciples "kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean" (Mark IX:2-10).[31]

Luke follows the accounts of Matthew and Mark, adding that the disciples were "heavy with sleep," but saw the vision when they awoke, and "they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen" (Luke IX:28-36).

John says nothing about this vision.

THE EVENTS PRECEDING JESUS' ARREST

About the middle of his Gospel, Matthew says, "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples" His future trial, death and resurrection at Jerusalem (Matt. XVI:21). Peter, with his faith in Jesus' earthly power, "began to rebuke" Him, saying that this should not be done unto Him (Matt. XVI:22). But Jesus turned on him and said, "Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me; for thou savorest not the things that be of G.o.d, but those that be of men" (Matt. XVI:23.

See also Matt. XVII:22, 23).

Mark and Luke both give this incident, although Luke omits the rebuke of Peter (Mark VIII:31-33; Luke IX:22).

In all three Gospels the incident closely follows Peter's declaration of Jesus as "Christ, the Son of the living G.o.d" (Matt. XVI:16; Mark VIII:29; Luke IX:20).

Again, at a later date, as Jesus is going up to Jerusalem, He predicts to His disciples the fate that is there awaiting Him (Matt. XX:17-18; Mark IX:31, 32; X:32; Luke XVIII:31).

Just when these communications were made to the disciples is not clear, but the earliest of them must have been some time before the last visit to Jerusalem, since they precede much of Jesus' teaching and many of His parables and miracles.[32]

As the last Pa.s.sover approached, Jesus "departed from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan" (Matt. XIX:1). He continued His preaching as He journeyed, and finally came to Bethphage, nigh unto Jerusalem (Matt. XXI:1). From there He sends two of His disciples to a neighboring village, and they bring to Him an a.s.s and her colt (Matt.

XXI:1-7). Riding on the a.s.s (or the colt), He makes His entry into Jerusalem. The mult.i.tude spread their garments, and branches from the trees, in the way, crying out, "Hosanna to the son of David," and salute Him as "Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee" (Matt. XXI:7-11).[33]

Jesus then went into the temple, drove out those who bought and sold therein,[34] and healed the blind and lame (Matt. XXI:12-16).

Leaving Jerusalem, Jesus goes to Bethany (Matt. XXI:17) to the house of Simon the leper (Matt. XXVI:6). On the following day He returns to Jerusalem, and on the way occurs the blasting of the fig tree (Matt.

XXI:18-23). It would seem that Jesus must have spent some time in Bethany, preaching in the day time in Jerusalem, since there follow four and a half chapters of preaching and parables, which were delivered before the Pa.s.sover (Matt. XXI:23-46; XXII; XXIII; XXIV; XXV).[35]

While Jesus was at Simon's house in Bethany, sitting at meat, a woman (who, it seems, was Lazarus' sister Mary; see John XI:2) came in with an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured on His head. The disciples object to this as a useless waste, but Jesus rebukes them and commends the woman for her act (Matt. XXVI:6-13).

Mark follows closely Matthew's narrative to this point, except that Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, "whereon man never sat" (Mark XI:2; Luke XIX:30), and except that the cleansing the temple of the money changers is omitted (Mark XI:11).

Luke adds to the accounts of Matthew and Mark the encounter with Zacchaeus, and Jesus' entertainment by him (Luke XIX:1-7). According to him, it was "the whole mult.i.tude of the disciples" who greeted Jesus on His entry into Jerusalem (Luke XIX:37). Luke omits the anointing of Jesus by Mary.

John omits the cleansing of the temple, which he had already given at a much earlier date (John II:13-17), and says that Mary anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped them with her hair, instead of pouring the ointment over His head (John XII:3-8).

THE LAST SUPPER

As the feast of unleavened bread of the Pa.s.sover approaches, Jesus sends Peter and John (Luke XXII:8) into Jerusalem to secure a room, in which He and His disciples may eat, or "kill", the Pa.s.sover (Matt.

XXVI:17-19). The room is secured, the Pa.s.sover made ready, and "when the evening was come, He sat down with the twelve" (Matt. XXVI:20).[36]

While they were eating, Jesus tells the twelve that one of them shall betray Him, and indicates, in a rather veiled way, that Judas is the one. They all ask, "Master, is it I?" and He says to Judas, "Thou hast said" (Matt. XXVI:20-25).

Jesus then blesses the bread and the wine, and gives them to eat and drink and says: "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom"

(Matt. XXVI:26-29).

After singing a hymn, they go to the Mount of Olives, and Jesus warns them of the approaching calamity. "All ye shall be offended because of me this night." The apostles, and especially Peter, affirm that they would die rather than deny Him. Jesus says to Peter: "Verily I say unto thee, that this night, before the c.o.c.k crow, thou shalt deny me thrice"

(Matt. XXVI:30-35).

Jesus with the disciples then goes "unto a place called Gethsemane." He takes Peter and James and John a little farther and says to them, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." He goes apart from them and prays, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pa.s.s from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." He returns to find the disciples sleeping. He repeats the prayer twice, and then says to them, "Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners" (Matt. XXVI:36-45).