CHAPTER 138
The Christines in Jerusalem. They meet a man blind from birth. Jesus teaches a lesson on the cause of disease and disasters. He heals the blind man.
The Lord with Peter, James and John were in Jerusalem; it was the Sabbath day.
2 And as they walked along the way they saw a man who could not see; he had been blind from birth.
3 And Peter said, Lord, if disease and imperfections all are caused by sin, who was the sinner in this case? the parents or the man himself?
4 And Jesus said, Afflictions all are partial payments on a debt, or debts, that have been made.
5 There is a law of recompense that never fails, and it is summarized in that true rule of life:
6 Whatsoever man shall do to any other man some other man will do to him.
7 In this we find the meaning of the Jewish law, expressed concisely in the words, Tooth for a tooth; life for a life.
8 He who shall injure any one in thought, or word, or deed, is judged a debtor to the law, and some one else shall, likewise, injure him in thought, or word or deed.
9 And he who sheds the blood of any man will come upon the time when his blood shall be shed by man.
10 Affliction is a prison cell in which a man must stay until he pays his debts unless a master sets him free that he may have a better chance to pay his debts.
11 Affliction is a certain sign that one has debts to pay.
12 Behold this man! Once in another life he was a cruel man, and in a cruel way destroyed the eyes of one, a fellow man.
13 The parents of this man once turned their faces on a blind and helpless man, and drove him from their door.
14 Then Peter asked, Do we pay off the debts of other men when by the Word we heal them, drive the unclean spirits out, or rescue them from any form of sore distress?
15 And Jesus said, We cannot pay the debts of any man, but by the Word we may release a man from his afflictions and distress,
16 And make him free, that he may pay the debts he owes, by giving up his life in willing sacrifice for men, or other living things.
17 Behold, we may make free this man that he may better serve the race and pay his debts.
18 Then Jesus called the man and said, Would you be free? would you receive your sight?
19 The man replied, All that I have would I most freely give if I could see.
20 And Jesus took saliva and a bit of clay and made a salve, and put it on the blind man’s eyes.
21 He spoke the Word and then he said, Go to Siloam and wash, and as you wash say, Jahhevahe. This do for seven times and you shall see.
22 The man was led unto Siloam; he washed his eyes and spoke the word, and instantly his eyes were opened and he saw.
23 The people who had seen the man for many years sit by the way and beg, were much surprised to see him see.
24 They said, Is not this man the Job that was born blind, who sat beside the way and begged?
25 He heard them talk among themselves; he said, Yes, I am he.
26 The people asked, How were you healed? who opened up your eyes?
27 He said, A man whom men call Jesus, made a salve of clay and put it on my eyes, and bade me say a word and wash in Siloam seven times; I did as he commanded me, and now I see.
28 A certain scribe was passing, and he saw the man and heard him say that Jesus, by the Word, had opened up his eyes.
29 He therefore took the man up to the synagogue, and told the story to the priests, who asked the man about the miracle.
30 The man replied, I never saw the light until today, for I was blind from birth.
31 This morning as I sat beside Siloam, a man I never knew put on my eyes a salve that people say he made of clay; he bade me say a word and bathe my eyes in water seven times; I did as he commanded and I saw.
32 A lawyer asked the man, Who was it opened up your eyes?
33 The man replied, Some people say, His name is Jesus and that he came from Galilee; but others say, He is the son of God.
34 A Pharisee came up and said, This is the Sabbath day; a man who does a work like this, regarding not the Sabbath day, is not from God.
35 Some of the priests were much amazed and said, A wicked man could never do a miracle like this; he must possess the power of God. And so they strove among themselves.
36 They asked the man, What do you think about this man from Galilee?
37 He said, He is a prophet sent from God.
38 Now, many of the Jews did not believe the man was blind from birth; they said, There is no power to open up the eyes of one born blind.
39 And then they brought the parents of the man before the Pharisees that they might testify.
40 They said, This is our son who was born blind; we do not know how he received his sight; he is of age and he can tell; ask him.
41 They were afraid to say what they believed, that Jesus is the Christ who came to manifest the power of God, lest they offend the priests and be cast from the synagogue.
42 Again the rulers said, This Jesus is a wicked man. The man who had been healed stood forth again and said,
43 This Jesus may be sinner or be saint, I do not know; but this one thing I know; I once was blind, but now I see.
44 And then the scribes and Pharisees reviled the man and said, You are a follower of this man from Galilee. We follow Moses, but this man, we know him not, and know not whence he is.
45 The man replied, It is a marvel that you know not whence he is, and yet he opened up my eyes.
46 You know that nothing but the power of God can do such things.
47 God hears not sinners pray, and you must know that he is not a wicked man who can employ the power of God.
48 The Pharisees replied, You wretch! you were begotten and were born in sin, and now you try to teach the law to us. And then they cast him from the synagogue.
CHAPTER 139
Jesus meets and instructs the man who was blind. Unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom. The sheepfold. Declares himself the shepherd. Goes to the home of Massalian, where he abides certain days.
When Jesus heard what had been done and how the priests had cast the man whom he had healed, out of the synagogue, he found the man and said to him,
2 Do you believe in God and in the son of God?
3 The man replied, I do believe in God; but who is he, the son of God, of whom you speak?
4 And Jesus said, The son of God is he who speaks to you.
5 The man inquired then, Why do you say, The son of God? Is there but one?
6 And Jesus said, All men are sons of God by birth; God is the Father of the race; but all are not the sons of God by faith.
7 He who attains the victory over self is son of God by faith, and he who speaks to you has overcome, and he is called the son of God, because he is the pattern for the sons of men.
8 He who believes and does the will of God is son of God by faith.
9 The man in joy exclaimed, Lord, I believe in God, and in the son of God.
10 And Jesus said, I came to open prison doors, to make the blind to see; but, lo, the Pharisees are blind from birth.
11 And when I put the salve of truth upon their eyes, and bid them go and wash, and speak the sacred Word they will not go; they love the dark.
12 A multitude of people pressed about the Lord, and he stood forth and said,
13 You men of Israel, I say to you, The fold of God is large; its walls are strong, it has a gateway in the east, and he who does not enter by the gate into the fold, but climbs into the fold some other way, is thief and comes to rob.
14 The shepherd of the sheep stands by the gate; he gives the secret sign; he knocks; the watchman opens up the gate.
15 And then the shepherd calls his sheep by name; they hear his voice and follow him; they enter through the gate into the fold.
16 The sheep know not a stranger’s voice; they will not follow him; they flee away.
17 The people did not understand the parable that Jesus spoke; and then he said,
18 Christ is the gateway of the fold; I am the shepherd of the sheep, and he who follows me through Christ shall come into the fold where living waters flow, and where rich pastures are.
19 False prophets come and go; they claim to be the shepherds of the sheep; they claim to know the way, but they know not the word of power; the watchman opens not the gate; the sheep heed not their call.
20 The shepherd of the sheep will give his life to save the sheep.
21 A hireling flees to save his life when wolves infest the fold; and then the tender lambs are snatched away, the sheep are scattered everywhere.
22 I am the shepherd of the sheep; I know the sheep of God; they know my voice, as God knows me and I know him.
23 The Father loves me with a deathless love, because I lay my life down for the sheep.
24 I lay my life down when I will, but I may take it up again; for every son of God by faith has power to lay his mortal flesh aside and take it up again. These words I have received from God.
25 Again the people strove among themselves; they were divided in their views concerning Christ. They could not comprehend the words that Jesus spoke.
26 Some said again, He is obsessed, or he is mad; why listen to his words?
27 And others said, His words are not the words of one obsessed. Can unclean spirits open up the eyes of one born blind?
28 Then Jesus left Jerusalem and with Massalian he tarried certain days.
CHAPTER 140
Jesus and the three disciples return to Capernaum. Jesus receives the report of the seventy. With his disciples he goes through all Galilee encouraging the believers. He heals a woman. Relates the parable of the little seed and the great tree.
The time had come for the return of the three score and ten whom Jesus sent abroad to preach.
2 And Jesus, Peter, James and John began their journey back to Galilee.
3 They went up through Samaria; they passed through many villages and towns, and everywhere the people thronged the ways to see the man the seventy had told about; and Jesus taught and healed the sick.
4 And when they reached Capernaum the seventy were there; and they were filled with joy; they said,
5 The Spirit of the Lord of hosts was with us all the way, and we were filled.
6 The power of the sacred Word was manifest in us; we healed the sick; we caused the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see.
7 The very devils trembled when we spoke the Word, and they were subject unto us.
8 And Jesus said, As you were going on your way, the heavens were bright with light, the earth was bright, they seemed to meet and be at one; and I beheld, and Satan fell as lightning from the heavens.
9 Behold, for you have power to tread on serpents and on scorpions, and these are symbols of the enemies of men. You are protected in the way of right, and naught can harm.
10 And as you went I heard a master say, Well done.
11 But you may not rejoice because you have the power to heal the sick and make the devils tremble by the Word; for such rejoicing is from carnal self.
12 You may rejoice because the nations of the earth have ears to hear the Word, and eyes to see the glory of the Lord, and hearts to feel the inner breathing of the Holy Breath.
13 And you may well be glad because your names are written in the Book of Life.
14 Then Jesus looked to heaven and said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast revealed thyself to babes, and taught them how to light the path and lead the wise to thee.
15 What thou hast given to me, lo, I have given to them, and through the sacred Word I have bestowed on them the understanding heart,
16 That they might know and honor thee through Christ, who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
17 And then he said aside, unto the seventy and twelve, Most blessed are your eyes because you see the things you see;
18 And blessed are your ears because they hear the things they hear;
19 And blessed are your hearts because you understand.
20 In ages that are gone the wise of earth, the prophets, seers and kings, desired to hear and see and know what you have heard and seen and known; but they had not attained and could not hear, and see and know.
21 And Jesus said again, Lo, I have gone before you many moons, and I have given to you the bread of heaven and the cup of life;
22 Have been your buckler and your stay; but now that you have learned the way, and have the strength to stand alone, behold, I lay my body down and go to him who is the All.
23 In forty days then we will turn our faces toward Jerusalem where I will find the altar of the Lord and give my life in willing sacrifice for men.
24 Let us arise and go through all the coasts of Galilee, and give a salutation of good cheer to all the sons of God by faith.
25 And they arose and went; they entered every town and village on the coast, and everywhere they said, The benedictions of the Christ abide with you forevermore.
26 Now, in a certain town they went up to the synagogue upon the Sabbath day, and Jesus taught.
27 And as he spoke, two men brought on a cot a woman bent near double with disease; she had not risen from her bed for eighteen years without a helping hand.
28 And Jesus laid his hand upon the woman, and he said, Arise, be free from your infirmity.
29 And as he spoke the Word the woman found that she was straight and strong, and she arose and walked and said, Praise God.
30 The ruler of the synagogue was filled with wrath because the healer healed upon the Sabbath day.
31 He did not censure Jesus face to face, but turning to the multitudes he said,
32 You men of Galilee, why do you break the laws of God? There are six days in every week when you may work, and then you may bring the afflicted to be healed.
33 This is the day that God has blessed, the Sabbath day in which men may not work.
34 And Jesus said, You inconsistent scribes and Pharisees! Upon the Sabbath day you take your beasts of burden from their stalls, and lead them forth to eat and drink; is this not work?
35 This daughter of your father Abraham, who has been bound for eighteen years, has come in faith to be made free.
36 Now, tell me, men, is it a crime to break her bonds and set her free upon the Sabbath day?
37 The ruler said no more; the people all rejoiced and said, Behold the Christ!
38 And Jesus spoke a parable; he said, The kingdom of the Christ is like a little seed that one put in the ground;
39 It grew and after many years became a mighty tree, and many people rested in its shade, and birds built nests and reared their young among its leafy boughs.
CHAPTER 141
Jesus speaks words of encouragement. Rebukes an officious Pharisee. Attends a wedding feast. Heals a dropsical man. Rebukes guests who seek chief seats. Relates a parable of a wedding feast.
And Jesus went into another town upon the coast and spoke good words of cheer to those who followed him.
2 And one stood forth and said, Lord, are there few that enter into life?
3 And Jesus said, The way is rough that leads to life; the gate is narrow and is guarded well; but every one who seeks in faith shall find the way, and they who know the Word may enter in.
4 But many seek the way for selfish gain; they pound upon the gate of life; but it is fast.
5 The watchman from the turret says, I know you not; your speech is that of Ashdod, and your robes are those of sin; depart and go your way.
6 And they will go their way with weeping and with gnashing of the teeth.
7 And they will be enraged when they see their father Abraham with Isaac, Jacob and the prophets, resting in the kingdom of the Christ, and they themselves debarred.
8 And, lo, I say that men will come from lands afar, from east, from west, from north, from south and sit with me in consciousness of life.
9 Behold, I say, the last shall be the first, the first shall be the last.
10 All men are called unto the kingdom of the Christ; but few are chosen, for the pure in heart alone can see the king.
11 And as he spoke a Pharisee came up and said, You man of Galilee, if you would save your life remain not here; flee instantly, for Herod swears that he will take your life, and even now his officers are seeking you.
12 And Jesus said, Why is it that the Pharisees are so concerned about my life? And then he said unto the man who spoke,
13 Go forth and say to that sly fox, Behold, I heal the sick and cast the unclean spirits out today, tomorrow, and the days to come, and then I will attain.
14 Go say to him, I need not fear in Galilee, for I must meet the cruel wrath of men within Jerusalem.
15 And while they tarried in the place a man, a Pharisee, invited Jesus and a few of those who followed him, to dine with him upon the Sabbath day, to celebrate the marriage of his son.
16 Among the guests was one afflicted with a dropsical disease.
17 And Jesus said to those who had been sent to get from his own lips some words by which they might accuse him of a crime,
18 You lawyers and you Pharisees, what do you say about the lawlessness of healing on the Sabbath day? Here is a man, one of your own, and he is sore distressed.
19 Shall I, in God’s own strength, say out the healing Word and heal this man?
20 The lawyers and the Pharisees were dumb; they answered not.
21 Then Jesus spoke the healing Word and healed the man and he, rejoicing, went his way.
22 Then Jesus said again unto the lawyers and the Pharisees, Which one of you who has a horse or cow, if it would fall into a pit upon the Sabbath day would not call in his friends to help to draw it out?
23 And not a man could answer, Here am I.
24 As Jesus looked upon the guests who had been bidden to the feast and saw them crowding in to get the highest seats, he said to them,
25 You selfish men why do you strive to take the highest seats when you are but invited guests? You do not show our host the courtesies of life.
26 When men are bidden to a marriage feast they should sit in the lower seats until the host shall place them where he wills.
27 You may, unbidden, take the highest seat; but then a man more honorable may come and when the host shall bid you rise and take a lower seat that he may honor his more worthy guest, you cannot help but blush for very shame in your humility.
28 But if you take the lowest seat and then are honored by your host and asked to take a higher seat, you are esteemed an honored guest.
29 In this event we note a principle in life, That he who would exalt himself shall be abased, and he who humbles low himself shall be exalted in the sight of men.
30 Then Jesus spoke to all the guests; he said, When any one of you would make a feast it should not be for friends, or kindred, or the rich;
31 For they consider such a courtesy loaned out, and they feel called upon to make a greater feast for you, just in the payment of a debt.
32 But when you make a feast invite the poor, the lame, the blind; in this a blessing waits for you, for well you know that you will get naught in return; but in the consciousness of helping those who need, you will be recompensed.
33 And then he spoke a parable: he said, A wealthy man prepared a feast; he sent his servants forth to bid his chosen ones to come; but they desired not to go, and they formed such excuses as they thought would satisfy the would-be host.
34 One said, I have just bought a piece of land, and I must go and prove my title to the land; I pray to be excused.
35 Another said, I must go down and prove my ownership in sheep that I have bought; I pray to be excused.
36 Another said, I have been married but a little time and so I cannot go; I beg to be excused.
37 Now, when the servants came and told the man who had prepared the feast that those he had invited would not come,
38 The man was grieved in heart; and then he sent his servants forth into the streets and alleys of the town to bring up to the feast the poor, the lame, the blind.
39 The servants went abroad and found the poor, the lame, the blind, and brought them in; but there was room for more.
40 The host then sent his men of arms to bring by force the people to his feast; and then the house was full.
41 And God has made a feast for men. Long years ago he sent his servants forth unto the favored sons of men. They would not hear his call; they came not to the feast.
42 He then sent forth his servants to the strangers and the multitudes; they came, but there is room for more.
43 Behold, for he will send his angels forth with mighty trumpet blast, and men will be compelled to come up to the feast.