a perfect man and an exemplary leader.
in all the history of the world there has never been another man like jesus, nor another mission like that which he performed. we have heard so much of the meekness and humility of jesus, of his suffering all things and resenting nothing, of his going like a lamb to the slaughter, that many people have formed a picture of jesus that is wholly unworthy of him. some of you, even, may possibly think of jesus as a weak sort of man who takes all kinds of abuse. but such a conception of jesus considers only one of the virtues in the man, and does not consider the whole man. jesus was just such a man as every boy and girl delights to see. in body he was strong, robust, physically perfect, with a wholesomeness of body quite unequalled by any other man. no trial or hardship deterred him from pushing forward to the goal on which he had fixed his mind. no danger daunted him. for his spirit was as wholesome and as perfect as was his body. when he was aroused by righteous indignation. his fearlessness knew no bounds. picture him, for example, alone and unafraid, with a scourge in his hand, driving the money changers and the petty merchants out of his father's house! in body and in spirit, jesus was perfect—of the purest athletic type. but jesus was also a perfect leader. hence, he had himself in perfect control. while he suffered pain as {254} do other men; while he experienced the thrill of affection and love as do other men; while he could become angry, and possessed the passions that other men do—yet he had so subdued the mortal in him to the divine, that the baser nature never once gained power over the son of god. in this he set us an example of how we should live. it was because of his perfect self-control that he appeared always as the meek and lowly nazarene. it is not difficult to understand that such a man aroused the wonder and admiration of the people to whom he ministered. such a man we ourselves delight to worship.
a work full of wonder.
the daily work of jesus aroused as much wonder as did the physical and spiritual characteristics. his enemies even were constrained to admit that no other man ever spoke with such power and authority as did jesus. and certainly, no other man has ever displayed such divine power as did jesus. throughout judea, samaria and galilee, jesus demonstrated his marvelous power and authority in healing the sick, in restoring the halt and the maimed, in quieting the storm, and even in raising the dead. it was, indeed, a marvelous work and a wonder. it reads almost like a fairy tale. and yet these things jesus, the son of god, actually did. in this lesson, we shall consider briefly some of the statements of the strange miracles jesus performed.
a healer and worker of miracles.
while laboring in galilee, jesus performed an untold number of miracles. mark tells us how the fame of jesus as a miracle worker had spread abroad, {255} and how the afflicted flocked to him. one day, when the offended pharisees and herodians were taking counsel against him, jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from galilee followed him, and from judea, and from jerusalem, and from idumaea, and from beyond jordan; and they about tyre and sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. and he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. for he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. and unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, thou art the son of god. and he straitly charged them that they should not make him known."
the conditions in palestine.
with a little exercise of the imagination, you can easily visualize the remarkable scene described thus vividly by st. mark. but in order to understand how such a condition could be possible it becomes necessary to know something about galilee in the time of jesus. historians agree in telling us that ever since the days of alexander the great, all the vice and the wickedness of both the east and the west had literally poured into palestine. the land of the chosen people had become corrupt, as had the chosen people themselves. their bodies had become afflicted and their minds diseased through habits of wrong living and wrong thinking. beggars were as common as the turns in the roadway; and nearly every beggar was distorted by some {256} terrible and loathsome disease. the insane, and those possessed of evil spirits, were almost without number. their condition, too, was pitiable. in all the land that was blessed by god to become the home of his own people, there was no one to help the unfortunates. instead of a land flowing with milk and honey, it had become a land poisoned with vice and corruption.
a mission of love.
it was into such a land, and amongst such a people, that the physically and spiritually perfect jesus came to minister. devoted to a mission of love. jesus turned the strength of his own perfection and the power of his divine authority to the healing of the sick and afflicted, to the assuaging of the sufferings of the poor, and to the saving of the ignorant. it was a manifestation of divine power and compassion, without thought of reward or honor, for he always charged those to whom he ministered, "see that thou tell no man."
we have neither time nor space to consider the miracles of jesus in detail. let us read only three. the first exhibits the power of jesus over physical illness; the second, his power over nature and the elements; the third. his power over death itself.
the centurion's servant.
"when jesus was entered into capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying. lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. and jesus saith unto him, i will come and heal him. the centurion answered and said, lord, i am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be {257} healed. for i am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and i say to this man, go, and he goeth; and to another, come, and he cometh; and to my servant, do this, and he doeth it. when jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed. verily i say unto you, i have not found so great faith, no, not in israel.... and jesus said unto the centurion, go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. and his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."
stilling the tempest.
"when the even was come. he saith unto them. let us pass over unto the other side. and when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship: and there were also with him other little ships. and there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. and he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, master, carest thou not that we perish? and he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea. peace be still. and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. and he said unto them, why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? and they feared exceedingly, and said one to another. what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
the raising of lazarus.
"then said jesus unto them plainly, lazarus is dead; and i am glad for your sakes that i was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. . . . then when jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. . . . then when mary was {258} come where jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. when jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, and said, where have ye laid him? they said unto him, lord, come and see. jesus wept. then said the jews, behold how he loved him! and some of them said, could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. jesus said. take ye away the stone. martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. jesus saith unto her. said i not unto thee, that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of god? then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. and jesus lifted up his eyes, and said. father, i thank thee that thou hast heard me. and i knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by i said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. and when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, lazarus, come forth. and he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. jesus saith unto them. loose him, and let him go."
more marvelous power than that recorded in these three instances cannot be imagined. our admiration is wrought up to the highest point; and in imagination {259} we see the strong, pure, healthy and wholesome man, giving freely of his strength and life-force to those who come to him, ministering to them, and saving them from their own evil lives and evil habits of thought. we wonder that there could be anyone who would reject such a leader.
in his own country.
and yet, when he left the seashore and returned to nazareth and his own country, jesus was rejected by his own. "when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, from whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? is not this the carpenter, the son of mary, the brother of james and joses, and of juda, and simon? and are not his sisters here with us? and they were offended at him.
"but jesus said unto them, a prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. and he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. and he marvelled because of their unbelief."
the references
mark 3:7-12 matt. 8:5-10, 13.
mark 4:33-41. john 11:1-44.
mark 6:1-6.
{260} the questions
1. what kind of man was jesus physically?
2. what kind of man was jesus spiritually?
3. what quality made jesus a great leader?
4. what was the condition of galilee—and all palestine—at the time of jesus?
5. how did jesus manifest his divine power?
6. describe some miracles wrought by jesus.
7. why is it surprising that all palestine did not believe in him, and accept him?
8. what principle did jesus teach concerning a prophet in his own country?
9. why could jesus do no mighty work in his own country?
