Bible Stories For Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

A Heavenly Messenger Visits Mary
Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-56

MARY WAS A Jewess. She had grown to womanhood in Nazareth, a city of Galilee. And she was expecting soon to marry a good man named Joseph.

       Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of King David, but they were poor people. Joseph was a carpenter, and he worked with his tools to make a living for himself and to prepare a home for his bride.

       One day God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth to speak to Mary, for God had chosen this young woman to become the mother of the Savior who would soon be born into the world.

       Mary was surprised when she saw the angel, and she was more surprised when she heard his words.

       For he said, "You are highly favored and blessed among women, for the Lord is with you."

       Seeing that Mary did not understand his meaning, the angel told her that God was well pleased with her and he had chosen her to become the mother of Jesus, the Savior of men. He told her that Jesus, her son, would be a King, and that he would rule forever. Even yet the surprised young woman could not understand his words, so the angel told her that this wonderful child would be called the Son of God.

       While Mary listened the angel told her about the promised child of Zacharias and Elizabeth, the old people who lived in the hill-country of Judah.

       And he said, "Although they are old people, nothing is too hard for God to do." Then Mary knew that God could give her this wonderful child which the angel had promised, and she said, "Be it unto me according to thy word."

       So the angel left her and went back to heaven.

       Now, Mary knew Elizabeth, the old lady of whom the angel spoke; for Elizabeth was her cousin. And she knew how Elizabeth had longed to have a child for many years. She believed that her cousin must be very happy since God had promised to give her a child in her old age. Although the distance was great, she wished to see Elizabeth. So she decided to make her a visit.

       As soon as Mary entered the home of her cousin and spoke words of greeting, God caused Elizabeth to know the secret which the angel had told this young woman in her own home. And Elizabeth rejoiced that Mary had come to visit her. She knew that Mary would some day be the mother of Jesus, the Savior of men.

       The two women spent many happy days together, then Mary hurried back to her own home in Nazareth. There God's angel spoke to Joseph, the carpenter, in a dream, and told him about the wonderful secret of Jesus' birth. And Joseph was glad, for he had been longing for the time to come when the promised Savior should be born. He took Mary into his home and they waited for the angel's promise to come true.

[Soldier4Christ]

Zacharias and Elizabeth Name Their Child
Luke 1:57-80

A  TIME OF great rejoicing had come to the quiet little home in the hill-country of Judah, for God had sent the promised child to Zacharias and his aged wife, Elizabeth. And all the neighbors and relatives were rejoicing with these happy parents of the baby boy.

       When the child was eight days old preparations were made to give him a name, for this was the custom of the Jews. The friends and relatives said,"Let us call him Zacharias, after the name of his father."

       But Elizabeth answered, 'No, do not call him Zacharias, for his name is John."

       Why do you wish to call him John?" they asked in surprised. "You have no relatives who are called by that name." Then they turned to the old father, who had not spoken since the angel talked with him in the temple, and by making signs they asked him what they should call the child.

       Zacharias understood what they wished to know, and he motioned for them to bring a writing-table. This they did. Then he wrote in plain letters, so all could read, "His name is John."

       "How strange!" thought the people. And all at once Zacharias began to speak to them again, just as he used to speak before he had seen the angel. And he praised God for giving him this wonderful baby boy.

       News of this wonderful baby spread all through the hill-country, and people became much interested in him. They heard how the angel had appeared to Zacharias in the temple and promised that God would give the child, and they heard how Zacharias had been unable to speak from that time until after the baby was called by the name that the angel had given.

       They wondered much about these strange happenings, and they believed that surely the baby John would grow up into a great man.

       Zacharias received wisdom from God and spoke words of prophecy to his neighbors and friends about his little son. He blessed the Lord. And then he said to his little boy, "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways. You shall give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God."

       Many other words did Zacharias speak; and his words came true, for the Spirit of God caused him to speak those words. And Zacharias cared for his little son as long as he lived. He watched with pride the changes that came with the years in the life of his little boy. And he saw that God was blessing John and causing him to grow strong and brave.

       Perhaps Zacharias and Elizabeth did not live to see the day when John become a very useful man for God, for he did not begin his great work until he was thirty years old. Until that time he lived quietly in the desert country, and studied the books that God's prophets had written. He also listened much to the voice of God, and learned to understand God's will.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Birth of Jesus
Luke 2:1-39

OUT ON THE streets of Nazareth the people were standing in groups, talking excitedly. News had just reached their city that the great emperor of Rome had commanded all of them to go to the town or city from which their families had come and have their names written on lists. The emperor wished to have a list of the names of all the people in this great kingdom, or empire. And no one dared to disobey his command.

       Soon travelers were seen going in every direction, for the emperor's command had been read in every city in the land. Out from Nazareth a company of people started toward the south, and in that company were Joseph and Mary, for they were both of the family of David, and they were going to Bethlehem, the city of David, to have their names written upon the list at that place.

       The road to the south led through the country of Samaria, then over the hills of Judah into Jerusalem. From Jerusalem Joseph and Mary went farther south, till they came to Bethlehem. Some of their company had left them in other cities along the way, while others had joined them.

       And when they reached Bethlehem they found that it was swarming with people who belonged, as they did, to the city where David was born. From every part of the land these people had come, and they had filled the lodging rooms till no more place could be found for the new arrivals.

       The long journey from Nazareth had been very tiresome, and Mary longed for a place to rest. But Joseph could find no place except in the stable of the inn. And here they stayed during their first days in Bethlehem.

       God had not forgotten his promise to Mary, and one night while she was in Bethlehem he gave her the child, Jesus. And Mary wrapped him in soft cloths called swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger where the cattle fed, because she could find no better place.

       The people of Bethlehem did not know that the angels were watching over the city that night. They did not hear the angels' glad song when Jesus was born. They did not see the joy of Mary and Joseph as they bent over the wonderful child in the manger.

       And so it was that God's greatest gift to men came right into that neighborhood and those people did not receive it as a gift from God because they did not expect a Savior to be born of such a humble person as Mary.

       But there were shepherds watching their flocks that night in a field near Bethlehem. Perhaps David, the shepherd king, had tended sheep in that same field many years before.

       These shepherds knew about David, and about God's promise to David that one of his descendants would be the Savior of men. And they may have been talking about God's promise when the angel of the Lord suddenly came near and a glorious light broke upon them through the darkness.

       Trembling with fear, they looked upon the angel and wondered why he had come to them.

       Then he spoke, and said: "Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the lord.. And you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling-clothes and lying in a manger."

       What a wonderful message! The shepherds listened eagerly to the angel's words, and when he finished speaking they saw a multitude of angels join him and begin to sing. Such music this world had never heard, for the angels were singing one of heaven's glad songs, giving glory to God in the highest.

       And they also sang, "Peace on earth, good will toward men."

       When the song had ended, the angels went back into heaven and the glorious light faded again into the darkness of the still night. But the shepherds never forgot the sweetness of that song nor the joy it brought to their hearts.

       They did not wait until daylight to hasten to Bethlehem in search of the wonderful child, but said to each other just as soon as the angels disappeared, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us."

       So they left their flocks and hurried to Bethlehem, and there they found Mary and Joseph in the stable, with the infant Savior lying in the manger as the angel had said.

       The shepherds told Mary and Joseph about their angel visitors and about the wonderful song that the angels sang. And no doubt they knelt before the manger and worshiped the little babe who lay quietly sleeping in the hay.

       Then they ran into the streets of Bethlehem and told every one whom they met about the angel's visit and about the wonderful child who had been born that night in a stable of the city. And the people wondered about the strange things that the shepherds told.

       When the baby was eight days old, Joseph and Mary gave him a name, and they called him by the name the angel had chosen. That name, Jesus, means "salvation," and it told to men the work that God had sent this child to do.

       There was a law among the Jews that an offering should be made to the Lord for the first boy child born into each family. Among the rich people this offering should be lamb, but among the poor people the offering of only two young pigeons would please God just as well.

       When Jesus was forty days old Joseph and Mary took him to the temple at Jerusalem to give their offering to the Lord. They brought two pigeons, for they were poor and could not bring a lamb.

       An old man named Simeon was in the temple when Joseph and Mary came to bring their offering. This old man had served God for many years, and he longed to see the Savior whom God had promised to send into the world.

       God knew about this longing in Simeon's heart, and one day he spoke to Simeon and said, "You shall not die until you have seen the Savior."

       When Mary brought the baby Jesus to the temple, God's Spirit caused Simeon to know this child was the promised Savior. He came eagerly to meet Mary and took her babe in his arms.

       Then he said, "Now may God let me depart in peace, for I have seen with my eyes the salvation which he has sent."

       Another faithful servant of the Lord was in the temple that day, an old lady named Anna, who spoke words of prophecy to the people. When she saw Jesus, she too gave thanks to God, and to the people who stood in the courts of the temple she spoke about this child of promise which had been sent from God to man.

       Mary never forgot the words of these dear old people concerning her wonderful child. She remembered, too, the story that the shepherds had told, about the angel's visit to them, and about their words and song.

       Always in the days that followed Mary thought about these strange things and wondered how her son Jesus would finally become the King and Savior of the world.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Wise Men Who Followed a Star
Matthew 2

IN THE COUNTRY far to the east of Judah there lived some wise men who studied the stars. One night they discovered a new star in the sky, one that they had never seen before. And God caused them to know by this star that Christ, the promised King of the Jews, had been born.

       These wise men feared God, and they wished to see the child whom he had sent to be the Savior of the world. They supposed that the Jews must be very happy because God had at last sent to them the King he had promised.

       Because these wise men were rich, they planned at once to make the long journey to Judah and bring precious gifts to the new-born King. Then they would worship him as their Savior.

       For many days they traveled across the sandy desert, and at last they came to the fertile country where the Jews lived. They hurried on to the city of Jerusalem; for they expected to find the wonderful child living in the most beautiful place in the land. And surely Jerusalem, the famous city of the Jews, would be the most beautiful place.

       Herod, the man whom the emperor of Rome had set up over the land of Judah, was living in Jerusalem at that time. He was surprised when these strangers, riding on camels, came into his city and asked, "Where is the child that is born King of the Jews? We have seen his star in the far east country, and have come to worship him."

       Herod had heard nothing about this new-born King, and he was troubled. What could this mean? he wondered. And even the rich people in Jerusalem were puzzled, too. They had heard nothing about Jesus.

       No doubt the wise men were disappointed when they found that the rulers of Jerusalem knew nothing about the birth of the Savior. Perhaps they feared that they might have been mistaken, after all. But they waited anxiously while Herod called the chief priests and the scribes and asked them where the Savior should be born.

       Now the chief priests and scribes were the men who read the books that the prophets had written long ago, and they understood that Christ should be born in Bethlehem. This they told to the excited Herod, and he called the wise men and told them that they should look for the child in Bethlehem.

       Herod had been troubled, because he did not want Jesus to become the king of the Jews. He thought this new-born King would take away his throne, and he wished to be king himself. But he did not let the wise men know about his trouble feelings. He called them and asked very politely when they had first seen this unusual star in the east, and they told him. Then he urged them to hurry on to Bethlehem and search diligently to find the child.

       "When you have found him,' said Herod, "bring me word at once, that I, too, may go and worship him."

       And with these words he dismissed them from his presence.

       The wise men mounted their camels again and took the south road, leading to Bethlehem. All they had waited impatiently in Jerusalem, and now the shadows of night were falling over the land. But it would not be a very long ride to the birthplace of the new-born King, and, urged on by Herod's words, they hastened to find Jesus.

       When once outside the city gates, they saw the star, the same beautiful star that had shown so brightly in the east country, moving slowly before them, as if leading them on to the right place. Now they were sure that they had not been mistaken; and they rejoiced greatly, for they believed that God was in this manner trying to help them to find Jesus.

       When they reached Bethlehem the star stood still over the place where Mary and Joseph were living. And the wise men knew they had followed the right guide, for here they found the wonderful child of whom the prophets had written.

       They knelt in humble worship before him, and then gave to him the rich treasures that they had brought from their homeland.

       God spoke to the wise men in a dream one night while they were in Bethlehem, and warned them not to tell Herod that they had found Jesus. So they returned to their own country by another road, and Herod never saw them again.

       Not long afterwards an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream and said, "Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I bring word to you to return again; for Herod will seek for Jesus and try to destroy him."

       Joseph rose up at once, and while it was yet dark he took Mary and the baby Jesus and hurried out of Bethlehem. For many days they traveled to the southwest, until they came to the land of Egypt. There they lived until an angel came to tell them that the wicked Herod was dead.

       But Herod did not die for some time after the visit of the wise men. He waited long for them to return, bringing him word from Bethlehem as he had commanded them to do. But when many days passed and they did not come, he began to suspect that they had gone home without telling him of their wonderful discovery in Bethlehem.

       He believed they had guessed the reason why he had been so eager to see Jesus, and now he was angry because he had missed the opportunity to find the new-born King of the Jews.

       Determined to destroy this King of the prophecies, Herod commanded his soldiers to go to Bethlehem and kill every baby there from two years old and younger. Not only to Bethlehem did he send them, but to the country places round about. And when this cruel deed was done he believed that he had surely gotten rid of this child whom the wise men sought to worship.

       But all the while Jesus was living in safety among the people of Egypt, and fast growing out of his babyhood years. Then the wicked Herod died, and an angel came again to speak to Joseph, telling him to return with his wife and her child to their own land.

       Joseph was glad to receive this message from the angel, for he loved to live among his own people. And he started back to Bethlehem. But when he came into Judah, he heard that Herod's son was now the ruler of the Jews in Judah, and he feared that this new king might be cruel like his father had been.

       Because of this fear Joseph journeyed on to Nazareth, in the country of Galilee, where he and Mary had lived before Jesus was born. And there he made a home for his wife and wonderful child.

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus in the Temple at Twelve Years Old
Luke 2:40-52

NAZARETH, THE BOYHOOD of Jesus, was nearly seventy miles from Jerusalem. The Jews who lived in this city could not go every week to worship God at the temple, so they built a house of worship, called synagog, in their home town. Here they attended religious services, and listened to the reading of the books written by Moses and by the prophets.

       As a little boy Jesus lived in the humble home of Joseph, the carpenter, and played among the shavings that fell from Joseph's bench. He also like to run about and play in the warm sunshine, as little children do today. But when he grew old enough to go to school his parents sent him to the synagog, where other Jewish boys were taught to read and to write.

       We are sure that Jesus studied his lessons well, and that he gave careful attention to the books he read each day. These books were copies of the Psalms and of the writing of Moses, the lawgiver, and the prophets. Like other Jewish boys, he learned to repeat many of these scriptures from memory, for he never had a Bible of his own.

       One spring morning after Jesus was twelve years old a company of Jews started from Nazareth to attend the Feast of the Passover, at Jerusalem. Every year since their return from Egypt, Joseph and Mary had attended this feast, and now, as usual, they were in this company. But this time they were taking with them the boy Jesus.

       Other children, too, were going, and they would enjoy the long trip of nearly seventy miles much more than would their parents and grown-up friends.

       As the company moved slowly along the road, other Jews from cities and villages near by joined them. And when they came to Jerusalem they met people from every part of the land. What an exciting time this much have been for the children! How wide their eyes must have opened when they saw the beautiful temple on Mount Moriah, with its wide porches and immense pillars of stone! And perhaps they stayed close by their parents during the first days of the Feast, lest they should get lost in the throng of people who daily crowded the temple courts.

       Jesus enjoyed this Feast as much as did this parents and grown-up friends. Although just a child, he was beginning to realize that God was his Father, and that he must work for God. So he listened to the readings of the law, and to the words of the chief priests and scribes, who taught the Jews every day. But we are sure that he acted very much like a healthy twelve-year-old boy, for his mother did not notice how deeply interested he had been in the services at the temple.

       After the Feast had ended, the company started on its homeward journey. Mary did not see her young son; but since she supposed that he was among their kinsfolk and friends, she did not feel uneasy. However, when at evening he did not come, she and Joseph began to search for him. All through the company they went, asking about Jesus; but no one had seen him that day. Then they turned with anxious faces back toward Jerusalem, and for three days they searched for their missing child.

       On the third day they found him, not playing with other boys in the streets, nor learning to swim in the Pool of Siloam, but sitting in the temple among the wise teachers, and asking them questions, which they could hardly answer.

       Mary was surprised when she found her boy in the temple among the wise men. She had looked every other place for him. She knew he was a boy, just a boy, and she was surprised to find him so deeply interested in the teachings of God.

       She came to him and said, "Son, why did you stay here when we were starting home? Your father and I have been anxiously seeking for you everywhere."

       Jesus answered, "Why did you seek for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" He meant, "Why did you not know where to find me at once? For I must be about my heavenly Father's business."

       But Mary did not understand, though she wondered much about the meaning of his words.

       The wise men in the temple had been much surprised to hear the wisdom of the boy Jesus. They had gathered round him to ask questions that only wise persons could answer. And Jesus answered them, every one.

       But when Mary and Joseph came to the temple, Jesus left the teachers there and returned with his parents to Nazareth. He was an obedient child, and as the years passed by he grew into a noble young man. Not only did he learn how to explain the Scriptures, but he watched Joseph at his work until he, too, became a carpenter. And by his kind, thoughtful ways he won many friends.

       In this humble home in Nazareth, Jesus lived until he was about thirty years old.

[Soldier4Christ]

John the Baptist - The Preacher in the Wilderness
Matthew 3; Mark 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-23; John 1:15-34

WHILE JESUS WAS growing to manhood in the city of Nazareth, in Galilee, John, the son of Zacharias, was growing to manhood in the desert country of Judea. John spent much of his time alone in this desert country, listening to God's voice. And when he became a man he left his lonely home in the desert and began to tell God's words to the people.

       John did not go to the cities of the land to preach God's message, but stayed in the wilderness of Judea near the River Jordan. And the people came from every part of the land to hear him speak. There had been no prophet among the Jews since the days of Malachi, more than four hundred years before, and now everybody was eager to hear this strange preacher in the wilderness tell the words that God had spoken to him. They believed he was a prophet, sent from God, and they came in great numbers to hear his words.

       And John's words were indeed wonderful. He told the people that they should turn away from their sins and begin to do right, for God's kingdom was near at hand. He said that the King for whom they had been looking would soon come among them. And those who confessed their sins he baptized in the River. For this reason they called him "John the Baptist."

       All classes of people came to John to be baptized by him. Among them were even the religious rulers of the Jews--the Pharisees and the Sadducees. These men were very religious, and very careful to appear righteous before others. But God, who looked into their hearts, saw that they were proud and sinful.

       God saw that they despised the poor unfortunate people who lived among them, and that they believed themselves to be more righteous than other men. And when they came to be baptized of John, God caused him to know that these Pharisees and Sadducees were only making believe that they were good.

       So John said to them. "Who has warned you evil men to flee from God's wrath? You can not be prepared to enter God's kingdom until you first turn away from your sins."

       John taught the people who came to him that they should be unselfish, and kind to the poor. He told those who were rich to share their food and their clothing with the needy. He told those who were soldiers to harm no one, and to be contented with their wages. He tried in this way to teach them that God's kingdom would be a kingdom of love and peace, and "good will toward men," just as the angels sang to the shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth.

       News of the strange preacher in the wilderness spread to even the farthest corners of the land, and everywhere the people were talking about his message. They were wondering whether John was the prophet Elijah come back to earth again, for John did not dress like other men.

       He wore only a rough garment woven of camel's hair, and tied about his waist with a skin girdle. And he ate the simple food that he found in the wilderness, dried locusts and wild honey. And he was bold, like Elijah had been, and unafraid to speak the truth to even the wicked King Herod.

       But when John heard about the wonderings of the people, he said, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, and warning you to prepare for the coming King. After me there is coming one greater than I--so much greater that I am not worthy to unfasten his shoes. And though I baptize you with water, he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, sent down from heaven.

       After these things happened, one day Jesus came from Nazareth to the Jordan River, where John was preaching and baptizing the people. And Jesus asked to be baptized also. John did not believe that Jesus needed to be baptized, and he said, "You are so much greater than I that I should be baptized by you. Why do you come to me?"

       But Jesus answered, "It is necessary that I should be baptized by you, because this is God's plan."

       So John took Jesus into the River and baptized him there.

       When these two were coming up out of the water, suddenly the heavens opened above them and the Spirit of God, in the form of a beautiful dove, came down and sat upon Jesus' head.

       Then a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

       And John knew by this sign who Jesus was; for God had told him that some day he would see the heavens open and the Spirit of God descend upon the coming King.

       After this time John continued to preach, and sometimes Herod heard him. Although Herod was troubled because John told him about his sins, his wife was much displeased with this fearless preacher of the wilderness. She wanted her husband, Herod, to kill him; and to please her, Herod shut John up in prison.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Temptations of Jesus
Matt. 4:11; Mark 1:12,13; Luke 4:14

YOU REMEMBER THE story about the beautiful Garden of Eden, where the first man and woman lived when the world was new. And you remember about the visit of the tempter, who came into that beautiful garden one day and persuaded Eve, the woman, to do wrong.

       Before that time there was no sin in the world; but after Eve listened to the tempter and obeyed his words, sin crept into her heart. And then Adam, the first man, also obeyed God and allowed sin to creep into his heart.

       Because sin found a place in the hearts of the first man and woman, sin was born in the hearts of all their children. And for this reason God sent Jesus, his dear Son, into the world, to save the people from their sins and to wash away the stains sin had made.

       Satan, the tempter, knew about God's plan to save people from their sins through Jesus. And he tried to spoil God's plan just as he had done before. He tried to crowd sin into the loving heart of Jesus.

       After the baptism at the Jordan River, when God's voice spoke from heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son," Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the lonely wilderness. There he lived by himself for forty days, among the wild beasts. But God did not allow any harm to come to him.

       And Satan, the tempter, found Jesus all alone in the wilderness. So he tempted him there. First in one way and then in another he tried to get Jesus to listen to his cunning plans and open his heart to let sin enter, just as Adam and Eve had done. But Jesus would not listen.

       When the forty days were ended, Jesus grew very faint and hungry, for he had eaten nothing since he came into this lonely place. And Satan remembered how he had tempted Eve to eat pleasant food, and how this temptation had caused her to listen to his words. He thought he would try the same temptation on Jesus.

       He said, "If you really are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He thought Jesus would surely yielded to this temptation and try to prove that he was God's Son.

       But Jesus answered, "Man shall not live by bread only, but by every word of God."

       Although he was hungry and faint, Jesus would not use his great power to please himself. He was willing to trust his heavenly Father to care for him in that desert place, and supply his needs as he had supplied food for Elijah. Satan soon saw that he could not cause Jesus to yield to such a temptation, so he tried another way.

       Taking Jesus to the topmost part of the temple in Jerusalem, he said, "If you expect people to believe that you are really God's Son you must show some great sign. Now cast yourself down to the ground, and trust God to protect you and keep your bones from being broken; for in the Scripture he has promised that angels will bear you up and not allow any harm to befall you."

       Even though Satan used Scripture words to urge Jesus to do this foolish deed, yet Jesus would not obey him. For Jesus knew that the Scriptures had forbidden any one to tempt God in such a foolish manner and expect God's angels to help him. And again Satan saw that his plan had failed.

       The third time Satan brought his greatest temptation. He took Jesus to the top of a high mountain and caused him to see all the kingdoms of the world. "These great kingdoms are mine," said the tempter, "and I can give them to any one I choose. Now I will give them to you if only you will fall down and worship me."

       But Jesus knew that Satan's words were not true. He knew that Satan had told falsehoods to Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden. Now he said, "Get away from me, you evil one! For it is written in the Scriptures that the Lord God is the only Being who should be worshiped."

       Then Satan left Jesus alone; for he could find no way to crowd sin into the pure heart of the Son of God. And when he went away the angels came from heaven and supplied Jesus' needs. How they must have rejoiced because the Savior had gained such a victory over the evil one!

       And Jesus was tempted in very way that people on the earth are tempted; still he did no wrong. By his temptations he was made to understand how people feel when Satan whispers to theirs hearts and urges them to sin, and he understands how to help those people when they call upon him in prayer.

[Soldier4Christ]

Jesus' First Disciples - Five Men Meet Jesus
John 1:35-51

MANY PEOPLE WHO heard John preach by the riverside believed his words, and they began to look for the coming of the King from heaven. From day to day they waited, eager to hear the glad news that the King had arrived. They believed that he would set up a kingdom of Judea, like the kingdom of David had been. And they believed that the Jews would be the favored people in this great kingdom.

       One day after Jesus had returned from the lonely wilderness, John the Baptist saw him walking along the road near the river. And John cried out, "Behold the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world!"

       Two young men from Galilee were with John that day and heard him speak. These young men had been disciples, or learners, of John, for they were interested in the teachings of God. When they heard John's words concerning Jesus, the Lamb of God, they turned at once to follow this wonderful person. Perhaps they wondered why John had called him the "Lamb of God." And perhaps they wondered how he could bear the sin of the world.

       Jesus knew these young men were following him, so he stopped and called to them. He asked what they wanted of him, and they answered, "Master, where do you dwell?" Then Jesus took them with him and talked with them all the day.

       We do not know what Jesus told those men, but we do know that his words proved to their minds that he was the King, or Messiah, for whom the Jews were looking. How glad they were because they had found him!

       One of those young men was Andrew, who afterwards became a disciple of Jesus. Just as soon as he believed that Jesus was the promised King he remembered how eagerly his brother, Simon, was waiting to see this great person, too. So he hurried at once to find Simon and bring him to Jesus.

       Both Simon and Andrew lived by the seaside in Galilee, but at this time they were numbered among the many people who daily sat listening to the words of the strange preacher in the wilderness. Never had they heard such wonderful teaching before, and they were sure that John was a prophet.

       But Jesus' words had convinced Andrew that he had found a new teacher who was even greater than John. So he called Simon aside from the multitude and said,"Come with me, for we have found the Messiah!"

       When Jesus saw the two brothers coming to his lodging-place he looked at Simon and said, "You are Simon, the son of Jona; but you shall be called Peter." Simon wondered how Jesus knew so much about him, but after he listened to Jesus' words he, too, believed that the long-looked-for King of the Jews had come. And he followed Jesus with his brother Andrew.

       On the next day Jesus began his journey back to his home country in Galilee, and these men went with him. As they went they met a man named Philip, who lived in the same town as Simon and Andrew lived in. Jesus called Philip to follow him, too; and Philip obeyed.

       As he walked along the road with Jesus and the other followers Philip listened in wonder to the wise sayings of his new-found friend. He had longed for the coming of the Messiah, and now he, too, believed that Jesus was the promised Savior and King.

       Philip had a neighbor named Nathaniel who had often talked with him about the glorious time soon coming when the King of the Jews would appear. And now he ran to tell Nathaniel about Jesus.

       He knew how greatly Nathaniel longed to see the coming King, and he called to him, saying, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth."

       Nathaniel knew the Scriptures, and he did not believe that the King of the Jews would come from Nazareth, for the prophets had said he would be born in Bethlehem. So he said to Philip, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"

       But Philip answered, "Come and see."

       Because Philip was so eager, Nathaniel rose and followed him. When they came near, Jesus saw Nathaniel, and he said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"

       "How do you know me?" asked the astonished Jew.

       Jesus answered, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig-tree, I saw you."

       What Nathaniel had been doing under the fig-tree we can only guess, but he may have been kneeling there and praying that God would hasten the coming of the promised King.

       When he heard Jesus; answer, he was filled with wonder and surprise that Jesus could know what he had been doing and where he had been staying before Philip called him.

       At once he believed that only God can see all things, and can reveal them to men, so he exclaimed joyfully, "Master, you are the Son of God! you are the King of Israel!"

       Jesus replied, "Do you believe just because I said I saw you under the fig-tree? You shall see greater things than these. Some day you shall see the heavens open, and the angel of God all about the Son of man."

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The Wedding In Cana - Jesus' First Miracle
John 2:1-11

IN CANA, A little town of Galilee, lived some friends of Jesus and his mother. One day these friends invited Jesus, his mother, and his followers to attend a wedding in their home. They invited many other people also, and prepared a feast for them.

       Perhaps these people were poor; for they had not prepared enough wine for all the people who came to the wedding. And before the close of the feast the wine was all gone.

       Mary, the mother of Jesus, saw that the wine had all been used, and she called Jesus aside to tell him about it. She knew of his wonderful power, and she believed he could surely help in a time like this. Then she told the servants who waited at the tables to do whatever Jesus might command them; for she expected him to supply the need in some wonderful manner.

       In every Jewish home there were large vessels, called water-pots, which the people kept filled with water to use in washing their hands and their feet. The Jews were very careful to keep themselves clean from dust and dirt, and because they walked about everywhere with only sandals on their feet they needed often to wash. In this home where the wedding-feast was being held, six large water-pots of stone were kept for this purpose.

       Jesus called the servants and told them to fill the water-pots with water. And remembering his mother's instructions to them, the servants drew water and filled the vessels to the brim. Then Jesus told them to draw out from the vessels and fill their wine-pitchers again. When they obeyed they saw that wine flowed from the vessels they had just filled with water.

       At these Jewish feasts one man was chosen to be the governor, or ruler of the feast. He tasted the food and the wine before it was placed on the tables to serve the people. Jesus told the servants to take this wine to the governor and have him taste it, just as he had tasted the first wine that had been served to the guests.

       Now the governor did not know what Jesus had done. He did not know that the other wine had all been used and there was no more to be had. When he tasted the wine which Jesus had made from water he was surprised because it was so much better than the first wine which had been served. Calling the young man who had just been married, the governor said, "At other wedding-feasts the best wine is served first, but you have kept the best until the last of the feast."

       This was the first miracle Jesus performed, and it showed his willingness to help people who are in need. When the men who followed him saw what he had done they believed on him, for they knew that no man could change water into wine as he did.

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Jesus in Jerusalem for the Passover
John 2:13 to John 3:21

THE TIME HAD come again for the yearly Passover Feast in Jerusalem, and from every part of the land groups of people came flocking to attend this great religious meeting.

       In one of these groups were Jesus and his friends, Andrew, Simon, Philip, and Nathaniel. These men were also called his disciples, or learners; for they often went with him from one place to another to learn more about his wonderful teachings.

       You remember that only the priests were allowed to enter the rooms of the temple, and that the people who went there to worship stood in the courts outside the rooms and prayed while the priests offered sacrifices upon the altars.

       When Jesus came with his disciples and friends to attend the Feast of the Passover, he found much disorder in the court where the people were supposed to worship God.

       This beautiful court looked more like a market-place than like a house of prayer, for men had brought oxen and sheep and doves in there to sell as sacrifices to those who came from distant country places to worship God.

       And other men, who were called money-changers, were sitting by small tables exchanging pieces of silver money, called half-shekels, for the coins people brought from distant lands. Every Jew, we are told, who was twenty years old or older, gave one of these half-shekels to the priests each year to buy sacrifices and to supply other needs in the temple worship.

       No other coins except half-shekels could be received by the priests, so the Jews who came from other lands had to exchange their coins for half-shekels before they could pay their dues to the priests.

       Jesus was grieved to see the disorder in the temple court. He knew that worshipers could not enjoy praying in such a noisy place, where buying and selling and money-exchanging were going on around them.

       So he made a whip by tying small cords together, and then he drove out the oxen and sheep and the men who kept them. He even upset the tables of the money-changers, and he told them that his Father's house was a place of prayer and should not be used for a market-place.

       No doubt other people had been grieved to see the disorder in the temple court at the time of the Passover feast. But none of them had ever dared to do as Jesus did at this time. None of them had courage enough to try to correct this great evil.

       But not all of the Jews were pleased to see Jesus drive the money-lovers and the owners of the oxen and sheep and doves into the streets outside the temple. Some of them came to Jesus and asked him for a sign to prove that he was some great man, with authority to do such things.

       But Jesus knew they would not accept him even when they should see a sign, so he answered, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it."

       He spoke about himself, meaning his body, which he knew the Jews would cause to be crucified, and which he would raise up from the dead after three days. But the Jews did not understand, and they thought he meant the temple on Mount Moriah, which Herod, the king, had rebuilt for them.

       They said, "Many years were spent in building this temple, and you say you could rebuild it in three days!" Then they shook their heads doubtfully and walked away, for they did not believe his words.

       At this Feast, Jesus began to teach the people and to do miracles among them. And many believed in him when they heard his words and saw the great works which no other man could do.

       One of those who believed in Jesus was a ruler among the Jews, a Pharisee. His name was Nicodemus, and he was a very rich man.

       There were many Pharisees among the Jewish rulers, and these men were proud and unwilling to accept either John the Baptist or Jesus as being teachers sent from God. They themselves wished to be the religious leaders of the Jews and they despised humble men like John and Jesus. But Nicodemus was not like his proud friends. He heard Jesus teach the people who had come to worship at the Feast, and he believed that surely Jesus was some great man.

       While the other Pharisees were finding fault with Jesus, Nicodemus longed to hear more of his teachings. So one night he came to the place where Jesus stayed while he was in Jerusalem, and asked to have a talk with this man from Galilee.

       Jesus received Nicodemus gladly, and talked to him about the kingdom of God. He told this ruler that no man could enter God's kingdom unless he should be born again. Nicodemus wondered how this could be possible, so Jesus explained to him the secret of the new birth, which we call a change of heart.

       Never before had this wise ruler of the Jews heard such strange words, and he listened wonderingly while Jesus told about the great love of God.

       "This love," said Jesus, "caused God to give his only Son that whoever believes in him may not die because of sin, but have life forevermore."

       Then Jesus reminded Nicodemus of the story of Moses in the wilderness when the people had sinned and God had sent fiery snakes into their camp.

       Nicodemus remembered the story, and Jesus said, "Just as those people who were about to die from the snake-bites found relief from their pain by looking at the brass snake that Moses put up on a pole in their camp, so the people who have sin in their hearts may find relief from sin by looking at the Son of man, who shall be raised up among them."

       Nicodemus did not understand that Jesus was speaking about the cruel way in which he should some time be put to death to save the people from their sins. But Nicodemus did believe more strongly than ever that Jesus was a great teacher who had come down from heaven to dwell among men.

       Faith in Jesus as the Redeemer of the world gives everlasting life.

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Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well
John 4:1-43

BETWEEN JUDEA AND Galilee was a little country called Samaria. This country used to belong to the kingdom of Israel; but when the Israelites were carried away as captives by the king of Assyria, strangers from other lands came into that country and made their homes.

       These strangers learned about the God of the Israelites, but they never worshiped God at the temple in Jerusalem. Instead, they built a temple in their country and worshiped there. They became bitter enemies of the Jews, and at the time of Jesus they were still despised by the Jews.

       In going to or returning from Jerusalem, the Jews of Galilee usually would not take the shorter road, through Samaria, but would travel the long road, which led first to and across the Jordan River, then along the border of the land where the people lived whom they despised.

       Although Jesus was a Jew he did not share the bitter feeling of the Jews toward the people of Samaria, who were called Samaritans. He knew they were just as precious in the eyes of God as were any other people, and he longed to teach them about their country on his journey back to his home in Nazareth.

       Because Jesus wished to take the shorter road, through Samaria, his disciples were willing to go that way too, in order to be with him. So they journeyed together as far as a little city called Sychar.

       Near the city was a wayside well, which had been dug hundreds of years before probably by Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. And in honor of him it was still called Jacob's well. When they reached this well, Jesus was tired, and sat down by it to rest from his long walk. His disciples went on to the city to buy food, leaving him there alone.

       Presently a woman from Sychar came down to the well to draw some water. She glanced at the stranger sitting there and saw that he was a Jew. Knowing that Jews paid no attention to Samaritans, she passed by and hurried to lower her water-jug with the long rope that she had brought. When the jug was filled she drew it up and was ready to start back to the city, when Jesus asked for a drink.

       Surprised at his request, the woman answered, "How is it that you, being a Jew, will ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans."

       Jesus replied, "If you knew who it is who asks a drink from your jug of sparkling water, you would ask of him and he would give you living water to drink."

       These words aroused the interest of the woman at once. Who could this stranger be? she wondered. She knew he was not like other Jews, for they would rather suffer from thirst than ask a favor of a Samaritan.

       So she said, "Sir, this well is deep and you have no rope to draw out the water, how then could you give me living water to drink? Are you greater than Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank of it himself, and his cattle?"

       "Whoever drinks of this water in Jacob's well becomes thirsty and returns again and again for more," answered Jesus, "but the living water which I give does not come from such a well. It bubbles up like a continual spring within one, and that one never grows thirsty again."

       Now the woman was an eager listener. She did not know that the living water of which Jesus spoke was his free gift of salvation to all people, and she said, "Sir, I want that kind of water so that I shall not need to return and refill my water-jug in this tiresome way."

       Jesus saw that she was interested, so he began to talk to her about her sins. He knew she was a very sinful woman, and he told her about some wrong things that she had done. She wondered how he, a stranger, could know these things. He seemed to see her thoughts and to read them all.

       "You are a prophet," she exclaimed.

       Although this woman was a sinner, she wondered often whether God was more pleased with the religion of the Jews than with the religion of her own people, the Samaritans. Now she asked Jesus whether people should worship God in Jerusalem or in the temple of the Samaritans.

       Jesus answered that God had planned to bring salvation through the Jews, but he said the time had come when true worshipers need no longer go up to Jerusalem, for they might pray to God everywhere and worship him.

       "God is not found in only one place," he said; "for God is a Spirit. And those who worship him in the right way must believe that he is a Spirit."

       Then the woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming from God, and when he comes he will tell us everything."

       "I am that Messiah," answered Jesus, and the woman looked in joy and wonder upon him. But at that moment the disciples returned from the city bringing food to eat, so she turned away and leaving her water-jug, ran back to tell her friends about the wonderful stranger whom she had met at the well.

       The disciples wondered why Jesus would talk with a despised woman of the Samaritans; but they did not ask him any questions. They brought food to him, and when he refused to eat they urged him.

       Then he said to them, "I have food to eat which you know nothing about."

       They asked each other, "Has some one brought food to him while we were away?"

       But Jesus knew their questionings, so he said, "My meat is to do the will of my Father, who has sent me into the world."

       When the woman reached the city she went into the streets and told the people about Jesus, the stranger who had understood all about her life.

       "He told me all the things that I ever did. Is not he the Messiah?" she asked.

       And the people decided to see this man for themselves, so they went with her to Jacob's well.

       Jesus talked with the Samaritans about the things of God, and they invited him to stay in their city and teach them more of these wonderful truths. He spent two days in Sychar, teaching the people. Then he went on his way to Nazareth, leaving behind him some believers among the Samaritans.

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Jesus Heals the Nobleman's Son
John 4:45-54

MANY PEOPLE WHO lived in the country of Galilee were eager to see Jesus. They had heard about his first miracle at Cana, where he turned water into wine, and they had also heard about his teachings and his miracles performed in Jerusalem during the Feast of the Passover.

       Now when he left Sychar and returned with his disciples to their country, the news of his coming spread rapidly from one city to another, and the Galilean people hoped he would come to their cities and perform miracles among them, too.

       But one man did not wait until Jesus should come to his home city before going out to see him. This man lived in Capernaum, a city that had been built on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was one of the rulers in that city, and he was also called a nobleman. In the eyes of the poor who lived near his home he was a great man indeed; for he did not despise them, as did many of the rulers of the Jews.

       Sorrow had come into the home of this nobleman, his little son lay sick with a burning fever, and the doctors could not make him well. Hearing of Jesus, the nobleman decided to seek this wonderful prophet and beg him to come to Capernaum to heal his child. So he left his home one night and hurried to Cana, where Jesus was.

       When the nobleman found the place where Jesus was stopping, he called to see the wonderful prophet of Galilee. He told Jesus about his sick child lying at home at the point of death, and he asked Jesus to go with him to Capernaum to heal the child.

       But Jesus answered, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe that I am sent of God."

       The nobleman was very much in earnest. He cried out, "Sir, if you do not come down at once, my little son will be dead when we reach home."

       Then Jesus spoke kindly to this distressed father. he said, "Return to your home without me, for your son will not die."

       The nobleman believed Jesus' words and turned back to Capernaum. He did not fear any longer that death would snatch his dear child away from his loving care, for Jesus had said that the child should be well again.

       When he came near to Capernaum, his servants came to meet him with glad tidings. They said, "Your son is no longer sick."

       "At what time," asked the nobleman, "did he begin to get well?

       And the servants replied, "His fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour of the day."

       The ruler knew that Jesus had spoken to him at that very hour, and he believed surely that it was the power of this prophet that had saved the life of his child. Not only this nobleman, but all his household, too, believed in Jesus when they heard about the healing of the sick boy.

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Jesus is Rejected in Nazareth
Luke 4:16-32

A  SAD DAY had come for Nazareth, the city where Jesus had lived since his babyhood years. And this sad day had come on the Sabbath.

       The Jews from different parts of the city were gathering in their house of worship, the synagog. Among their number was Jesus; for he had returned from his visit in Cana. Always while he lived in Nazareth he went every Sabbath-day to the services at the Synagog, where he heard God's words read from the books of the law and of the prophets.

       Now, Jesus was no longer just an ordinary person among the other Jews of Nazareth, for they had heard about his teachings in other cities and they wished to hear for themselves what this son of the carpenter Joseph would say. So when the time came for the services to begin, Jesus stood up to read to the people, and the minister of the synagog brought to him the book that the prophet Isaiah had written long years before.

       Jesus found where Isaiah wrote the prophecy concerning the Messiah, and he read Isaiah's prophecy to the people. These are some of the words he read:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted,
To preach deliverance to the captives,
And recovering of sight to the blind
To set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

       After reading these words, Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the minister, and sat down. Then every one in the synagog looked at him, expecting to hear him speak; for the speaker in the synagog always stood up to read God's words and sat down to explain the meaning of what he had read.

       Among those who listened to Jesus that day were his neighbors who had known him nearly all his lifetime. Proud men they were, unwilling that the carpenter's son should teach them new truths. They had heard of the miracles that Jesus performed in Cana and in Capernaum, the city by the seashore. But they did not believe that Jesus was the promised King of the Jews. They knew he was only a poor man, and they did not respect him for being great and good.

       But those proud men were surprised when they heard Jesus' words. They did not know he could speak so well; they did not know that he was the greatest teacher who had ever spoken to men. For a while they listened very carefully; then Jesus told them that Isaiah's words were fulfilled by his coming to preach the gospel to the poor and to do other wonderful things that Isaiah had promised.

       "How can this be true?" they asked of each other; "for it not this Joseph's son?"

       Jesus knew they would not receive his words and believe them. He told them that no prophet was honored by his own people. And he reminded them of the time when Elijah, the prophet, ran away from Israel to hide in the home of a poor widow who lived in a heathen land.

       Because this poor widow cared for God's prophet, God took care of her. He also told them about the heathen leper, Naaman, who was healed by God's power when he obeyed Elisha's words, although many Israelites had leprosy and were never healed.

       The proud men of Nazareth quickly objected to these words of Jesus, although they were true happenings among the Jews long before. They believed that Jesus was trying to show them how God cared for other people besides the Jews, and they did not like to hear such words.

       So they refused to listen longer to his teachings, and the service at the synagog broke up in great disorder. The leading men ran to Jesus and took hold of him roughly and drew him outside their synagog. Then a mob of angry people followed, wishing to see Jesus punished because he had spoken the truth to them.

       This mob led Jesus to the top of the high hill upon which Nazareth was built, intending to throw him down upon the sharp rocks in the canon below. But the time had not yet come when Jesus should die for the sins of the people, and therefore they could not carry out their wicked intention.

       He simply walked quietly through the midst of the excited throng. No one seized hold of him again, and he left them and went away to live in Capernaum, the city by the Sea of Galilee.

       The men of Nazareth did not know what a terrible deed they had tried to do that day; they did not know that their foolish pride had caused them to drive right out of their midst the gift which God had sent from heaven to earth. And because they refused to believe in Jesus as the one of whom Isaiah had written, they never received the gift of salvation, which Jesus brought to men.

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Four Fishermen Follow Jesus
Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-34; Luke 4:33 to 5:11

WHEN JESUS RETURNED from the Feast of the Passover at Jerusalem, his disciples were with him, you remember. But after coming into Galilee Jesus went to his home in Nazareth and the disciples returned to their homes in Capernaum.

       After the proud men of Nazareth tried to kill Jesus, he left their city and went to live in Capernaum, too. Here he taught in the synagog on the Sabbath-days, and the people of Capernaum were glad to listen to his words. He did not teach them as did their usual Jewish teachers, repeating the same words again and again each time he spoke, but always his words sounded new, and just as if God were speaking to the people.

       One morning Andrew and Simon were busy at work in their fishing-boats on the Sea of Galilee when they saw Jesus walking along the shore. He called to them, and they left their boats and followed him. Farther along they saw two other fishermen in a ship mending their torn nets.

       These men were brothers, and their names were James and John. They were partners in the fishing business with Simon and Andrew, and when they saw their partners following Jesus they ceased their work, wondering where Simon and Andrew were going. Jesus called them also, and they left their ship at once in the care of their father and the servants who were helping mend the nets.

       Taking these four fishermen with him, Jesus returned to the city. And on the next Sabbath-day they went with him into the synagog, where many people had come to hear his words.

       Among the crowd who had gathered that day in the synagog was one man in whom Satan had put a very bad spirit.

       This bad spirit caused the man to cry aloud when he saw Jesus, and say, "Let us alone! What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? I know you are the Holy One from God."

       Jesus was not pleased to have a spirit of Satan speak to him like this. So he commanded the bad spirit to come out of the man. And the spirit threw the poor man on the floor before all the people, tearing him and crying with a wicked cry. But at Jesus' command the bad spirit had to leave the man; for Jesus has power over all the power of Satan, to cast out the evil spirits that come to dwell in people.

       When those standing by saw what Jesus had done, they were greatly astonished. Never before had they seen any one with power to rebuke the evil spirits. They said to each other, "What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for Jesus even dares to command evil spirits and they must obey him!"

       Quickly the news of this wonderful happening in the synagog spread to every part of the city, and everybody became interested in the great teacher who had lately come to live among them. They were so glad he had come, and they wished to carry their suffering friends and loved ones to him that he might cure them of their sicknesses and diseases. So they began to plan how they might do this.

       Jesus had gone with his disciples from the synagog to the home of Simon and Andrew. When they arrived they heard that Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with fever. So they told Jesus about her, and brought him into the room where she lay suffering.

       Jesus came to her bedside, and taking hold of her hand he lifted her up. At that very moment the fever departed and strength came into her body again. She rose from her bed and helped to prepare food for the disciples and their wonderful teacher.

       At sunset the Sabbath-day closed for the Jews and then they were free to begin their work again, for they never did any work on the Sabbath. When sunset came on this day of rest Simon and Andrew were surprised to see throngs of people coming toward their home.

       From every direction the people were coming, some with crippled friends leaning on their arms, and others with blind friends walking by their side. Still others were carrying cots on which lay their sick children or other relatives, and all of them were coming to ask Jesus to drive away the sicknesses and diseases and to make their friends and loved ones well again.

       What a busy time followed! Jesus was glad to help these poor sufferers and to make them well. He touched them, one by one, and they were healed. He even cast out many evil spirits from the people who had come, and he would not allow those spirits to cry out like the evil spirit had done in the synagog.

       Finally the last group of happy friends departed from the doorstep, and Jesus lay down to sleep in Simon's house. How very tired he must have been! But after sleeping only a few hours he rose up quietly and left the city. He sought for a place where he might be all alone to talk with his heavenly Father, for often he prayed earnestly to God for strength and help to do the great work that he had to do.

       When daylight broke, people began coming again to Simon's home, asking for Jesus. But Jesus was not there. Simon and his friends began to search for Jesus, and they found him at his place of prayer.

       They told him about the anxious seekers who had come early to find him again, and Jesus said, "I must preach the kingdom of God in other cities also, for I am sent to do this great work." So the disciples went with him to visit other cities of Galilee, and Jesus taught in the synagogs of those cities and cast out evil spirits, as he had done in Capernaum. And many people believed in him.

       After some time he returned again to Capernaum, and his disciples went back to their work as fishermen. But Jesus continued to teach the people who came to hear his words. One day he went out to the seaside where his disciples were at work, washing their nets. Many people saw him leave the city, and they followed. Soon a great crowd gathered on the shore, eager to hear him preach. So Jesus asked permission to sit in Simon's ship and speak to the people who stood on the shore.

       When Jesus finished speaking he told Simon to row out into the deep water and lower his net to catch some fish.

       Simon replied, "Master, we have fished all night and have caught nothing; however, if you wish we will try again."

       So they rowed away from the land and let down their nets once more. This time a great many fishes quickly swam into the net and were caught. Simon and Andrew could not draw them out of the water alone, for their net began to break with the weight of the many fishes. They signaled for their partners, James and John, and the four men worked together.

       They had never seen so many fishes in one net before. Soon the ship was filled, and they began to put more fish in the second ship. Finally both ships began to sink with the weight of the fishes and the men.

       Now, the fishermen knew that Jesus had performed a miracle by causing so many fish to be in the net. Simon fell down at Jesus' knees and cried, "Leave me, O Lord! for I am a sinful man and am not worthy of all you have given to us here."

       But Jesus was not ready to leave Simon. He answered, "Do not be afraid, for hereafter you shall catch men."

       And Simon understood from Jesus' words that he must leave his fishing business and follow the Master everywhere he went. So when the fishers made their way to the shore they forsook their ships and walked with Jesus from one city to another, helping him and learning daily more and more about the kingdom of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Matthew the Publican Becomes a Disciple
Matt. 9:9-13; Mark 2:14-17; Luke 5:27-32

IN THE LAND where Jesus lived there was among the Jews one class of people whom all other Jews despised. This class was the publicans, or tax-gatherers, who worked for the Roman government.

       The Jews hated the Roman government because they wished to be an independent nation, having a Jewish ruler over them. For this reason they were eagerly awaiting the time when the kingdom of God should come. They believed the kingdom of God would set up in the same country as that in which David used to live and rule. And they expected to become the greatest people in all the world when that kingdom should be set up. Any Jew who was friendly with the Roman government they hated, because they thought he was not being true to his own nation.

       For many years the Jews had believed God would send them a King who would deliver them from the rule of stronger nations. They did not understand when the prophets taught of Jesus' coming to earth that he would come to free them from their greatest enemy, Satan. They seemed to forget that they needed freedom from sin's bondage more than they needed freedom from the rule of the heathen kings.

       But the Jews who were more friendly toward the Romans, and who worked for the Roman government, were called publicans. They took the tax money from the Jews, which the ruler at Rome demanded of them. And often they took more money than the Roman ruler called for. In this manner they stole from the people, and became very rich themselves. And the people hated them, and called them sinners.

       Not all the publicans robbed the people by asking too much tax money from them. But because many of them did this, the people believed that all of them were guilty of such wrong-doing. And they called every publican a sinner.

       One day while Jesus was passing along a street in the city of Capernaum he saw a man named Matthew sitting at a publican's table, taking the tax money from the people. Although Matthew was a publican, whom other Jews despised, Jesus saw the heart of this man and he knew Matthew would make a good disciple. So he called this publican to follow him, and Matthew gladly left his money-table and obeyed the call.

       Matthew was also called Levi, for the Jews sometimes had two names. And after he began to follow Jesus he remembered his friends of other days. He believed they, too, would be glad to see Jesus and to hear his words. So Matthew prepared a great feast or banquet and called many of his publican friends to the feast. He invited other people too, whom the proud Jews despised and called sinners, and then he brought Jesus and the other disciples to the feast.

       The scribes and Pharisees also came to Matthew's house that day, though they had not been invited to the feast. They stood about in the courtyard or even in the large dining-hall, looking on and talking to each other about what they saw. This was not so rude as it seems, for this was a custom among those people and Matthew was not at all surprised when they came.

       These onlookers began to find fault when they saw Jesus sitting among the publicans and sinners. They felt themselves too good to keep company with despised folk, and they were surprised that Jesus should eat with Matthew and his friends. So they called Jesus' disciples aside and asked, "How is it that you Master east and drinks with publicans and sinners?"

       Jesus heard the questioning of these fault-finders, and he said to them, "It is not well people who need to call for the services of a doctor, but people who are sick. And so I have not come to call righteous people, but I have come to call sinners to repent."

       He knew the scribes and Pharisees believed themselves to be too righteous to need repentance, but he knew the publicans and sinners realized that they were not pleasing God. And they would listen to Jesus' words, and humble their hearts. Many of them would gladly forsake their sins and follow Jesus to learn of him.

       Matthew, the publican, became a very useful man for God. It was he who wrote the book called the "Gospel According to Matthew," in the New Testament. And in this writing he gives us more of the words that Jesus spoke than do any other of the gospel writers.