Jesus of Nazareth, A Biography Part 4

"Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?"

He answered and said unto them:

"Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

Howbeit in vain do they wors.h.i.+p me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' For laying aside the commandment of G.o.d, ye hold the tradition of men, as the was.h.i.+ng of pots and cups; and many other such like things ye do."

And he said unto them:

"Full well ye reject the commandment of G.o.d, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said: 'Honour thy father and thy mother'; and, 'Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:' but ye say, 'If a man shall say to his father or mother, "It is Corban," (that is to say, a gift,) by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.' And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; making the word of G.o.d of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye."

And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them:

"Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: there is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."

And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them:

"Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?" And he said, "That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man."

And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: the woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her:

"Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs."

And she answered and said unto him:

"Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs."

And he said unto her, "For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter." And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

And again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the mult.i.tude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."

And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying:

"He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."

CHAPTER VIII

"THOU ART THE CHRIST"

In those days the mult.i.tude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them:

"I have compa.s.sion on the mult.i.tude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far."

And his disciples answered him: "From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?"

And he asked them: "How many loaves have ye?"

And they said: "Seven."

And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

And straightway he entered into a s.h.i.+p with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith:

"Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you.

There shall no sign be given unto this generation."

And he left them, and entering into the s.h.i.+p again departed to the other side.

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the s.h.i.+p with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying:

"Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod."

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them:

"Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? Have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not, and having ears, hear ye not, and do ye not remember? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?"

They say unto him, "Twelve."

"And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up?"

And they said, "Seven."

And he said unto them, "How is it that ye do not understand?"

And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said:

"I see men as trees, walking."

After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. And he sent him away to his house, saying: "Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town."

And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them:

"Whom do men say that I am?"

And they answered, "John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets."

And he saith unto them, "But whom say ye that I am?"

And Peter answereth and saith unto him, "Thou art the Christ."

And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying:

"Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of G.o.d, but the things that be of men."