The Bible Story Part 233

Nathanael saith unto him, "Whence knowest thou me?" Jesus answered and said unto him, "Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee."

Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of G.o.d; thou art King of Israel."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of G.o.d ascending and descending upon the Son of man."

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IV

THE FIRST MIRACLE.

_How the Lord Jesus Went to a Wedding_.

The third day after Jesus had started for Galilee with his new friends, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and Jesus also was bidden, with his disciples, to the marriage.

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said unto him, "They have no wine."

And Jesus said unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come."

His mother said unto the servants, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

Now there were six waterpots of stone set there after the Jews' custom of purifying, containing two or three firkins apiece.

Jesus said unto them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And he said unto them, "Draw out now, and bear unto the ruler of the feast."

And they bore it. And when the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and knew not whence it was (but the servants which had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom, and said unto him, "Every man setteth on first the good wine; and when men have drunk freely, then that which is worse: thou hast kept the good wine until now."

This beginning of his signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

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V

AT THE Pa.s.sOVER.

_How the Lord Jesus Went Again to Jerusalem, What He Did, and the Friends He Made There_.

And the Pa.s.sover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money and overthrew their tables; and to them that sold the doves he said, "Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise."

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Pa.s.sover, during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding his signs which he did.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came unto him by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from G.o.d: for no man can do these signs that thou doest, except G.o.d be with him."

Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of G.o.d."

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Nicodemus said unto him, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of G.o.d. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, 'Ye must be born anew.' The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is everyone that is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus answered and said unto him, "How can these things be?" Jesus replied to him, "Art thou the teacher of Israel, and understandest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and bear witness of that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things? And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life."

(This is the end of the story of the Lord Jesus and Nicodemus. What follows is added by the writer of the gospel.)

For G.o.d so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For G.o.d sent not the Son {81} into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of G.o.d. And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

For every one that doeth ill hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, lest his works should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, that they have been wrought in G.o.d.

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VI

JESUS AT JACOB'S WELL.

_How the Lord Jesus Made Much of Two Days in Samaria_.

Afterward Jesus left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs pa.s.s through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph: and Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat by the well.

It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, "Give me to drink."

For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, "How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered and said unto her, "If thou knewest the gift of G.o.d, and who it is that saith to thee, 'Give me to drink'; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."

The woman saith unto him, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?"

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA.

By Heinrich Hofmann

"Sweet was the hour, O Lord! to thee At Sychor's lonely well, When a poor outcast heard thee there Thy great salvation tell.

There Jacob's erring daughter found Those streams unknown before, The water brooks of life, that make The weary thirst no more."

--_Sir Edward Demey_

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Jesus answered and said unto her, "Everyone that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water, springing up unto eternal life."

The woman saith unto him, "Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw."