The Life of Jesus Christ for the Young Part 6

"I leave it all with Jesus, Trust him for what must be; I leave it all with Jesus, Who ever thinks of me.

"I bring it all to Jesus, In calm, believing prayer; I bring it all to Jesus, And I love to LEAVE it there!

"Each tear, each sigh, each trouble, Each disappointment,--all I love to GIVE to Jesus, Who loves to TAKE them all."

And here we have a beautiful ill.u.s.tration of one of the things which Jesus taught us in his parables, namely--_the value of religion_.

_Another thing we are taught in these parables is_--CHRIST'S LOVE FOR SINNERS.

The parable of the lost sheep teaches us this truth: but as we had occasion to speak of this in our last chapter, when ill.u.s.trating the tenderness of Christ, as the Great Teacher, we may let that pa.s.s now.

But the parable of the lost piece of money teaches the same lesson.

We have this parable in St. Luke xv: 8th and 9th verses. Here we are told of a woman who had ten pieces of silver, and lost one of them.

Then she laid the others aside, and searched diligently for the lost piece till she found it. This woman represents Jesus. The lost piece of money represents our souls lost by sin. The efforts of the woman to find the lost piece represent what Jesus did, when he left heaven, and took our nature upon him, and came as "the Son of man to _seek and to save that which was lost_." And it was the love of Jesus for poor sinners which led him to do all this for us. And everything connected with the history of Jesus when he was on earth shows the greatness of his love. Think of Bethlehem and its manger; there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Gethsemane with its b.l.o.o.d.y sweat; there we see the love of Jesus. Think of Calvary with its cross of shame and agony; for _there_ we see the love of Jesus.

And the parable of the prodigal son teaches us the same lesson. We read of this in the same chapter, St. Luke xv: 11-32. This son had been disobedient and ungrateful. He had taken the money his father gave him and had gone away and spent it in living very wickedly. And when the money was all spent and he was likely to starve, he went back to his father, hungry and ragged, and asked to be taken in. And instead of scolding and punis.h.i.+ng him as he deserved, as soon as his father saw him, he ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him; and took off his rags, and dressed him in good clothes, and made a great feast for him. How beautifully this parable ill.u.s.trates the love of Christ for sinners!

And when we learn to know and feel the love of Christ for us, it does two blessed things for us.

One is, _it makes us good_. We hear a great deal about _conversion_.

This word conversion simply means--_turning_. When a person has been living without trying to serve or please G.o.d, and is led to see how wrong it is to live in that way, and then feels an earnest desire to turn around, and live differently, and really does so:--that is conversion. The teaching or preaching of the gospel is the chief means that G.o.d employs to convert men. And the thing about the gospel in which this converting power lies is--_the love of Christ_. Here is an ill.u.s.tration of what this means.

"He Loved Me." An English minister of the gospel was traveling in Switzerland one summer. As he pa.s.sed from place to place, he preached by means of an interpreter in various churches. One Sunday night he preached from the words, "_He loved me, and gave himself for me_."

Gal. ii: 20. Then he went on his way without knowing what effect had followed from his preaching.

One Sat.u.r.day evening, several weeks after, the minister of this church was sitting in his study. There came a faint knock at his door. He opened it, when, to his great surprise he saw there a young man, who was known as the wickedest young man in that neighborhood, and the leader of others in all sorts of wickedness. He invited him in, gave him a seat, and asked him what he wished. Judge of his surprise when the young man said he wished to inquire if he might come to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, which was to be celebrated in his church the next day!

"But are you not aware, my young friend," said the minister, "that only those who love Christ, and are trying to serve him, have any right to come to that holy ordinance?"

"I know it, sir," said the young man, "and I am thankful to feel that I am among that number."

"But," asked the astonished pastor, "are you not known in this village as the ringleader in all evil doings?"

"Alas! it is too true that it has been so," he replied, "but thank G.o.d all is changed now."

"I am happy indeed to hear it; but pray tell me what led to this great change."

"I was in your church, sir," said he, "some weeks ago, when that English minister preached from the words, 'Who loved me and gave himself for me,' That was the first time I ever understood about the love of Christ. It led to my repentance and conversion; and now I wish to show my love to Jesus by trying to serve and please him."

Here we see how the love of Christ makes us good.

But it _makes us happy_, as well as good. Here is a little story that ill.u.s.trates this point very well. We may call it:

"Maggie's Secret." "Maggie Blake, how can you study so hard, and be so provokingly good?" This question was asked by Jennie Lee, who was one of the largest and wildest girls in the school. Maggie hesitated a moment, whether to tell her secret or not. But, presently she lifted up her eyes, looked her companion bravely in the face, and said--"It's for Jesus' sake, Jennie."

"But do you think he cares?" asked Jennie in a soft, subdued voice,--"do you think he cares how we act?"

"I _know_ he does," said Maggie. "And it makes it so pleasant you see, even to study and get hard lessons, when I know he is looking at me, and is pleased to have me working my best for him. He always helps me to get my lessons; and then helps me to say them right. You know I used to be so frightened I could not say them, even when I had learned them well."

"Yes," said Jennie, remembering very well how Maggie had changed in that respect.

"That was before I thought of learning them for Jesus. After that he helped me all along. It makes me like school; and even disagreeable things are pleasant when I think of doing them for him."

Jennie had often watched Maggie, and wondered what made her have such a bright, cheerful, happy look. Now she knew the secret of it. It was doing everything "for Jesus' sake."

She felt she would gladly give everything she had to be as happy as Maggie. She asked Maggie to pray for her, and she began to pray for herself. Then Jesus helped her, and she soon had Maggie's secret for her own. The girls in school wondered at the change which had come over Jennie. But when they heard that she had been confirmed, and had joined the church, they understood it all. They knew she "had been with Jesus;" and that it was learning to know and feel his wonderful love which had made Jennie so good, and so happy.

And so, we see that Jesus was doing a blessed thing for us when he taught the parables which show his love for sinners.

_A third thing taught us by some of the parables of Jesus is_--THE DUTY OF KINDNESS.

One day, while Jesus was on earth, a young man came to him with the great question, what he should do to obtain eternal life. Jesus referred him to the Ten Commandments; and reducing them to two, he told the young man that these commandments required him to love G.o.d with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself; and then said if he would do this he would be saved.

This is perfectly true. Any one would be saved who would do this.

But no one ever has done this except our blessed Lord Himself. He "magnified the law and made it honorable" by keeping it perfectly. I suppose that Jesus intended to give this young man some lessons about the commandments of G.o.d which would lead him to see that he never could keep them himself; and that he would need some one to keep them for him, and that _this_ was the only way in which he, or any one else could be saved. It may have been that the young man did not want to hear any thing more on that subject, and so he gave the conversation a different turn by asking--"who is my neighbor?" when Jesus said he must love his neighbor as himself. And then, in answer to this question Jesus told the parable of the "Good Samaritan." We have this parable in St. Luke x: 30-37.

Here we are told of a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves. They robbed him; and wounded him; and left him half dead. While he was lying there helpless and suffering, a priest and a Levite came, and looked on him, and pa.s.sed by on the other side, without giving him any help. Then we are told that a certain Samaritan came by, and when he saw the poor wounded man lying there, although he was a Jew, and the Jews and the Samaritans hated each other very much, yet he pitied him, and went up to him, and bound up his wounds, and set him on his own beast, and carried him to an inn, and told them to take care of him, and said that he would pay all his expenses. Then Jesus asked the question, "Which now, of these three thinkest thou was neighbor to him that fell among thieves? And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

Thus Jesus taught the duty of kindness. This kindness we must show, not to our friends only, but to our enemies. _Kindness to all_ is the duty that Jesus teaches.

Let us look at one or two ill.u.s.trations of the way in which we should do this.

"The Honey s.h.i.+eld." It is said that wasps and bees will not sting a person whose skin is covered with honey. And so those who are exposed to the sting of these venomous little creatures smear their hands and faces over with honey, and this, we are told, proves the best s.h.i.+eld they can have to keep them from getting stung. And the honey here very well represents the kindness which Jesus teaches us to practise.

If kindness, gentleness, and forbearance are found running through all our words and actions, we shall have the best s.h.i.+eld to protect us from the spiteful stings of wicked people.

"Androcles and the Lion." Most of those who read these pages may have heard this story, but it ill.u.s.trates the point before us so well that I do not hesitate to use it here.

Androcles was a Roman slave. To escape the cruel treatment of his master he ran away. A lonely cave in the midst of the forest was his home for a while. Returning to his cave one day he met a lion near the mouth of the cave. He was bellowing as if in pain; and on getting nearer to him, he found that he was suffering from a thorn which had run into one of his paws. It was greatly swollen and inflamed, and was causing him much pain. Androcles went up to the suffering beast.

He drew out the rankling thorn and thus relieved him of his pain. His nature, savage as it was, felt the power of the kindness thus shown to him. He became attached to the lonely slave, and shared his prey with him while they remained together.

But, after a while the retreat of Androcles was discovered. He was taken and carried back to his master. The lion also was made a prisoner soon after. Androcles was kept in prison for some time; and finally, according to the custom of the Romans, he was condemned to be devoured by wild beasts. The lion to be let loose on Androcles had been kept a long time without food and was very hungry. When the door of his den was opened he rushed out with a tremendous roar. The Colosseum was crowded with spectators. They expected to see the poor slave torn to pieces in a moment. But, to the surprise of everyone, the great monster, hungry as he was, instead of devouring the condemed man, crouched at his feet, and began to fondle him, as a pet dog would do. He recognized in the poor prisoner his friend of the forest and showed that he had not forgotten his kindness. The kindness of Androcles had been like the honey s.h.i.+eld to him. It saved his life, first from the savage beast in the forest; and then from the savage men in the city. Let us all put on this s.h.i.+eld, and wear it wherever we go. The lesson of kindness which Jesus teaches in this parable, has been very well put by some one in these sweet lines:

THE LESSON OF KINDNESS.

"Think kindly of the erring!

Thou knowest not the power With which the dark temptation came In some unguarded hour; Thou knowest not how earnestly They struggled, or how well, Until the hour of weakness came, And sadly then they fell.

"Speak kindly to the erring!

Thou yet may'st lead him back With holy words, and tones of love, From misery's th.o.r.n.y track: Forget not _thou_ hast often sinned And sinful yet must be:-- Deal kindly with the erring one As G.o.d hath dealt with thee!"

The duty of kindness was the third lesson Jesus taught in the parables.

_A fourth lesson taught us in some of the parables of Jesus is_---- THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS.

The apostle Peter came to Jesus one day, and asked him how often he ought to forgive a brother that offended him; and whether it would be enough to forgive him _seven_ times. The answer of Jesus was, "I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven."

St. Matt. 18: 22. Then Jesus spoke the parable of the two debtors.

St. Matt. 18: 23-35. One of these owed his master ten thousand talents. If these were talents of silver they would amount to more than fifteen millions of dollars. If they were talents of gold, they would amount to three hundred millions. This would show that his debt was so great that he never could pay it. Then his master freely forgave him. But not long after, he found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred pence, or about fifteen dollars of our money.

The man asked him to forgive him the debt. He would not do it; but put him in prison. When his master heard this he was very angry, and put him in prison, where he should be punished until he had paid all his great debt. And Jesus finished the parable by saying--"_so likewise, shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye, from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespa.s.ses_." And here we are taught the great duty of forgiveness. And this same duty is taught us in the Lord's Prayer, where he says--"Forgive us our trespa.s.ses, as we also forgive those who trespa.s.s against us." If we use this prayer without forgiving those who injure us, then, in so using it, we are really asking G.o.d _not_ to forgive us. And Jesus _practised_ what he _preached_. As he hung bleeding and agonizing on the cross, while his enemies were cruelly mocking his misery, he looked up to heaven, and uttered that wonderful prayer--"_Father forgive them; for they know not what they do_." Here we have the best ill.u.s.tration of forgiveness that the world has ever seen.