THE JEWS ATTEMPT TO
STONE JESUS.
AT one time, some of those who were present while Jesus was teaching, told him of the Galileans whom Pilate killed, and whose blood he mingled with the blood of the sacrifices that they offered in the Temple.
When Jesus heard this, he said, " Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwell in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." So when we see evil coming upon people around us, we must not think that we are spared because we are better than they, but we should have sympathy for those who are in distress, and thank God for his mercy toward us. We have all sinned, and deserve to suffer for it; and unless we repent, and seek forgiveness, we shall surely be cut off, and perish among the evildoers.
Then Jesus gave them a parable, to show that God requires that we should not only repent of our sins, but that we should bear fruit to the glory of God. He said, "A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,
Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" Then the dresser of the vineyard said, "Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that, thou shalt cut it down." So, likewise, we must do good.
We must be useful in the world.
We must set a good example. We must always be on the side of right, always be doing something to help on the cause of God on the earth.
One Sabbath as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, there was present a woman that had had an infirmity eighteen years, and was so bowed together that she could not possibly straighten herself up.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her, and said, " Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity." Then he laid his hand on her, and she was made well immediately, and "glorified God." Now the ruler of the synagogue was very angry because Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath, and said to the people, "There are six days in which men ought to work: in them, therefore, come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath-day." But Jesus said to him, "Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath-day?" Then his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people rejoiced because Jesus had done such glorious things.
In the time of our Saviour, the Jews held a feast, which they called the Feast of Dedication. This feast was held in the month of December. A few months before his death, Jesus attended this feast, and as the weather was bad, he took shelter under what was called Solomon's Porch. While he was walking under this porch, the Jews gathered about him, and said, "How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly." Then Jesus said, "I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me." He also told them that the reason why they did not believe on him was because they were not of his sheep; that is, they did it have a gentle spirit, and were not willing to follow him, and obey his voice. He said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Since his Father, who had given him the sheep, was all-powerful, no man was able to take them from him; for, said he, "I and my Father are one." Upon this, the Jews took up stones to stone him. But Jesus asked them for which of his good works they stoned him. Then they said, "For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."