Part 1
Transcriber's note: Unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed.
[Illustration: SOWING AND REAPING.]
BE NOT AFRAID
STORIES
FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT
By
CATHARINE SHAW
Author of
"Cherry's Choice," "Mother's Bible Stories," "Suffer Little Children," etc., etc.
LONDON JOHN F. SHAW (1928) & CO., LTD. 3 PILGRIM STREET, E.C.4
British Manufacture
CONTENTS.
I. The Sermon on the Mount: How to Live I
II. The Sermon on the Mount: How to Live II
III. The Sermon on the Mount: How to Pray, and to Look Up
IV. The Sermon on the Mount: How to Pray, and Enter In
V. The Last Supper
VI. Peter Denies His Lord; and the Risen Saviour Forgives
VII. "Father's Plan"
VIII. Prophecy of the Jews: A Separate People
IX. "Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord"
X. The Prophecy of a Suffering Messiah
XI. Sowing and Reaping
XII. "There was no Room for Them in the Inn"
XIII. After His Resurrection
XIV. "Consider the Lilies"
XV. A Man Named Matthew
XVI. Calvary
XVII. The Good Shepherd, and the Sheep that was Lost
XVIII. The Door of the Sheep
XIX. "In My Father's House are Many Mansions"
XX. The Parable of the Two Builders
XXI. The Labourers in the Harvest
XXII. As a Hen Gathereth Her Chickens
XXIII. The Sower
XXIV. The Ten Virgins
XXV. The Good Samaritan
XXVI. No Wedding Garment
XXVII. Sowing the Tares
XXVIII. The Prodigal Son
XXIX. The Pharisee and the Publican
XXX. An Uninvited Guest
XXXI. The Barren Fig Tree: "Nothing but Leaves"
XXXII. The Parable of the Talents
XXXIII. Hid in Three Measures of Meal
BE NOT AFRAID
I. The Sermon on the Mount
HOW TO LIVE I
By the Lake of Galilee there is rising ground, situated near several villages on the borders of the lake, where it is believed the Lord Jesus spoke those wonderful words which are called "The Sermon on the Mount."
Travellers who have been to this spot tell us that the rising, rocky ground, which is called "The Horns of Hattin," would be a most convenient place for any one who was speaking to large numbers of people. And it is here, it is thought, our Lord, "seeing the multitudes" who had followed Him from the villages beneath the mountain, spoke to them of the blessings which they might possess if they kept His words; and explained to them the duties which were laid upon those who loved Him, and the blessings in store for them.
In an earthly school, the children are told of the prizes which will be given for earnest endeavour; and each one on entering the school is able to read the list of these rewards, and the conditions which are attached to them.
We all understand more or less of this earthly competition—this great endeavour to do our best, to see some result of our hard work, to have the joy of receiving a prize or of earning the approbation of the master who helps us to the attainment of our ideal.
This is in an earthly school—now we are going to turn to the heavenly side of life.
So when our Lord Jesus Christ, from that rocky eminence raised above the multitude, spoke to them and said—
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven—"
It seems to me that there is hidden in His words a Promise; and also a Way made plain, to obtain the Prize.
So the first "Blessed" is:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit"; and the promise is: "For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
"The poor in spirit" does not mean a weak man, but one who knows how likely he is to fail, and therefore does not trust in himself or his pride, but looks up into God's face, instead of into his own faulty doings.
In a little country town in the West of England, about a hundred years ago, there lived a man who was spoken of as "half-witted." He was a general favourite; but if, at any time, he was twitted by the boys, or good-humouredly questioned by older people, his invariable answer was—
"I'm a poor Sinner, and nothing at all; But Jesus Christ is my All-in-All."
Whatever else he had missed, he had learned the blessedness of being "poor in spirit," and his reward has been, for many a long day, an entrance into "the Kingdom of Heaven."
"Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
And now comes the Second "Blessed."
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
Ah! It is a sad thing to mourn! We know something about that in these sorrowful days. To lose the one whom we have loved so tenderly! To lose that which we have prized above any other earthly joy, and to know that it can never come back to us here!
And yet our Lord says: "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."
So the weary, sorrowful heart must turn to Jesus! "He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds." "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." In Jesus is infinite comfort, if we will go to Him.
The Third "Blessed."
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
"Now the man Moses was very meek." He was so ready to be taught, and to do God's Will, that "the Lord spoke to him face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend."
"The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His Way," we read in the twenty-fifth Psalm, and this was true of Moses; and in after years, he was allowed to come down from the glory of Heaven to talk with the Lord Jesus before His Crucifixion.
As to this "meekness," we often find in life that it is not to the ones who strive and struggle to get their own way that the blessing comes, but to those who in meekness wait patiently for the Lord; for He, Himself, was meek and lowly in heart, and He will give rest to our souls if we learn of Him.
The Fourth "Blessed."
"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
If we turn to Jesus as the Bread of Life, and ask Him to fill us with the Water of Life, we shall find that "He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."
The Fifth "Blessed."
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
Oh, let us pray for a merciful heart! To be generous to those in fault; to be kind to those who wrong us; to cultivate a fellow-feeling for all the suffering there is in the world, and to endeavour to do our little part in trying to alleviate it.
"The Lord God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy."
II. The Sermon on the Mount
HOW TO LIVE II
The Sixth "Blessed."
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
"What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? . . ."
"These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the Throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His Temple: and He that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them . . . and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
The Seventh "Blessed."
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
St. Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians: "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children."
It is only as we strive day by day to remember to be loving and peaceful, that we shall attain to the honour of being called a "Peacemaker."
The Eighth "Blessed."
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."
Let us think of the long Roll of Martyrs who have given their lives for Christ's sake! This blessedness can only be known, and the Prize obtained, by firm faith in God!
Those who have esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world have already entered into the recompense of the reward.
[Illustration: CHRIST ADDRESSING THE MULTITUDES.]
They had seen the promises of God afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.
And this country is a heavenly one, and God is not ashamed to be called their God, and He has prepared for them a city. Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!
The Ninth "Blessed."
"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake."
"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
These troubles of His followers, which Jesus our Lord mentions, are all summed up in the words "for My sake."
And here, it seems to me, is a key which will open the prison doors of many a trial.
Our Lord tells us that whosoever will come after Him must take up his cross and follow Him.
"For My sake!" He says to us so tenderly.
"Take My yoke upon you," He says again.
And what was His yoke? It was doing the Heavenly Father's Will. Bearing that heavy, bitter Cross to redeem the world which God loved so much that He gave His Son. Leaving His glory in Heaven for thirty-three years, that He might show us how much the Father loved us, and to encourage us to work and bear for His sake.
"God, for Christ's sake," has forgiven us: and if in this world there comes to us reproach of suffering, "for His sake," shall we not meet it joyfully and patiently, remembering the words of this last Beatitude, "Great is your reward in Heaven"?
If there was one man more than another who was persecuted for Christ's sake, it was the Apostle Paul. Have you ever read the list of his sufferings?
"In labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in death oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
"Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the Churches."
And then, in another letter, he says "I can do all things through Christ, Which strengtheneth me."
All things! Then there is not a temptation, or a sorrow, or a disappointment, or a task, that is not included in that "all things" which the strength of Christ will enable us to do, and bear.
The Last Beatitude.
The last Beatitude—which means blessed—ends up with the word Rejoice!
Those who follow and serve Jesus Christ here, have the present possession of exceeding joy; and as they follow Him, He leads them into the Exceeding Joy of the Great Reward in Heaven!
III. The Sermon on the Mount
HOW TO PRAY, AND TO LOOK UP
Our Blessed Lord had many things to teach those who listened to Him so eagerly.
You will find numbers of beautiful and suggestive lessons in the fifth to the seventh chapters of Matthew.
But I have not space to tell you a quarter of them; yet one thing seems to stand out before me as so wonderful, and so important, that I must on no account leave it out.
It is called:
The Lord's Prayer.
Our Lord Jesus explains to us that it is "after this manner" that we should pray; and I have known people who have found great blessing and great help in using this beautiful prayer, slowly and thoughtfully, each morning.
It is of no use just to say the words quickly, and think nothing about them! That is what our Lord calls "using vain repetitions, as the heathen do."
But to pray each separate petition slowly and reverently will surely bring you great blessing.
"Our Father, which art in Heaven." Pause to think of His love and His majesty.
"Hallowed be Thy Name." Ask to be enabled to honour Him all the day.
"Thy Kingdom come." Ask to be helped to press forward that Kingdom, and to be ready for the Lord Jesus to come back.
"Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven." Ask that we may do that Will with all our hearts!
"Give us this day our daily bread." Ask Him to send us our food, and to feed us also with heavenly Food: His love, His help, His grace.
"And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us." Ask for pardon for ourselves, and a loving forgiving spirit towards other people.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Ask that Jesus may be close to us in every trial, and conquer Satan for us, when he tries to make us fall.
"For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for ever. Amen." God is our King, we are His subjects; He has all power, so that we can rely on His help; He has all glory, and will share it with us by and by, if we will yield ourselves to Him and obey Him. And this will be for ever and ever!
When the Lord Jesus had finished telling the disciples about praying, He went on to explain to them some of the beautiful things which they would find around them which would help them to trust in the Heavenly Father's love.
He said to them in words like these:
"Do not be anxious about what you will have to eat another day—look at the birds which fly round you! Are they anxious? They do not sow any seed; they do not reap the fields, and gather the grain into storehouses—yet your Father feeds them. Are not you of more value than they are?
"Do you make yourself grow? Can you make yourself taller? Is it not God Who does that for you?
"Think of—consider—the lilies of the field," He says, "how they grow! They do not work, they do not spin, and yet King Solomon, in all his glory, was not dressed like one of these lilies. So, if God clothes them like that, how much more will He give you clothes to wear!"
That is how the Lord spoke to those men and women and children who listened to Him on the mountain.
I was given a bunch of flowers the other day. I sat down at the table, and just thought of all this.
Could I make one of those? Think of the root, and the earth to grow it in! Think of the stalk, with its tiny little pipes and channels! Think of leaves all alike, and all on that plant getting nourished from the root. Consider the flowers—so white, so exquisitely made; each little flower a perfect bell. And then the scent—consider the scent of those lilies, which was exactly the same scent fifty years ago, and no other flower has exactly the same smell.
I "considered" it all, as our Lord had said, and I bowed my head and worshipped Him, Who liveth for ever and ever!
So if at any time a doubt or a faithless fear should enter your heart, just get a daisy, or a buttercup, or a blade of grass, and sit down and think Who made it; and trust Him better.
David says, in the eighth Psalm, "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?"
Then our Lord goes on to say, in words like these: "Do not be anxious about what you will have to eat or drink, or what you are going to wear, for your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things."
I have seen so many instances of God's love and care, both in my own life, and in that of other people!
There was a bed-ridden woman who was very poor. The district nurse said to her one morning, "My dear, we want a new bed-jacket, I think."
And the dear old invalid looked up brightly in answer: "My Heavenly Father will send me one, just when He thinks it is the right time," she said confidently.
And He did send her, two days after, a beautiful warm jacket!
She had sought the Kingdom of God first, and He had added to her "all her need."
IV. The Sermon on the Mount
HOW TO PRAY, AND ENTER IN
Here is a wonderful encouragement and a wonderful promise.
As our Lord proceeded with the Sermon on that Mount, and as He looked into the anxious, eager faces of the multitude around Him, He revealed to them some of the deepest needs of our hearts.
His words are very simple, and the youngest child can understand a little about them.
"Ask," He says.
If a father or a mother says, "Ask me when you next see me," the child is quite sure he will get his request!
Years ago, when I was quite a little girl, a favourite aunt tried to teach us all this lesson. When the grandchildren went to stay at that dear country house, they were told that on a Saturday they could ask their aunt for a "Saturday penny." She wanted to impress upon our minds that God loved us to ask for what He had promised! So as surely as we asked, however many there were of us, she gave what she had promised.
And, though that is seventy years ago, you see I have not forgotten it!
Well! Our Lord says "Ask." That shows that He knows we have some want in our hearts that we hardly are conscious of.
What is the need that hides down below everything else? It is forgiveness—to be assured that our sins are washed away.
People, however, try a number of remedies first.
They think "they will turn over a new leaf."
They think they will strive more earnestly to improve.
They make endless resolutions.
But all these remedies fall short of the need. They do not go down to the root of the disease.
Suddenly we find the remembrance of some sin flashes into our thoughts and makes us miserable; or there is a defilement in our lives which we cannot get rid of by any of the means within our reach!
What then?
The words of Jesus Christ on the Mount, given so long ago, but of living power to-day, are—
"Ask! Ask of God." He seems to say, "Ask, and you shall receive!" Go to God for forgiveness. Ask Him to wash you clean and white in "the Blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanseth from all sin," and then you will be at peace, and life will be a different thing to you.
Then our Lord goes on to say, "Seek, and ye shall find."
A woman who loses a piece of silver sweeps diligently till she finds it! A merchant seeking goodly pearls sells all he possesses to obtain Pearl of Great Price!
And then comes the third thought and the third promise.
"Knock!" Do not just go to the door of God's storehouse of blessings and give a careless knock, and then turn away without even expecting an answer!
You see a boy delivering circulars down your road. He knocks and then runs on, and does not trouble himself further.
But there comes a needy man to one door. He has been told to come at any hour on any day, and he knocks.
There is no immediate answer. Shall he turn away? His need is so great that he knocks again. And still the answer is delayed.
"He told me to come," murmured the man. "He told me to knock at his door!"
So he goes on knocking; and by and by the master, who is alone in the house, comes to the door, and with words of welcome, he bids the needy man enter.
And inside the master's house there is a storehouse of blessings! More than the needy man can ask or think.
And the master showers warmth, and love, and food, and riches upon him, so that he goes on his way with every want supplied, and with promises of an endless supply.
How to enter in.
The answer comes back to us, like sweet chimes from afar, in our Lord's own words—
"I am the Door: by Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved."
And Jesus shows us what to do and what to avoid, if we want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
He says: "Enter ye in at the Strait Gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth unto destruction, and many there be which go in thereat because strait is the Gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it."
The Broad Way, looking so easy and attractive at first, is the way of sin, and leads downwards to destruction. The gate is wide open, and so tempting.
The Narrow Way leads upwards, to Everlasting Life.
The entrance to it is narrow and strait, and the path needs courage and perseverance to walk in it bravely; but at the end there are "pleasures for evermore," and no more pain or sorrow or death, but Eternal Life! St. Paul says "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day."
Shall we not accept Him Who is Himself the Way? He is the Way, all along the path, let it be smooth or rough. He is the Truth, and will never deceive us. He is the Life, and in Jesus Christ it is reserved in Heaven for us.
V. The Last Supper
The Jewish Feast of the Passover drew near, and our dear Lord sent two of His disciples to prepare for it. He told them they were to go to a certain house in Jerusalem and they would find an upper room furnished; and there they were to make ready to eat the Passover, as all other Jewish men did at this season.