Part 5

The Passover supper was over, and Judas had left them and gone out into the darkness. If no one else expected the death of the Lord of Glory, Judas knew in his heart that he had sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, and that the Jews would surely kill Him!

But Judas was gone out; and now our Lord turned to the eleven who were left, and began to comfort them, with words of strength and hope.

He had just told His over-confident disciple, Peter, that before the cock should crow in the morning he would thrice deny Him! And all the disciples were full of dismay at such a possibility.

So our Lord's first words, in His talk with His own, we read in the 14th of St. John's Gospel; and they come as a wonderful comfort to all sorrowing and fainting ones, from that holy hour down to this time which seems so hard to us! He said these words to His eleven disciples and to all who love Him: "Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in Me."

And then, because of the coming trials which He knew His disciples would have soon to pass through, He gives them the wonderful promise, which has comforted thousands and thousands of weary hearts since then: "In My Father's House are many Mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

He seems in these words to say something like this: "My Father's House" is safely Above, where no storms can touch its security. It is an Everlasting abode—one that will not pass away with the ravages of time, or the thunders of war. It is an Everlasting Home; and I go to get it ready for each one of you.

And then He points them on to another great thought—

He says: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also!"

So He bids us to look forward in the trials and sorrows which will come to all of us, as we pass through life to the Father's Everlasting Home—to His being there to get ready that Home for all who love Him—and then He promises to come back and fetch His people, and take them to be for ever with Himself!

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had sat close to his Lord, and had leant on His breast, heard all these heart-cheering words, as Jesus uttered them. But little did he know, then, that he would be chosen to write all these lovely words down in his Gospel; nor that by and by he should be a prisoner for years in the rocky Isle of Patmos, and see glorious visions of "the Father's House, and the many Mansions."

There, in the loneliness and solitude, the glorified Saviour came to His loved disciple and said to him these wonderful words:

"I am the First, and the Last, and behold I am alive for Evermore."

He told John that many sorrows and difficulties would beset His followers, but that those who overcome shall sit down with Him on His Throne, even as He had overcome and is seated with His Father on His Throne.

By and by, near the end of these wonderful Revelations, John was allowed to have a glimpse into Heaven itself, and he saw a vision of the many mansions which Jesus is preparing for us!

Here are the words—

"And I John saw the Holy City . . . and I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

"And He that sat upon the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said unto me, 'Write: for these words are true and faithful.'"

More than six hundred years before these visions to John in Patmos, the Prophet Isaiah wrote—

"For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him."

And our Lord Jesus, in the Revelation, says to every one who reads these words—

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My Voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."

The entrance to that Everlasting Home is in listening to this loving Voice of Jesus Christ now, and by opening the door of our hearts, to let Him in!

Jesus says: "I am the Door; by ME if any man enter in, he shall be saved."

[Illustration: MANY MANSIONS.]

XX. The Parable of the Two Builders

The Lord Jesus taught the people numbers of lessons about Himself, or His Heavenly Father, or about the Kingdom of Heaven, by drawing word-pictures: and we can learn the deepest truths that concern ourselves by reading them and thinking about them.

One of these that I am very fond of is a picture of two builders, and what became of the results of their building.

The first man was a wise man. He looked about him to find a sure and suitable foundation, and he built his house on a firm rock.

By and by bad weather came, and the rain poured down and the floods came and beat upon the house, but it stood firm, for it was founded upon a rock.

Our Lord Himself not only gives us the picture, but He gives us the explanation of this story first of all.

He says: "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Here were two men: they had heard that it was a wise thing to have a house to live in, and they both decided that they would begin at once to build.

The wise man thought it all over, and considered what ground would be suitable, what foundation would outlive the storms, and he decided it must be upon a rock, which stood high above the rivers, and was strong and enduring.

But the other man was careless. There was, perhaps, a pleasant spot nearer to him. The materials with which to build were easily carried to that spot, the sunshine flooded the landscape, and all looked fair and beautiful. So he hastened to build upon the sandy foundation, and soon his house was finished and he took possession.

But in that country there were frequently sudden violent storms; and one day such a storm overtook the two houses. The rain came in torrents, the winds blew, and they beat upon those two houses.

And because the foundation was unstable the house upon the sand began to slip and shake, and by and by cracked open, and fell to pieces, and lay in a ruin beneath the rushing flood.

And the house on the rock? Calm amidst the storm it stood firm. The rain came, and the wind blew and the floods rose, but it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock!

Do you want to know how this story affects our lives?

Do you want to answer that question which perhaps rises up in the depths of your own heart: What am I building up out of my life? And what foundation am I building upon?

There is a verse which tells us very distinctly the answer to that question, if we are asking it in our hearts—

"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

If we come to Him, ask Him to take us just as we are—weak, sinful, unworthy—He will stretch forth His hand and grasp us, and "set our feet upon a Rock and establish our goings."

When once we have come to Christ for pardon, our feet are on the Rock: and then we can begin to build.

You ask what is building?

To do each day what will please Jesus. As He says when He begins this story of the Two Builders: "To hear these sayings of His and to do them," is the sure way of having a building that will last when the storms of life overtake us.

If you watch the people who bear trouble the best, who are patient in trial, hopeful in adversity, brave in difficulty, triumphant in death, you will find that it is they who have built on the Rock Jesus Christ, and have found that there is security and peace there.

And then about the house on the sand?

Oh, what desolation to find that what you thought was all pleasant and bright will not last, but the insecure foundation melts away, and the hopes founded upon it fall to pieces.

If you have even a misgiving that you are not on the true Foundation, give up your earthly plans and make a fresh start.

The Arms of love and mercy are ready to embrace you, and one of those wonderful sayings of Jesus is: "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out."

"The Foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that are His."

XXI. The Labourers in the Harvest

In the Bible we have many vivid pictures in which God would teach us, by earthly things, concerning His heavenly things.

This Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard is one of these pictures. We have the account of it in the 20th chapter of Matthew.

There was an Eastern householder. He had great estates, and fields and vineyards, stretching far up on the hillsides, and kept with great care by his vine-dressers. By and by the grapes were ready for picking and the householder went out early in the morning to hire the labourers for his vineyard.

In those days there was a certain coin which was considered fair pay for a day's wages.

Some of you who read the story in the Bible may say, "A penny for a day's work!" But this is only because the money then was of such a different value from what it is now; and a Roman penny was worth nearly eight times what our penny is now, and was at that time the usual hire for a day's work.

So the lord of the vineyard went out early to engage the men to get in his harvest; and when he had agreed with them for a certain sum, he sent them into his vineyard.

By and by, about nine o'clock in the morning, he went out again; and seeing others standing idle in the market-place, he said to them: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you."

So they went their way, and entered the vineyard.

Then came twelve o'clock, and then three o'clock; and still the householder wanted more men to labour in his vineyard. As our Lord had said in another place, "The Harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few."

At length, at the last hour before sundown, the householder went out once more, and found others standing idle, and he said to them: "Why are you standing here idle all the day?"

And they answered him: "Because no one has hired us."

So the householder said to them: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that ye shall receive."

And soon the short Eastern twilight came, and then, as a poet says: "The sun sinks, the stars rush out," and the day was over!

Then the lord of the vineyard said to his steward: "Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last ones even to the first."

So the last men came, who had worked only one hour, and they were each given the Roman penny.

But when the first ones, who were hired early in the morning, were given their money, they supposed that they should have received more for their long day's work. But they each received the Roman penny.

[Illustration: THEY BEGAN MURMURING AGAINST THE GOOD MAN OF THE HOUSE.]

Then they began murmuring against the good man of the house, saying: "These last have only worked one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day!"

But the lord of the vineyard explained to them that he had given each man what he had agreed upon; and that he had done them no wrong; for he said he had a right to do what he willed with his own money.

Now there are several things to learn from this picture story, and as I go along I think you will see them for yourselves.

The vineyard belongs to the Lord God.

The vines here represent the people in the world whom the Lord wants to store in His beautiful garner, the Heavenly Home, by and by.

The labourers are God's own people, whom He calls to bring those precious grapes into the garner.

God calls each one of us who loves Him to be a labourer in His Kingdom.

To one, who is perhaps strong and able, He gives work that will last him the whole long day of a long life!

Of another, He asks half a lifetime—of another, a quarter of a lifetime; or only one short hour perhaps!

To each one, when the day is ended, the Lord will give His own reward. If the worker has been faithful in what has been given him to do, the Lord of the Harvest will say: "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord."

Little children can work for this Heavenly Lord. They can do little kindnesses for Christ's sake; they can try to be like Jesus. They can listen for God's commands like little Samuel, and obey Him when He speaks to them.

These may be like the one hour servants, but they will get their full rewards!

Some of the servants of the Lord of the Harvest have very hard and toilsome work to do. He has given them that to do, and He will surely give them their pay!

What is that pay? Not a Roman penny; not any earthly coins or rewards; but they are promised that if they are wise, and turn many to righteousness, they shall shine as the stars for ever and ever!

Does not this encourage us to do what we can to tell others of the love of Jesus Who died on the Cross that we might be saved?

We can all pray that God will call us to work for Him; and surely, if He does call and we listen to His Voice, He will teach us how to bring many to righteousness, and earn "the crown of glory that fadeth not away!"

XXII. As a Hen Gathereth Her Chickens

Not long before our dear Lord Jesus was crucified, He was walking one day in the streets of Jerusalem.

He had been telling the Scribes and Pharisees that they were trusting in their own goodness, but were far-off from the Kingdom of God.

His loving heart was filled with pity for those who would not come to Him to be saved.

Do you not remember how He had said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"

He longed to have the poor, sorrowful people find joy and rest in Him. Had He not said at the very beginning of His teaching that He had come to bind up the brokenhearted?

So on this day as He passed along through the streets, He noticed a hen with her chickens round her. Perhaps He paused to watch them as they ran hither and thither. Perhaps He heard the hen give a sudden warning cry, and watched the little chickens respond to it by running with outstretched wings to the shelter of her feathers, beneath which they nestled serene and safe from all alarms.

And then the tenderness of the heart of Jesus comes out so beautifully!

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!" He exclaims, "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

Do you not know how, sometimes, a mother holds out her arms to a child who has been naughty, but perhaps the child turns away and will not come back to the loving embrace?

Have you not seen how sad that mother's face has looked? "But ye would not!" goes to her heart.

And that is something like Jesus felt when sinners would not come to Him to be forgiven.

* * * * *

It was only a very little while after He had said those words about the hen and the chickens, and about "Ye would not," that He wept over Jerusalem as He came down from the Mount of Olives and came in sight of the beautiful city, and thought of all the sorrow that was coming upon it.

And as He wept He said, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes."

I think these sorrowful words of our dear Lord should sink into our hearts, and we should look up into His face now in the glory, and tell Him we will not grieve Him by our want of love!

Let us run from Satan, our great enemy, to His sheltering arms!

Like those little chicks, at sight of danger, let us fly to Him; and He will receive us, and comfort us, and protect us.

God Himself says in the 91st Psalm: "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust."

And we shall find, whether we are young or old, that whenever we put out trust in Jesus, He will surely come to our help!

Do not let Him have to say of us, as He said of those Jews in Jerusalem, "But ye would not!" But let us believe His love, and joyfully answer the dear Lord who loved us so—

"I will trust in the covert of Thy wings!"

I heard the Voice of Jesus say, "Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast!" I came to Jesus as I was, Weary, and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting-place, And He has made me glad.

I heard the Voice of Jesus say, "Behold I freely give The living water, thirsty one, Stoop down, and drink, and live!" I came to Jesus, and I drank Of that life-giving stream; My thirst was quenched, my soul revived And now I live in Him.

XXIII. The Sower

One day when the Lord Jesus was staying near the Sea of Galilee, He went out with His disciples and sat by the side of the lake.

This lake is called by several names—the Sea of Galilee—the Sea of Tiberias—the Lake of Gennesaret—and it is one of the most interesting places which we read of in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus did many of His Wonderful works round the shores of this lake; and He often went across in the fishermen's boats from one side to the other.

It was on this lake that once He walked on the water. That was in the middle of the night, when the disciples were toiling at their oars and could not get to land because the wind was against them, that Jesus came to them, walking on the top of the waves.

Perhaps you say "How could He walk on water?" There is only one answer to that: "Because Jesus is the Son of God!"

Then it was sailing on this lake, that Jesus was asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship; and the disciples awoke Him because there was a great storm, and they were very frightened and were afraid they would be drowned. So He rose up, and told the wind and the waves to stop their raging—saying to them "Peace! Be still!"

Could you do that? You shake your head. No, it would be of no use for you to tell the wind to stop blowing, would it? It was because Jesus is the Son of God, that He could do it.

Well, one day, as I said, the Lord Jesus was sitting by the shore of this lake.

The people who had been cured of their diseases, or who wanted to be cured, saw Him going out of the house where He was staying, and they followed Him down to the lake.

But as so many came crowding to Him, Jesus asked one of the fishermen to let Him sit in his boat, that He might speak to the people from there.

And as Jesus looked out on the fields behind the thronging multitude, His eyes rested on a man who was busily sowing the field with seed.

And Jesus said to the people "Look! There is a sower, who is going out to sow his seed!"

And then the Lord told them the story of the seeds, and His blessed words were something like this, so that even the little children who were standing by could understand.

The sower sets out from home, and he carries the seed in a basket, or perhaps wrapped up in a corner of his garment; and as he walks along the field, he throws handful after handful on to the ground.

Some seeds fall by the side of the path and the birds who are following him as he walks, and who watch what becomes of every handful he throws, fly down and pick up all they can see, and eat it up.

But the sower passes on, and some of his little seeds fall on stony places, where there is very little good earth; and when the seeds spring up and begin to grow, there is not enough earth for them to flourish, or to feed the little plants; and the sun gets hot, and they are scorched, and wither away.

But still the sower goes on sowing. And the next seeds fall among the bushes that grow by the path; and the little seeds get choked with the big, thorny bushes, and never grow up to be good plants, or to be of any use to anyone!

But at last the sower comes to a part of the field where the ground is good and soft.