Page:Jesus of Nazareth the story of His life simply told (1917).djvu/305

 "Grant to us that we may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the other on Thy left in Thy glory."

What a time for such a petition! When He had scarcely finished speaking of His bitter sufferings that were at hand—then to come begging for honours! Yet their gentle Master did not reproach them.

"You know not what you ask," He said. "Can you drink of the chalice that I drink of?"

They said to Him: "We can."

He said to them: "Of My chalice indeed you shall drink, but to sit on My right hand or on My left is not Mine to give to you, but for them for whom it is prepared by My Father."

And the ten hearing it began to be much displeased with James and John. Jesus called them all round Him and told them that in His Kingdom those who want to be first must make themselves the servants of the rest. This settled the dispute for the time. He knew the day would come when, by the grace of His Holy Spirit, these jealousies, quarrels and desires of earthly greatness would cease—and He waited.

On His way to Jerusalem our Lord was accompanied by a multitude of pilgrims going up for the Pasch, and as they approached Jericho the crowd around Him became enormous. Past the gardens of roses, for which the city was famous, past the orchards of figs and dates, it moved slowly along till He suddenly stopped beneath a sycamore tree growing by the wayside, and looked up. The crowd came to a standstill. Zaccheus, the chief of the tax gatherers, had climbed up there because he wanted to see Jesus, who, he had been told, was the Friend of publicans and sinners. He was too short to see over the shoulders of others, and no one