Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/222

* JESUS CHRIST. 196 JESUS CHRIST. stood had His miracles been unaccompanied with instruction. As a matter of fact, it was poorly understood even then; but slow to understand it as were the people to whom it was given, we can comprehend how it came that such portions of it as have been preserved to us in the com- posite address known as the Sermon on the -Mount, and in the group of parables delivered by the Se.a of Galilee, are of the character they are. Tiie atmosphere in whieli the .Jew had been religiously trained being that of ceremonial righteousness, it was necessary, from Jesus' point of view, to emphasize the higher character of the righteousness which His religion required, and yet its essential identity with the real right- eousness demanded in the law. It was equally necessary to make clear the divisions and separa- tions which such requirements would bring among men, and the judgment involved in suili i)roc- ess. The. character of this newer righteousness is brought out in the Sermon on the -Mount, de- livered toward the Ix-ginning of His Galilean ■work. The judicial results involved in it are por- trayed to a large extent in the parables which were uttered toward the close of that work. With this purpose of announcing by deed and word the advent of God's kingdom in the world, Jesus carried on His work from ('a|)ernaum as a centre. His method was apparently to make stated tours of the neighboring towns and vil- lages, heralding the fact llial the kingdom of God was at hand, and proclaiming His authority in this announcement by miraculous deeds. Three of these tours are reported in the Synoptists dur- ing this period of His Galilean work: (1) Mark i. aS-.-iO, Matt. iv. 2.3-2.5. Luke iv. 42-44; (2) Luke viii. 1-3: (3) Mark vi. 0. JIatt. ix. 35-38, xi. 1. But He did not confine His activity to Galilee. He went up to .Jerusalem, the centre of the people's religious life, and there He wrought His miracles and carried on to some extent His instruction, suiting it to the character of the religious leaders in the city and the people who were under their control. We have the record of one such visit made at the time of an un- named feast (generally now supposed to be either Pentecost, a.d 27, or Purim. a.d. 28, .John v. 1) ; the Pas.sover of a.d. 28. which is referred to in John vi. 4. .Jesus apparently did not attend (.John vii. 2). These tours in Galilee and jour- neys to .Jerusalem afforded .Jesus the opportunity He desired of coming widely in contact with the people of the country and bringing before them His message. With His presence among them in the streets and market-places, teaching and working miracles, with His company with them on their pilgrimages to and from the holy city, and His participation with them in their temple devo- tions, there could lie no ignorance of the fact that n prophet had arisen in Jsrael and a new mes- sage had come to the people from .Jehovah. . a result. .Jesus secured to Himself a large follow- ing among the people, who became increasingly enthusiastic as the con%iction that He might possibly be the national Messiah grew upon them. -As this following increased in numbers, He organized it more formally by the selection of twelve of His disciples to a closer relationship to Himself. (See Apostle.) To these He in- creasingly directed His instruction, with a view to the work He looked forward to their doing as His future representatives. We have a formal exhibition of such instruction in the discourse of Matthew x. The religious conceptions of the people, how- ever, having l)een dulled by ceremonial formalism and hardened by political misfortunes, it was inevitable that such a teacher and worker as Jesus would not find acceptance tith their reli- gious leaders, in whom this condition was most realized, nor with that portion of them most under the influence and control of these leaders. For this reason Jesus had selected Galilee as the place for His constructive work. The people of the north were less ecclesiastical and more receptive to such a message as He had to deliver and such a mission as He had to pcrforn^ For this reason also more time was given by Jesus to the Galilean tours than to the .Jerusalem visits, while during those visits He avoided controversy which would lead to open conllict with the p<'0- plc's leaders. In fact, it was the likelihood of such conflict that prevented .Tesus' attendance at the second Passover of His ministry (John vii. 2). If as the Messiah He must give His message to the religious centre of the land, and if the desire of winning that centre to the king- dom of God must have been great in proportion as the centre held in itself the people's future, yet it was clear that such winning of men to the kingdom was more probable in Galilee than in .Jerusalem and .Judea. On this principle He had done the greater part of His work and spent the greater part of His time in the northern jior- tion of the country. - d yet the fact of hostil- ity to .Tesus among the Jerusalem leaders not only early manifested itself in that city; but, as their representatives from time to time went into Galilee and came in contact with .Jesus' work, it showed itself even there — on one occasion (Mark iii. 1-6) the Pharisees going so far as to take counsel with the Herodians against Him. In fact, all the political parties were opposed to Him, and came gradually to combine in persecu- tion of Him. The offense which united them was the spiritual character of His mission; though, under the leadership of the Pharisees, the main point of attack, both in .Jerusalem and in Galilee, was the free and independent attitude .Jesus maintained toward the ceremonial regula- tions of the law. particularly those which gath- ered around the obs<'rvance of the Sabbath; in addition to which. l)itter resentment was aroused in .Jerusalem by the claims He there made to special relationship to God. -s His popularity with the multitude in- creased, and this hostility to Him among the leaders grew in strength, it became necessary for .Jesus to meet the issue thus raised. This He did by placing before His Galilean following the true religious character of His mission (.John vi.). It was delivered in the synagogue at Ca- pernaum just after the feeding of the five thou- sand, a wonder work which had aroused the grow- ing enthusiasm to the highest pitch. leading them to a seeming determination to force .Jesiis, as the nation's ilcssiah. into a political revolu- tion against Rome. The effect of the discourse was confusing to their false views of .Jesus and benumbing to their superficial devotion to His cause. In fact, it broke His influence with them and practically ended His work in Galilee. C. The Jxtervexixg Period. In consequence of these changed conditions, Jesus withdrew with