No. 1.

On i. 8.

CHRIST GOING UP TO JERUSALEM.

Heroism is scarcely the right word to apply to Christ our Saviour; but this is a word which finds an echo in every breast; and there is really no one word which can express the sublime and heroic self-devotion which characterized the Son of man, when, as the Evangelists show us, He advanced towards Jerusalem upon His last journey, well knowing all that should befall Him there, and speaking of it in tones which show us how fully He measured the sorrow and the trial which lay before Him, and how steadily He went within the ranges of His adversaries, going straight forward to His martyrdom and sacrifice. In speaking of all this, we seek in vain for a term which can express what is unparalleled and divine; and can only express it by the best we have.

In the words of Dean Milman ("Hist. Christ." I. vii.), "At every step He feels Himself more inextricably within the toils; yet He moves onwards with the self-command of a willing sacrifice, continually dwelling, with a profound but chastened melancholy, on His approaching fate; and intimating that His death was necessary, in order to secure an indescribable benefit for His faithful followers and for mankind. Yet there is no needless exasperation of His enemies; He observes the utmost prudence, though he seems so fully aware that His prudence can be of no avail. He never passes the night within the city; and it is only by the treachery of one of His followers that the Sanhedrim at length make themselves masters of His person."

As He advances towards the end, He constantly, but with a certain reserve, speaks to His disciples of what is before Him; partly with tenderness, as touching their prejudices; partly with the desire to prepare their minds to receive a most painful truth, which, in the want of perfect intelligence of its necessity, they were unable and unwilling to accept.

The following passages from the Gospels will show how distinctly this devotion of Christ is marked by the Apostles :

1. After Peter's confession of Christ in the name of the Apostles. "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of

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the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. And He spake that saying openly" (S. Matt. xvi. 21; S. Mark viii. 31, 32; S. Luke ix. 22).

2. After the transfiguration, when, as after the former confession, their faith was strengthened to bear the strain of such an announcement, we read

"As they came down from the mountain, He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And He told them how it is written of the Son of man, that He must suffer many things, and be set at nought" (S. Mark ix. 9, 12; S. Matt. xvii. 9, 12).

3. Before His leaving Galilee, the scene of so many wonderful works in evidence of His real Divinity.

"And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, Let these sayings sink down into your ears for the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him; and after that He is killed, He shall rise the third day. And they were exceedingly sorry. But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask Him of that saying" (S. Matt. xvii. 22, 23; S. Mark ix. 30, 32; S. Luke ix. 43-45).

4. Before the Feast of Tabernacles, we notice how resolutely Christ prepared for the work before Him; and with how great caution He avoids doing anything which could afford a handle to the designs of His adversaries, of which He was fully aware, or precipitate their action against Himself.

I go not up yet unto this feast; When He had said these words

"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. . . Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come. for My time is not yet full come. unto them, He abode still in Galilee. But when His brethren were gone up, then went He also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret" (S. John vii. 1–10).

5. Before setting forth Himself, He sends the seventy to prepare His way, giving an additional solemnity to this progress.

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He stedfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. The Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come” (S. Luke ix. 51, 52; x. 1. See Isa. 1. 7).

6. At the Feast of Tabernacles.

"Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. . Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this He, whom they seek to kill? But, lo, He speaketh boldly, and

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they say nothing unto Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Then they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come. The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning Him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go My way unto Him that sent Me. . . And some of them would have taken Him; but no man laid hands on Him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought Him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man" (S. John vii. 14, 25, 26, 30, 32, 33, 44-46).

7. On the following day.

"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them.

"These words spake Jesus in the treasury as He taught in the temple and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was not yet come. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.

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Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father hath sent Me, I speak these things. And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone. Ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no place in Ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God.

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"Then took they up stones to cast at Him: but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by " (S. John viii. 1, 2, 20, 21, 28, 29, 37, 40, 59). 8. After leaving the Temple.

"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. I lay down My life for the sheep. . . I lay down My life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (S. John x. 11, 15, 17, 18).

9. On another occasion, in Judæa, and probably in Jerusalem. "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee. And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: for as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (S. Matt. xii. 38-40; S. Luke xi. 29).

10. Later, at the Feast of the Dedication.

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"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Therefore they sought again to take Him: but He escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there He abode " (S. John x. 22, 23, 31, 39, 40).

11. His progress through the cities and villages towards Jerusalem, which He had prepared for by sending messenger heralds. (See No. 5.)

"And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

"The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto Him, Get Thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill Thee. And He said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and tomorrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem " (S. Luke xiii. 22, 31-33).

12. Christ advances as far as Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead; not in the direct line of His progress, for He went back again to resume the tour which was thus for the time interrupted. "Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let us go into Judæa again. His disciples say unto Him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone Thee; and goest Thou thither again? . . . Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (S. John xi. 7, 8, 16). 13. The result of the raising of Lazarus, and of the converts made by it, on the mind of the rulers.

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Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that same year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with His disciples" (S. John xi. 47-54).

14. The last journey towards Jerusalem.

"And He arose from thence, and cometh into the coasts of