Helen Braun Hojt - The Story of Jesus The Christ

them to listen to these two men. Jesus knew that they did not

feel kindly toward him, and he thought it best for him to leave

Judea for a while and to go into Galilee.

THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK IN GALILEE

The shortest road between Judea and Galilee lay through the

province of Samaria. Few Jews ever took that way, for there

had been a quarrel between the Jews and Samaritans hundreds

of years before this time, and they had never become friends

again. They hated each other so much that the Jews were

unwilling to have anything to do with them, and would much

rather take a longer journey than to go through their country.

And the few Jews who did go there were not always treated very

well by the Samaritans.

After they decided to go to Galilee Jesus and the five disciples

who were still with him left Judea early in the morning; for the

days were so hot that they wanted to travel as far as they could

before the sun was high. They took the shortest way, the one

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A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

through Samaria. At noontime they came to a well, and Jesus,

who was hungry, thirsty, and tired, sat down by the well to rest,

while his disciples went into the city to buy food. The well was

one which Jacob had built when he lived there hundreds of years

before, and it was still in use. It was wide and deep, and held

water enough for all the people and their flocks.

As Jesus sat there, weary and alone, a woman of Samaria

came to this well to get some water. Jesus spoke to her and

asked, “ Will you give

me a drink? ” It was

a little favor to ask,

was it not? Yet the

woman was so sur¬

prised to have a Jew

speak to her that she

said: “ How does it

happen that you, who

are a Jew, are asking

a drink from me, a

woman of Samaria?»

This gave Jesus

the chance he wanted,

and he told her about

the Living Water,

which was the spirit

of love and kindness

which he had himself,

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman and which lie WOllld

give to all who would

ask him for it. The woman asked him to give her some of this

water; but she did not know what he meant by it. She thought

that if she could have some of it she would never need to go to

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the well again. Jesus did not explain to her what he meant; he

began to talk to her about the wicked life she was leading; for

she was not a good woman. She was very much surprised that

he should know all about her when he had never seen her before,

and she was sure he was a prophet. So she asked him one of

the questions about which Jews and Samaritans had often quar¬

relled, whether people ought to worship in Jerusalem or in a tem¬

ple they had built in Samaria. But Jesus told her that neither

was necessary; that if people prayed to God in their hearts they

would be heard wherever they were. She was not satisfied, and

said that when the Christ came he would tell them what was

right. Jesus said, “ I, who am speaking to you, am he.»

The woman was so anxious to tell her friends that the Christ

had come that she forgot her water and went right into the city.

On the way she met some of her friends, and said to them: u Come

and see a man who told me all things that ever I did. Is not

this the Christ?»

The disciples had come back while Jesus was talking to the

woman, and had been very much surprised; but they said noth¬

ing about it. They had learned that their Master had some good

reason for everything he did, although they could not understand

it. After she had gone they begged him to eat of the food they

had brought him. But he was no longer hungry. The chance

to help somebody to be better was more to him than food, or

anything else. It was this that made him so lovable.

Very soon the Samaritans came to see him, and were so

pleased with him that they asked him to stay with them, instead

of going to Galilee. He was always glad to stay where he could

do good, so he went with them and stayed there two days. In

that time many of the people believed from listening themselves

to his teaching that he was the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

At the end of these two days Jesus and his disciples started

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A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

again on their journey. They were together, however, only a

short time. The disciples went back to their homes, and Jesus

travelled alone through the towns of Galilee.

While Jesus had been doing these things John the Baptist had

been getting into trouble. John was a preacher who spoke to

any one whom he saw doing wrong, whoever he was, and wherever

he was. One day he told King Herod that he was leading a sin¬

ful life, and that both

he and his wife were

wicked people. This

was true, but they did

not like to hear John

say it. They were so

angry that they would

have killed John if

they had dared. But

the Baptist had so

many friends that

thought he was a great

prophet that Herod

was afraid to do this.

So instead of killing

him he took him and

put him in prison.

Jesus, you remem¬

ber, was travelling in

John the Baptist in Prison Galilee. The people

there were glad to

have him with them once more. Many of them had seen what

he had done at the feast at Jerusalem, and others had heard so

much about this preacher who talked so well and did so many

miracles that they wanted to know him.

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In the course of liis journey he came to Cana where he had

made the water into wine. While there, one day at noon, a

nobleman came to him

in great haste. He had

come twenty miles, from

Capernaum, on purpose

to see Jesus and ask

him a great favor. He

had a son at home who

was very, very ill; it

seemed as if he must

die. But the father

had known of the mir¬

acles of Jesus, and be¬

lieved that he could

make his child well.

So when he heard

that Jesus was in Cana

he went to him as

quickly as he could, and

begged him to go to

Capernaum and heal

the boy. Jesus said to him, “ Unless you see wonders you will

not believe.» But the father only thought of his sick boy, and

said, “ Sir, come down before my child dies.» The Saviour

looked at the father who seemed to trust him so, and said, “ Go

home, your son will live.» Did the man believe that Jesus had

the power to cure a sick boy twenty miles away, without any

medicine? Yes, he believed, and went home, sure that he would

find him well.

When be was almost home he met his servants coming to tell

him that his boy was well. He asked them when he began to get

The Appeal of the Nobleman

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A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

better, and they told him it was at one o’clock, just the time when

Jesus had said, «Your son will live.» So the nobleman and all

his family believed that Jesus was the Christ, and became hi?

friends.

Though the Jews had only one temple they had in every town

places where they met to worship when they did not want to offer

sacrifices. These were called synagogues. They had only one

room. The men sat on one side of the room and the women on

the other behind a screen. There was a raised seat for the