ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THIRD PORTION. Jesus a third time foretells His death. Answers James, John, and their mother. Conversations, No. 47 and 48. PLACE. Judea. TIME. Seven days before His death.- I. BEGINNING PRAYER MAY GOD, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST, give me the HOLY SPIRIT, that I may understand this portion of his Holy Word, and profit by it. AMEN. II. THE SCRIPTURES. Read St. Matthew's Gospel, chap. xx. v. 17 to 28. St. Mark's Gospel, chap. x. ver. 32 to 45. St. Luke's Gospel, chap. xviii. ver. 31 to 34. III. THE MEANINGS; or sense of some words as used in this portion. MATTHEW Xx. verse 28. ransom means here price paid for setting a slave free IV. THE EXPLANATION. Jesus was now drawing near to Jerusalem, in this his last journey. He walked before his disciples along the road; and as they followed him, they were surprised and alarmed at the bold and open manner in which he conducted himself; so different from the retiring way in which, during all his former journies, he had endeavoured not to draw attention unnecessarily. He was now leading them back again out of the country beyond Jordan (Mark x.1); and was probably about crossing the river, on the road to Jericho; when he desired the twelve Apostles to come a VOL. V. G little aside with him out of the crowd, on purpose that he might give them another warning, as to what was about to happen to him at Jerusalem, according to the prophecies now about to be fulfilled. He had already done this twice before, Matt. xvi. 21, &c.; see portion 99, vol. iii, page 193; and Mark ix. 43, &c.; portion 103, vol, iii, page 244); and now he described the circumstances of his suffering more particularly. He said that he was about to be treacherously given up to the power of the chief priests and the scribes; who (after passing sentence of death upon him) would hand him over to the Roman magistrates; by whom he would be insulted, publicly scourged, and spit upon; and at last executed as a criminal upon the cross: but he added, that on the third day he would come to life again. Though all this was plain, the Apostles could not understand what he meant; their minds were confused and darkened, so that they could not clearly take in any of the things which he warned them of. As they were proceeding on their journey, two of the Apostles, James and John, came to him, and bowing themselves down to him, said they wished to ask a favour of him. A little time before he bad promised that in the day of the renewing of the world, when he was to sit on the throne of his glory, the twelve Apostles should also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt. xix. 28; see page 40.) This glorious promise seems to have occupied their minds, though they could not understand the account that Jesus had given them of his sufferings; perhaps because they could not reconcile the two things together. The thoughts of James and John upon this subject had led them to desire a special distinction in that day above the other apostles; and not venturing to ask our Lord themselves alone, they got their mother to come along with them, that they might all three together present their petition to Jesus. They began by saying that they wanted him to do for them whatever they wished; and he answered them that they must first tell him what their wish was;-he could not promise to do it until they had let him know what it was. Upon this they declared their request; that when Jesus should establish his kingdom of glory, in the arrangement of those thrones of which he had spoken, James and John might be placed on each side of him, Jesus told them, they were not aware of what they were asking: he put them in mind that the suffering must come before the glory. Were they able to share his sufferings-to drink of the bitter cup, which it would be necessary for him to drink of? (Matt. xxvi. 39, 42.) Could they bear being plunged into the depths of such affliction as that in which he was about to be overwhelmed, as by a flood? They thought that they could. Our Lord replied, that they should indeed be put to the trial, and should be called upon to suffer some such sufferings as his: but that as for the honour they asked, of sitting one on his right hand and the other on his left, he could not bestow it as a matter of favour, nor alter the arrangements of the divine will; such distinctions will hereafter be given to those persons to whom it had been already assigned by his heavenly Father, When the other ten Apostles found what John and James had been asking for, they were extremely angry with them but Jesus took the op portunity of repeating some important instruction. Calling them around him, he reminded them of the sort of dominion which the rulers of this world exercised over their kingdoms, and how the authority is in the hands of the great ones. But amongst Christians the course would be different for that those who desired the honour of being distinguished amongst them must act as servants, ministering to the wants of their brethren; and those who would desire to be great in the kingdom of glory, must be as household slaves, giving their services to every one in the Christian family. Such was the example set by Jesus himself; who was not born into the world among the great ones of the earth, to be attended by servants and slaves; but came to be himself a servant, and even to sacrifice his life as the price necessary to be paid, in order that many of those who were enslaved by sin and Satan might be set free, V. THE REPETITION. Now read again the Scriptures: see No. II. VI. THE APPLICATION. 1. This is the third time our Lord foretold to his disciples his approaching sufferings; and yet, though thus repeated, the Apostles "understood none of these things." So great was the difficulty to their minds of reconciling the glorious view of Christ's kingdom, which they were all so ready to receive, with the humbling notions suggested by the sufferings of which he spoke. In one sense it may be said, that many persons find it equally hard, to understand the connexion between the sufferings permitted to fall on Christians in the present life, and the glory that shall be bestowed on them hereafter. But not only is this declared in Scripture to be God's way of dealing with his Church, but the proof of it is often repeated within our own experience. As our Lord's sufferings for our sins, before he entered into his glory, ought to have the effect of making us humble, even under an assured sense of the glory which he has purchased for us; so also the chastisements by which our sins make it necessary for our heavenly Father to prepare us for that glory, should have the same effect of producing in us a real and unaffected humility. (See also vol. iii, pages 199 & 244.) QUESTIONS. Do I ever wonder that persons whom I cannot doubt are real Christians, and for whom eternal glory is reserved, should nevertheless be exposed to such severe suffering, as is sometimes the case? What effect is produced in my mind by seeing the need for Christ's sufferings, before he could enter into glory? Does it humble me? and how do I know this ? 2. We have here another instance of that deeprooted love of self, which is found naturally in every heart, and which requires the indwelling of the Holy Ghost to overcome it. The promise of twelve thrones, which Jesus had made to his apostles, brought this self-love into action in James and John, and their mother; and made them intent upon gaining for themselves the highest places of honour. This desire made them turn a deaf ear to the account of the Lord's sufferings, by means of which he was to procure them the promised thrones; neither did they consider how much they themselves had to suffer before they could be fitted to enjoy that glory, which was the object of their ambition. The human heart works in the same way now. Self-love leads us to forget the sufferings of Christ for our sins, and sets us upon |