THE MINISTRY. FIRST YEAR.

FROM A.D. 27 TO A.D. 28.

SECT. XVII. JESUS GOES UP TO JERUSALEM FOR THE PASCH, AND CASTS THE BUYERS AND SELLERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE. FIRST PASSOVER, A.D. 27.

And the pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

And he found in the Temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money at their tables.

And when he had

Jerusalem,

made as it were a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the Temple, and the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew. And to them that sold doves he said, Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up (Ps. lxviii. 10).

The Jews therefore answered and said to him, What sign dost thou show unto us, seeing thou dost these things? Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.* The Jews then said, Six-and-forty years was this Temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word that Jesus had said.

SECT. XVIII. NICODEMUS COMES TO JESUS BY NIGHT. OUR LORD'S DISCOURSE WITH HIM.

Now when he was at Jerusalem at the pasch, upon the festival-day, many believed in his name,

seeing the miracles that he did. But Jesus

Jerusalem.

*This was afterwards made a cause of accusation against our

Lord. (See Section 118.)

did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men, and because he needed not that any should give testimony of man: for he knew what was in man.

And there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him, Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these miracles which thou dost, unless God be with him.

Jesus answered and said to him, Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born again?

Jesus answered, Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Wonder not that I said to thee, ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the voice of it, but thou knowest not whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus answered and said to him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not these things? Amen, amen I say to thee, that we speak what we know, and we testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our testimony. If I have spoken to you earthly things, and ye believe not, how will ye believe, if I shall speak to you heavenly things? And no man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted * up; that

* Num. xxi. 9.

whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but have life everlasting. For God so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved by him. He that believeth in him is not judged, but he that doth not believe is already judged; because he believeth not in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment: that the light is come, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest that they are done in God.

SECT. XIX. AFTER THE PASCH JESUS BEGINS TO BAPTISE. JOHN THE BAPTIST'S TESTIMONY OF HIM.

After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judea;* and there he abode with them, and baptised. And John also was baptising in Ennon near Salim, because there was much water there; and they came, and were baptised. For John was not yet cast into prison.

And there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews concerning purification; and they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou gavest testimony, behold he baptiseth, and all men come to him.

John answered and said, A man cannot receive anything, unless it be given him from heaven. Ye

*This means the country as distinguished from Jerusalemthe chief city where he had been staying.

yourselves do bear me witness that I said, I am not Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy, therefore, is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all. He that is of the earth, of the earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh. He that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath attested by his seal that God is true; for he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God doth not give the Spirit by measure. Father loveth the Son, and he hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth in the Son hath life everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The

SECT. XX. JESUS RETURNS TO GALILEE. HIS DISCOURSE WITH THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. A.D. 27.

When Jesus therefore understood that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made more disciples and baptised more than John (though Jesus himself did not baptise, but his disciples), he left Judea, and went again into Galilee. And he must of necessity pass through Samaria. He cometh therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar,* near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well. It was

Samaria.

about the sixth hour.

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to her, Give me to drink. For his dis

* See Gen. xxxiii. 19; xlviii. 22.

ciples were gone into the city to buy meats. Then the Samaritan woman saith to him, How dost thou, being a Jew, ask of me to drink, who am a Samaritan? For the Jews do not communicate with the Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said to her, If thou didst know the gift of God, and who he is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst perhaps have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

The woman saith to him, Sir, thou hast nothing wherewith to draw, and the well is deep; from whence then hast thou living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle ?

Jesus answered and said to her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; but he that shall drink of the water that I will give him shall not thirst for ever: but the water that I will give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.

The woman saith to him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.

Jesus saith to her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus saith to her, Thou hast said well, I have no husband; for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. This thou hast said truly.

The woman saith to him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers adored on this mountain,* and ye say that at Jerusalem is the place where men must adore.

Jesus saith to her, Woman, believe me that the hour cometh when neither on this mountain nor in

Jerusalem shall ye adore the Father. Ye adore

* Garizim, where the Samaritans had set up their temple.