The pathway of life

"What was the master to do ? He could only turn out the laborers, and send others in their place.

"The master is the Father; the garden is the world; the laborers are men; the payment is the life of the spirit; the messengers from the master are holy men who remind people that they should live not for their bodies, but for the spirit.

''People who have gone astray imagine that life is given them for bodily welfare, and not for the fulfilment of the will of the Father, and they kill in themselves the life of the spirit, and so lose their real life."

Mark XII, 1-9. XXXIX.

After this Qirist again came to Jerusalem, and spoke to the people in the Temple about the bad life of the Pharisees.

He said:

"Beware of the teaching of the Scribes, who call them-

selves the orthodox teachers. Beware of them, for they have taken the places of the real teachers, the prophets. They have taken for themselves the right to teach men the will of God. They talk, but do not do what they teach. They wish to be teachers, and therefore try to show off: they dress themselves up, give themselves titles, but do nothii^ useful. Do not believe them. Remember that no one should call himself 'Teacher.' These self-styled, orthodox teachers of truth think one can be led to God by external ceremonies and vows, and they do not see that the external does not matter, but that all that is important is in the soul of a man. They fulfil what is external and easy, but what is really necessary and difficult (love, mercy, and truth) they leave alone. All they care about is to keep the outward law, and by outward means get others to accept it. Therefore they are like painted coffins: clean outside, but abominable within.

"Outwardly they honor the saints and martyrs; but really it is they that tormented and killed the saints. They were, and are, the enemies of all that is good. From them comes all the evil in the world, for they hide what is good, and call evil good. And that is a thing one must fear most of all, for you yourselves know that any mistake may be set right, but that if people make a mistake as to what is good, it is a mistake that cannot be set right. And that is just what these self-styled pastors do."

After that Jesus said: "I wished to unite all men here in Jerusalem, so that they should live loving one another, and serving one another; but these people only know how to kill those who teach what is good."

And having said this, he left the Temple.

And Jesus said: "T tell you truly, that this Temple will fall in ruins with all its ornaments, and nothing will be

left of it. But there is a Temple of Goid—the hearts of those that love one another."

And they asked him, "When will that Temple be?" And he answered: "It will not be soon. For a long time people will use my teaching to deceive others, and this will cause wars and commotions, and there will be great law lessness and little love.

"But when everybody has understood the true teaching, then evil and temptations will come to an end."

Luke XX, 46; Matt. ХХП1, 1-39; Mark /Я, 2S, 29; Matt. XXIV, M4.

XL.

The Scribes and Pharisees tried as hard as they could to destroy Jesus. They assembled in council, and began to discuss how to do it. They said: "This man must be stopped. He makes his teaching so persuasive that if he is left alone, everybody will believe him, and will abandon our religion. Half the people already believe in him; and if all believe his teaching that all men are sons of one Father, and that all are brothers, and that there is nothing in our Hebrew people different from other nations, the Romans will come and conquer us, and there will no longer be a Hebrew kingdom."

And the Scribes and Pharisees long discussed the matter. They wished to kill Jesus, to rid themselves of him; but were afraid of the people, and dared not do it.

Then their High Priest, whose name was Caiaphas, said: "You need not be so much afraid. One man has sometimes to be killed to save a whole nation. And if we do not put an end to this man, the whole nation will perish; or if it does not perish, it will be scattered, and will abandon our one true faith. So we must not hesitate \o kill Jesus."

And when Gtiaphas had said this, all agreed with him, and decided to kill Jesus. And they would at once have taken him and killed him, but Jesus was not in Jerusalem, and they did not know where he was.

But when the Feast of the Passover drew near, the High Priests thought Jesus would be sure to come with the other people to the Feast, and they told their servants that if any one saw Jesus, he should bring him to them.

And really, six days before the Passover, Jesus said to his disciples: **Now let us go to Jerusalem." But the disciples knew that the High Priests wished to kill him, and they begged him not to go to Jerusalem. They said: "The High Priests have decided to stone you. If you go there they are sure to kill you."

Jesus answered: "Only he who walks in darkness stumbles and falls; but he who walks in the daylight does not stumble. A man cannot err who lives in the light of God's will, and does as God wishes. Such a man cannot be afraid. Come to Jerusalem."

And they got ready and went.

John XI, 47-57, 7-10.

XLI.

When they heard in Jerusalem that Jesus was coming, the people went out to meet him, surrounded him, put him on an ass, ran before him, and broke twigs from the trees and threw them on the road, shouting: "Here is our true King! He has told us about the true God!" And so Jesus rode into Jerusalem. And the people asked: "Who is that ?" And those who knew him said: "It is Jesus, the Prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

When he had ridden up to the Temple, Jesus got oflF the ass, entered the Temple, and began to teach the people.

And the Pharisees and priests saw him, and said to one another: "See, what that man is doing! All the people are going after him!"

They would have liked to take him at once, but dared not, because they feared the people. And they planned how to do it without provoking the people.

So Jesus, quite undisturbed, taught the people. Besides Jews, there were in the Temple heathen Greeks also. The Greeks had heard that the teaching of Jesus was not for Jews only, but for all men, and they wanted to hear him. They told this to Philip, and Philip told Andrew.

The disciples were afraid of bringing Jesus and the Greeks together. They feared that the people would be angry with Jesus for making no difference between the Jews and other nations; and at first they could not make up their minds to tell him what the Greeks wanted; but at last they told him.

Hearing that the Greeks wished to be his disciples, Jesus was at first taken aback. He knew that if he did not make any distinction between Jews and heathens, the Jews would be angry with him. But he soon recovered, and said: "There is no difference between Jews and heathens; the same Son of Man is in all men. Though I perish for it, the time has come to acknowledge the Son of Man, the one spirit of God in all men. A grain of wheat becomes fruitful only when it itself perishes. And a man bears fruit only when he gives his life to fulfil the will of God. He who loves his bodily life, lessens his spiritual life; but he who is ready to give up his bodily life, receives spiritual life.

"My soul is now in conflict, whether I am to yield to considerations of my temporary life, or to do the will of the Father. But can I, now that the time has come when I ought to do that for which I was sent into the world, say:

'Father, deliver me from what I ought to do?' I cannot say that, but can only say: 'Father, make Thyself felt within me, that I may glorify the Son of Man, and unite all men together/ "

And the Jews replied to this, saying: "We know that the Christ must come, but we do not understand what you mean by 'glorifying the Son of Man/ "

And Jesus replied: "To glorify the Son of Man, is to live in the spiritual light and we all have the spiritual light in us. To glorify the Son of Man above that which is of the earth, means to believe that the spirit of God lives in every man. He who believes my teaching does not believe me, but the spirit of God; and the spirit of God gives life to the world, and lives in each one of you. And he who understands my teaching knows that spirit, for that spirit lives in him, and gives life to the world. If any one hears my words and does not understand them, I do not blame him, for I have come not to blame, but to save. He who does not understand my words does not believe in the spirit of God, for what I say I do not say from myself, but from the spirit of the Father. And the spirit of the Father lives in me. What I say, the spirit told me."

And, having said this, Jesus went away, and again hid from the High Priests. ,

Matt, XXI, 7-12; John ХП. 19-36; 44-50.

XLII.

And many of the rich and powerful among those who heard these words believed the teaching of Jesus; but they were afraid to confess this before the Pharisees; for not one of the Pharisees acknowledged that teaching. They

did not acknowledge the truth of the teaching, for they were used to believe human teaching, and not God's.

And again the High Priests and Scribes met in the Court of Caiaphas, and began considering how to seize Jesus secretly, to kill him. They were afraid to take him openly. And one of the first disciples of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, came to their meeting, and said: '*If you are afraid to seize Jesus openly, before the people, I will find a time when there will be few people with him, and I will show you where he is, and then you can take him. What will you give me for it?" And they promised him thirty pieces of silver. Judas agreed, and from that time began to look for an opportunity to deliver Jesus to the High Priests, that they might seize him.

Meanwhile Jesus had again gone away from Jerusalem, and he had only his disciples with him. And when the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread came round, the disciples asked him: "Where shall we keep the Feast of the Passover?" And Jesus said: ",Go into one of the villages and enter the first house, and say you have no time to prepare for the Passover, but that you ask to be allowed to keep the Feast there."

The disciples did so, and went into the village, and there went to the first house, and the master of the house let them in.

When they had all come—Jesus and his twelve disciples, with Judas Iscariot among them—they sat at a table to keep the Feast of the Passover. And Jesus guessed that Judas had promised to give him up to the Pharisees to be killed, but he did not wish to repay Judas evil for evil, and to accuse him before all the disciples; but as he had always taught his disciples to love, so now he only wished to soften the heart of Judas by love.

And, when he and his twelve were all seated at the table, Jesus took some bread, broke it into twelve pieces, and gave a piece to each of them, saying: "This is my body, take and eat it." And then he poured wine into a cup, and handed it to the disciples, saying: "Drink, all of you, out of this cup. It is my blood."

And when, one after another, they had drunk wine out of the cup, he said: "Yes, this is my blood, which I am shedding for the sins of the world." And having said this, Jesus rose from table, took off his outer garment, tied a towel round him, took a jug of water, and said that he would now wash the feet of all the disciples. He first came to Peter, but Peter moved away, saying: "Can a master wash his disciples' feet?" Jesus said: "It seems strange to you that I want to wash your feet, but you will soon know why I do it. I do it because, though you are pure, you are not all of you pure."

Jesus was thinking of Judas when he said this.

And Jesus washed the feet of all the disciples, including Judas. And when he had done it and had put on his garment, he spoke to all the disciples, and said:

"Do you know now, why I did this? I did it that you should always do it to each other. I, your Master, do it to show you how to behave to those who injure you. If you understand this, and will act so, it will be well with you always."

And having said this, Jesus became sad, and added: "Yes, yes! One of those whose feet I washed will betray me!"

The disciples looked at each other, and did not know whom he meant. And one of the disciples was sitting close to Jesus, and Simon Peter nodded to him, that he should ask Jesus whom he meant. He did so, and Jesus said; "It

IS he to whom I shall give a piece of bread." And he gave a piece of bread to Judas Iscariot, and said to him, "What you want to do, do quickly!" At first no one understood what Jesus' words meant; but Judas understood them, and as soon as he had taken the piece of bread he rose and went out; and when the disciples understood what was happening, it was too late to try to catch him, for the night was dark.

And when Judas had gone, Jesus said: "Children, I shall not be with you long. Don't reason about my teaching, but, as I said to the Pharisees, do what I do. I give you one new commandment: as I have loved all of you to the end, so you also should always, and to the last, love one another and love all men. In this commandment lies my whole teaching. Only by keeping this commandment can you be my disciples. Love one another and love all men."

John ХП, 42, 43; Matt XXVI, 3-5; 14-28; John XIII 2-3S.

XUII.

He also said to his disciples: "Life consists in coming nearer and nearer to the perfection of God. That is the way. I follow it, and you know the way."

Then Thomas said to him: "No, We do not know where you are going, and so we cannot know the way."

Jesus answered: "I am going to the Father, and my teaching is the way to Him. One cannot unite with the Father of life, except through my teaching. Fulfil my teaching about love, and you will know the Father."

Philip said: "Show us the Father."

And Jesus replied: "How is it you do not know the Father? My teaching is that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. He who lives by my teaching, and fulfils my

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290 THE PATHWAY OF LIFE

eqtial to me, if you do what I have taught you, I do not consider you as slaves, but as equal to myself, for I have explained to you all that I have imderstood from the Father, and you can do what I do. I have given you the only true teaching; and that teaching gives the only true welfare.

"The whole teaching is to love one another. Do not be surprised if the world hates you and persecutes you, for my teaching is hateful to the world. If you were at one with the world it would love you. But I have separated you from the world, and therefore it will hate and persecute you. If they persecute me, they will persecute you also. They cannot help doing it, for they do not know tlie Father. I told them who their Father is, but they would not listen to me. They have not understood my teaching, for they did not understand what I told them about the Father. And on that account they have hated me yet more.

"I should say much more to you, but it would be difficult for you to understand it now. But when the spirit of truth enters into you, it will show you the whole truth, for it will not tell you anything new or of its own, but it will tell you that which is from God, and will show you the way in all the events of your life. This spirit within you will tell you the very same that I tell you."

John XV, 7-26; XVI, 12-15.

XLV.

After that Jesus lifted his eyes to heaven, and said: "My Father, Thou hast given thy son the freedom of life, that he may receive true life. True life is to know the true God. And I have shown Thee to men. I have done what Thou hast ordered me to do. They were Thine before, but according to Thy will I have shown them the truth: that Thou art within them, and they have recognized Thee.

They have understood that all that is within me is within them also, and that it all comes from Thee. They have understood that all that is mine is Thine, and all that is Thine is mine. I am no longer of the world, but am going to Thee; but they are in the world, and therefore I pray Thee, Father, keep them in the truth 1 I do not pray that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst deliver them from falsehood, and strengthen them in Thy truth; that they should all be one: as Thou art in me and I in Thee, that they also should be in us. That all should be united into one, and that men should understand that they were not bom of their own will, but that Thou, loving them, hast sent them into the world, as Thou hast sent me.

"Righteous Father! the world does not yet know Thee, but I know Thee; and they have leamt to know Thee through me. And I have explained to them that Thou, loving them, hast given them life, that Thy love for them should return from them to Thee!" John XVII, 1-26.

XLVI.

Then Jesus rose, and went with his disciples on to the Mount of Olives. And on the way he said to them: "Yes, the time has come when, as Is said in the Scriptures, the shepherd will be killed, and the sheep will be scattered. So it will be with you. I shall be taken, and you will ru:i away."

"No, I will not run away," said Peter; "though everybody else ran away, I would never leave you. With you I am ready to go anywhere: to prison or to death I"

But Jesus said: "Do not boast beforehand of what you will do. It may be that to-night, before the cocks crow, you will deny me not once but three times."

"On no account," said Peter; and the other disciples said the same.

When they came to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to them: "Wait here a little while. I wish to pray." And he took with him only Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. And he said to them: "I am sorrowful. Stay with me."

And he went a little way from them, and lay on the ground, and began to pray, saying: "My Father! deliver me from what awaits me!" Then he was silent for a short time, and added: "But all the same, let not my will, but Thy will be done, and let it not be as I wish, but as Thou wishest!"

Then he rose, and went to his disciples. But they had fallen asleep; and Jesus awoke them, and said: "Be strong in spirit. Only the spirit is strong, the flesh is weak."

And again Jesus went aside, and again he began to pray, and said: "My Father! Thy will be done; not my will, but Thine!"

And having said that, he returned to the disciples and saw that they were again asleep. And he went from them a third time, and again said: "My Father! not my will, but Thine be done!"

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them: "Come now, I am going to give myself up into the hands of the worldly." Matt XXVI, 30-46.

XLVII.

And just when he had said this Judas Iscariot appeared, and with him soldiers and servants of the High Priests with arms and lights. And Judas at once came up to Jesus, and greeted him and kissed him.

And Jesus said to him: "Friend, why have you come ?" Then the guards surrounded Jesus and wished to seize

him. But Peter snatched a sword from the High Priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. And seeing this, Jesus said to Peter: "Put the sword back into its scabbard. All who take the sword will perish by the sword."

After that Jesus turned to the people who had come for him, and said: "Why have you come for me with weapons, as for a robber? Have I not been among you in the Temple every day, teaching you—why did you not take me then?"

Then the officer told the soldiers to bind Jesus. And the soldiers bound him, and led him first to Caiaphas. This was the same Caiaphas who, by saying that it was better that one man should perish than the whole nation should do so, had persuaded the Pharisees to destroy Jesus. And Jesus was brought into the courtyard of the house.

The disciples of Jesus all ran away. Only one of them, Peter, followed Jesus from afar, and looked to see where they led him.

When Jesus was brought into the High Priest's yard, Peter also entered, to see what would happen. And a woman in the yard saw him, and asked: "Were you also with Jesus of Galilee?" And Peter was frightened; and, so as not to be accused with Jesus, said: "I don't know what you are talking about."

Then, when Jesus was taken into the house, Peter, with the rest of the people, entered the porch. There a fire was burning, and another woman was warming herself at it. When Peter came near the fire, this woman lodced at him and said: "I think this man was with Jesus of Nazareth." And Peter was still more frightened, and began to swear that he had never been with Jesus, and did not know ai^-thing about him.

A little later some other people drew near to Peter

and said: "All the same, one sees that you arc one of the rioters. Your speech shows that you are from Galilee." Then Peter again swore that he had never even seen Jesus. And hardly had he said this, when a cock crowed, and Peter remembered the words of Jesus: "Before the cocks crow to-night you will perhaps have denied me not once, but three times." Peter remembered this, and went out of the yard and wept bitterly.

Matt XXF/, 47-58; John XVHI, 12-14; Matt, XXVI 69-75.

XLVIII.

The Elders and the Scribes collected at the High Priest's house. And when they had all assembled, Jesus was brought in, and the High Priest asked him what he taught, and who his disciples were.

Jesus answered: "I have always spoken openly before everybody, and I never hid anything. Why do you ask me ? Ask those who heard and understood my teaching. They will teU you."

When Jesus said this, one of the High Priest's servants hit him in the face, and said: "Who are you talking to? Does one answer the High Priest in such a way ?"

Jesus said: "If I have answered badly, tell me what was wrong. But if I have not answered badly, why do you strike me?"

The High Priest and the Elders tried to convict Jesus, but could find no evidence that condemned him. At last they hunted up two false witnesses, and these witnesses said that Jesus had declared that he could destroy the Temple and build it up again in three days. The High Priest asked Jesus: "What do you say to this?" But Jesus did not answer. Then the High Priest said to him: "Say, then.

are you the Christ, the Son of God ?" And Jesus answered: "Yes, I am a son of God."

Then the High Priest cried: "You blaspheme against God! What other proofs do we need ? You have all heard how he blasphemes!" And the High Priest addressed the meeting, saying: "Now you have yourselves heard how he blasphemes against God! To what do you condemn him for that?"

And they all answered: "To death!"

Then all the people and the guards set upon Jesus, and began to spit in his face, and to hit him on the cheek. They closed his eyes, struck him, and asked: "Now then, you Son of God! Guess who struck you." But Jesus remained silent. Mark X]V; 53; John XVIIl. 19-23;

Matt. XXVI, 59-68.

XLIX.

After this Jesus was led, bound, to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. When they had brought him before Pilate, the latter came out into the porch and said to those who had brought him: "What do you accuse this man of?" And they answered: "He is an evil-doer; that is why we have brought him."

Pilate answered: "If you consider him an evil-doer, judge him yourselves, by your own laws." But they said: "We have brought him to you, that you should execute him; for we are not allowed to put any one to death."

Then Pilate asked them again, what they accused Jesus of. They said: "He stirs up the people, and forbids them to pay taxes to Cassar, and calls himself the King of the Jews."

Pilate listened to them, and ordered Jesus to be brou|^t to his Court.

When Jesus came before him, Pilate asked:

"Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Are you asking me this of yourself, or are you repeating what others have told you ?"

Pilate replied: "I am not a Jew! Your own people have brought you before me, because you call yourself King."

Jesus said: "Yes, I am a king: but my kingdom is not of earth. If I were an earthly king, my subjects would fight for me, and would not have given me up into the hands of the Jews. But you see what they have done to me! My kingdom is not of earth."

Then Pilate asked :< "You still consider yourself a king?" ,

Jesus said: "I teach the people the truth about the Kingdom of Heaven. And he who lives by the truth, is a king."

Pilate said: "Truth? What is truth?"

And Pilate turned his back to Jesus, and went out to the Jews, and said to them: "I don't think that this man has done anything wrong; nor is there anything to put him to death for."

But the High Priests insisted, saying that he did much evil, and stirred up the people, and had aroused the whole of Judaea.

Then Pilate, in the presence of the High Priests, again questioned Jesus, and said to him: "You sec how they accuse you? Why do you not defend yourself?" But Jesus remained silent, and did not say another word; so that Pilate was surprised at him.

Then Pilate remembered that Galilee was under King Herod, and asked: "Is he not from Galilee ?" They replied that he was. Then Pilate said: "If he is from Galilee, he

THE PATHWAY OF LIFE "297

is in the power of Herod." And to gfet rid of the Jews, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod,

John XVIH, 28-38; Luke XXUl. 2-7; Mark XV. 3-5.

And Jesus was taken to Herod. And Herod had heard much about Jesus, and was glad to see him. Herod had Jesus brought before him, and began questioning him about several things; but Jesus did not reply. And before Herod, the High Priests and the Scribes accused Jesus of many things, as they had done before Pilate, and said that he was a rebel. But Herod considered Jesus to be an empty fellow, and to make him look ridiculous, gave orders to put a red mantle on him; and in this fool's dress, sent him back to Pilate.

When he was brought to Pilate the second time, Pilate again called the rulers of the Jews, and said to them: "You brought this man before me, as one who rouses the people to revolt, and I have examined him before you, and do not find that he has been a rebel. I sent him with you to Herod, and as you see, there too, nothing serious has been found against him. So I think that he should not be executed, but should be flogged and then set free."

But when they heard this, they all shouted: "No 1 Put him to death in the Roman way. . . . Nail him to a cross I"

Pilate heard them, and said: "Very well. But it is an old custom that one criminal should be pardoned at Passover. There is a robber, Barabbas, who has been condemned to death, and there is this man. One of the two can be set free. Who shall it be—Jesus, or Barabbas?"

Pilate wished to save Jesus; but the High Priests persuaded the people, and they all shouted: "Barabbas t Barabbas!"

Then Pilate asked: "And what is to be done with Jesus?" And again they all shouted: 'Crucify him in the Roman way!"

But Pilate still did not wish to execute Jesus, and again began trying to persuade the High Priests to let Jesus go. He said: "Why are you set against him? He has done no evil; and there is no reason to execute him."

But the High Priests and their servants again shouted: "Crucify him! Crucify him in the Roman way! Crucify him! Crucify him!"

Then Pilate said: "If so, then take him and crucify him yourselves, for I find no fault in him."

And the High Priests said: "We demand what is lawful. By the law he should be crucified, for calling himself the 'Son of God.' "

Then Pilate was puzzled, because he did not know what "Son of God" meant.

And he went back into the Court, and again called Jesus and asked him: "Whence are you? Who are you, and where do you come from?" But Jesus did not answer. Pilate said: "Why do you not answer me? Do you know that you are in my power; and that I can crucify you or set you free?"

Then Jesus answered: "No, you have no power over me. Power comes only from above."

Luke XXin, 8-16; Matt. XXVII, 15-23; John XIX, 6-11.

LI.

Pilate so wished to set Jesus free that he again spoke to the people, and said: "How is it that you want to crucify your 'king'?"

But the Jews answered: "If you set Jesus free, you will

show that you are not a faithful servant of Cxsar, because he who makes himself king is Caesar's enemy. We have one Cassar; so crucify this 'king*!"

When Pilate heard these words he saw that he must crucify Jesus. Then Pilate came out to the Jews, poured water on his hands, and said: "I wash my hands of the blood of this innocent man,"

And the people cried: "Let his blood be on us and on our children t"

Then Pilate ordered Jesus to be beaten. And when the soldiers had beaten him, they put a crown on his head, and a stick in his hand, and threw the red mantle over his shoulders and began to mock him. They bowed before him, saying: "Rejoice, King of the Jews!" And they struck him on the cheek, and on the head, and spat in his face. And they all shouted: "Crucify him I Our king is Oesar. . . . Crucify him!"

And after that Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified. Then they took off the red mantle and put his own clothes on him, and made him carry the cross to the place of execution, called Golgotha, that he might be crucified there. And they nailed him to the cross, and two other men with him; one at each side of him, and Jesus in the middle.

And Jesus said: "Fatherl forgive them, for they know not what they do!"

John XIX. 12-18; Malt. XXVII, 24-31; Luke XXIII, 34.

LII.

And when Jesus was hanging on the cross the people surrounded him and abused him. Some came up to him, nodding their heads at him, and saying: "There now! You wished to destroy the Temple o( Jerusalem and build it

'■Ти

300 THE PATHWAY OP LIPE

up again in three days. Well now! Save yourself— come down from the cross!"

And the High Priests and Scribes stood there and also laughed at him, saying: "He saved others, but cannot save himself! Show now that you are the Christ. Come down from the cross and then we will believe you! He said he was the Son of God, and that God would not forsake him. . .. Why has God now forsaken him?"

And the people and the High Priests and the soldiers all abused him.

And one of the robbers who were crucified beside him also said: "If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!" But the other robber, hearing this, said: "You do not fear God. You are yourself hanging on a cross for your evil deeds, yet you abuse an innocent man. You and I are crucified for a reason; but this man has done nothing bad."

At the ninth hour Jesus said loudly: "Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani!"—which means "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

And when the people heard it, they laughed and said: "He is calling Elias the prophet. Let us see if Elias will come!"

Afterwards Jesus said: "Give me something to drink!' And a man took a sponge and soaked it in vinegar, and held it up on a reed to Jesus. Jesus sucked the sponge, and then said in a loud voice: "It is finished! Father, into Thy hands I yield my spirit!" Then his head drooped and he died. Matt, XXV Ц 39-44; Luke XX Г 11, 39-41;

Matt, XXVII, 46-9; John XIX, 28-30.

KOV : 1919