MANY MANSIONS.
XX. The Parable of the Two Builders
The Lord Jesus taught the people numbers of lessons about Himself, or His Heavenly Father, or about the Kingdom of Heaven, by drawing word-pictures: and we can learn the deepest truths that concern ourselves by reading them and thinking about them.
One of these that I am very fond of is a picture of two builders, and what became of the results of their building.
The first man was a wise man. He looked about him to find a sure and suitable foundation, and he built his house on a firm rock.
By and by bad weather came, and the rain poured down and the floods came and beat upon the house, but it stood firm, for it was founded upon a rock.
Our Lord Himself not only gives us the picture, but He gives us the explanation of this story first of all.
He says: "Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
Here were two men: they had heard that it was a wise thing to have a house to live in, and they both decided that they would begin at once to build.
The wise man thought it all over, and considered what ground would be suitable, what foundation would outlive the storms, and he decided it must be upon a rock, which stood high above the rivers, and was strong and enduring.
But the other man was careless. There was, perhaps, a pleasant spot nearer to him. The materials with which to build were easily carried to that spot, the sunshine flooded the landscape, and all looked fair and beautiful. So he hastened to build upon the sandy foundation, and soon his house was finished and he took possession.
But in that country there were frequently sudden violent storms; and one day such a storm overtook the two houses. The rain came in torrents, the winds blew, and they beat upon those two houses.
And because the foundation was unstable the house upon the sand began to slip and shake, and by and by cracked open, and fell to pieces, and lay in a ruin beneath the rushing flood.
And the house on the rock? Calm amidst the storm it stood firm. The rain came, and the wind blew and the floods rose, but it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock!
Do you want to know how this story affects our lives?
Do you want to answer that question which perhaps rises up in the depths of your own heart: What am I building up out of my life? And what foundation am I building upon?
There is a verse which tells us very distinctly the answer to that question, if we are asking it in our hearts—
"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
If we come to Him, ask Him to take us just as we are—weak, sinful, unworthy—He will stretch forth His hand and grasp us, and "set our feet upon a Rock and establish our goings."
When once we have come to Christ for pardon, our feet are on the Rock: and then we can begin to build.
You ask what is building?
To do each day what will please Jesus. As He says when He begins this story of the Two Builders: "To hear these sayings of His and to do them," is the sure way of having a building that will last when the storms of life overtake us.
If you watch the people who bear trouble the best, who are patient in trial, hopeful in adversity, brave in difficulty, triumphant in death, you will find that it is they who have built on the Rock Jesus Christ, and have found that there is security and peace there.
And then about the house on the sand?
Oh, what desolation to find that what you thought was all pleasant and bright will not last, but the insecure foundation melts away, and the hopes founded upon it fall to pieces.
If you have even a misgiving that you are not on the true Foundation, give up your earthly plans and make a fresh start.
The Arms of love and mercy are ready to embrace you, and one of those wonderful sayings of Jesus is: "Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out."
"The Foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that are His."
XXI. The Labourers in the Harvest
In the Bible we have many vivid pictures in which God would teach us, by earthly things, concerning His heavenly things.
This Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard is one of these pictures. We have the account of it in the 20th chapter of Matthew.
There was an Eastern householder. He had great estates, and fields and vineyards, stretching far up on the hillsides, and kept with great care by his vine-dressers. By and by the grapes were ready for picking and the householder went out early in the morning to hire the labourers for his vineyard.
In those days there was a certain coin which was considered fair pay for a day's wages.
Some of you who read the story in the Bible may say, "A penny for a day's work!" But this is only because the money then was of such a different value from what it is now; and a Roman penny was worth nearly eight times what our penny is now, and was at that time the usual hire for a day's work.
So the lord of the vineyard went out early to engage the men to get in his harvest; and when he had agreed with them for a certain sum, he sent them into his vineyard.
By and by, about nine o'clock in the morning, he went out again; and seeing others standing idle in the market-place, he said to them: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you."
So they went their way, and entered the vineyard.
Then came twelve o'clock, and then three o'clock; and still the householder wanted more men to labour in his vineyard. As our Lord had said in another place, "The Harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few."
At length, at the last hour before sundown, the householder went out once more, and found others standing idle, and he said to them: "Why are you standing here idle all the day?"
And they answered him: "Because no one has hired us."
So the householder said to them: "Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right, that ye shall receive."
And soon the short Eastern twilight came, and then, as a poet says: "The sun sinks, the stars rush out," and the day was over!
Then the lord of the vineyard said to his steward: "Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last ones even to the first."
So the last men came, who had worked only one hour, and they were each given the Roman penny.
But when the first ones, who were hired early in the morning, were given their money, they supposed that they should have received more for their long day's work. But they each received the Roman penny.
THEY BEGAN MURMURING AGAINST THE GOOD MAN OF THE HOUSE.
Then they began murmuring against the good man of the house, saying: "These last have only worked one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day!"
But the lord of the vineyard explained to them that he had given each man what he had agreed upon; and that he had done them no wrong; for he said he had a right to do what he willed with his own money.
Now there are several things to learn from this picture story, and as I go along I think you will see them for yourselves.
The vineyard belongs to the Lord God.
The vines here represent the people in the world whom the Lord wants to store in His beautiful garner, the Heavenly Home, by and by.
The labourers are God's own people, whom He calls to bring those precious grapes into the garner.
God calls each one of us who loves Him to be a labourer in His Kingdom.
To one, who is perhaps strong and able, He gives work that will last him the whole long day of a long life!
Of another, He asks half a lifetime—of another, a quarter of a lifetime; or only one short hour perhaps!
To each one, when the day is ended, the Lord will give His own reward. If the worker has been faithful in what has been given him to do, the Lord of the Harvest will say: "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord."
Little children can work for this Heavenly Lord. They can do little kindnesses for Christ's sake; they can try to be like Jesus. They can listen for God's commands like little Samuel, and obey Him when He speaks to them.
These may be like the one hour servants, but they will get their full rewards!
Some of the servants of the Lord of the Harvest have very hard and toilsome work to do. He has given them that to do, and He will surely give them their pay!
What is that pay? Not a Roman penny; not any earthly coins or rewards; but they are promised that if they are wise, and turn many to righteousness, they shall shine as the stars for ever and ever!
Does not this encourage us to do what we can to tell others of the love of Jesus Who died on the Cross that we might be saved?
We can all pray that God will call us to work for Him; and surely, if He does call and we listen to His Voice, He will teach us how to bring many to righteousness, and earn "the crown of glory that fadeth not away!"
XXII. As a Hen Gathereth Her Chickens
Not long before our dear Lord Jesus was crucified, He was walking one day in the streets of Jerusalem.
He had been telling the Scribes and Pharisees that they were trusting in their own goodness, but were far-off from the Kingdom of God.
His loving heart was filled with pity for those who would not come to Him to be saved.
Do you not remember how He had said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!"
He longed to have the poor, sorrowful people find joy and rest in Him. Had He not said at the very beginning of His teaching that He had come to bind up the brokenhearted?
So on this day as He passed along through the streets, He noticed a hen with her chickens round her. Perhaps He paused to watch them as they ran hither and thither. Perhaps He heard the hen give a sudden warning cry, and watched the little chickens respond to it by running with outstretched wings to the shelter of her feathers, beneath which they nestled serene and safe from all alarms.
And then the tenderness of the heart of Jesus comes out so beautifully!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!" He exclaims, "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
Do you not know how, sometimes, a mother holds out her arms to a child who has been naughty, but perhaps the child turns away and will not come back to the loving embrace?
Have you not seen how sad that mother's face has looked? "But ye would not!" goes to her heart.
And that is something like Jesus felt when sinners would not come to Him to be forgiven.
* * * * *
It was only a very little while after He had said those words about the hen and the chickens, and about "Ye would not," that He wept over Jerusalem as He came down from the Mount of Olives and came in sight of the beautiful city, and thought of all the sorrow that was coming upon it.
And as He wept He said, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes."
I think these sorrowful words of our dear Lord should sink into our hearts, and we should look up into His face now in the glory, and tell Him we will not grieve Him by our want of love!
Let us run from Satan, our great enemy, to His sheltering arms!
Like those little chicks, at sight of danger, let us fly to Him; and He will receive us, and comfort us, and protect us.
God Himself says in the 91st Psalm: "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust."
And we shall find, whether we are young or old, that whenever we put out trust in Jesus, He will surely come to our help!
Do not let Him have to say of us, as He said of those Jews in Jerusalem, "But ye would not!" But let us believe His love, and joyfully answer the dear Lord who loved us so—
"I will trust in the covert of Thy wings!"
I heard the Voice of Jesus say,
"Come unto Me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon My breast!"
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.
I heard the Voice of Jesus say,
"Behold I freely give
The living water, thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live!"
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived
And now I live in Him.
XXIII. The Sower
One day when the Lord Jesus was staying near the Sea of Galilee, He went out with His disciples and sat by the side of the lake.
This lake is called by several names—the Sea of Galilee—the Sea of Tiberias—the Lake of Gennesaret—and it is one of the most interesting places which we read of in the Bible.
The Lord Jesus did many of His Wonderful works round the shores of this lake; and He often went across in the fishermen's boats from one side to the other.
It was on this lake that once He walked on the water. That was in the middle of the night, when the disciples were toiling at their oars and could not get to land because the wind was against them, that Jesus came to them, walking on the top of the waves.
Perhaps you say "How could He walk on water?" There is only one answer to that: "Because Jesus is the Son of God!"
Then it was sailing on this lake, that Jesus was asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship; and the disciples awoke Him because there was a great storm, and they were very frightened and were afraid they would be drowned. So He rose up, and told the wind and the waves to stop their raging—saying to them "Peace! Be still!"
Could you do that? You shake your head. No, it would be of no use for you to tell the wind to stop blowing, would it? It was because Jesus is the Son of God, that He could do it.
Well, one day, as I said, the Lord Jesus was sitting by the shore of this lake.
The people who had been cured of their diseases, or who wanted to be cured, saw Him going out of the house where He was staying, and they followed Him down to the lake.
But as so many came crowding to Him, Jesus asked one of the fishermen to let Him sit in his boat, that He might speak to the people from there.
And as Jesus looked out on the fields behind the thronging multitude, His eyes rested on a man who was busily sowing the field with seed.
And Jesus said to the people "Look! There is a sower, who is going out to sow his seed!"
And then the Lord told them the story of the seeds, and His blessed words were something like this, so that even the little children who were standing by could understand.
The sower sets out from home, and he carries the seed in a basket, or perhaps wrapped up in a corner of his garment; and as he walks along the field, he throws handful after handful on to the ground.
Some seeds fall by the side of the path and the birds who are following him as he walks, and who watch what becomes of every handful he throws, fly down and pick up all they can see, and eat it up.
But the sower passes on, and some of his little seeds fall on stony places, where there is very little good earth; and when the seeds spring up and begin to grow, there is not enough earth for them to flourish, or to feed the little plants; and the sun gets hot, and they are scorched, and wither away.
But still the sower goes on sowing. And the next seeds fall among the bushes that grow by the path; and the little seeds get choked with the big, thorny bushes, and never grow up to be good plants, or to be of any use to anyone!
But at last the sower comes to a part of the field where the ground is good and soft.
He throws the handfuls now with joy! He knows there will be a harvest by and by! The seed sinks into the good ground, it takes root, and when the time of harvest comes, and the reapers come to gather the beautiful corn, there are heaps of sheaves; for some of these little seeds had grown up to bear a hundred other seeds! And some sixty, and some thirty!
When the Lord had done talking to the multitude, the disciples gathered round Him and asked Him why He had told them that story of the seeds—called a Parable.
Then Jesus explained to them that the seed that He had been talking about was the Word of God.
Those who try to tell other people about God, are like the Sower. And the ground is like our hearts.
Then Satan our great Enemy, like those birds in the Parable, watches eagerly where the seed falls, and tries to pick it up and carry it away! That is the "seed by the wayside."
Then there are "the stony places." That is when the Word of God is spoken to us, and our hearts are hard, and there is no deep, soft feeling in them; no love to God. And the little seeds get dry, and wither away!
But, children, if we feel our hearts are hard, let us turn to God quickly, and ask Him to send us His Holy Spirit to help us to love Him, and to make us grow up to bear fruit; and He will, if we ask Him.
Well, then, besides the two kinds I have told you about, some of the little seeds fall into ground that has other things growing in it.
What are the "other things" that grow in our hearts and choke God's Word?
They may be too much pleasure, too much enjoyment, too many toys, love of money, love of our own way—heaps of things in our hearts may choke God's good seed, and it may not grow up and bear fruit. Oh, how sad, if this should be so with our hearts! Let us ask God not to let them be overgrown with "thorns."
But at last the seed falls on to good ground. The Word of God comes to a heart which is ready to receive it. A heart which is longing for the Lord Jesus to live in it. Longing that His seed may grow and bear fruit, and that people may know that we love Jesus and want to please God.
Can you think of some of the things which can be called fruit, and show that Jesus is indeed living in your heart?
Are you loving? Do you try to be? Are you pure and good, and straight-forward in all your dealings with your companions?
Are you obedient at home, loving and dutiful?
Think of these things, and if the seed has really taken root in your heart, think of what a glorious harvest-time there will be by and by, when Jesus comes to gather all who have loved Him into the Father's eternal Harvest-home.
XXIV. The Ten Virgins
In the 24th of Matthew and the 44th verse our Lord tells His disciples about His promise to come back again, and He earnestly begged them to be watchful, reminding them that His coming would be very sudden.
He described how two would be in a field, and how one should be taken and the other left behind: and that two should be grinding flour with the mill-stones, and how one would be taken and the other would be left behind.
And then our Lord added this warning, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come."
He wants all who love Him to be quite ready for Him.
Now you know just what it means to be ready?
A father is perhaps going to take his children for a holiday in the country, and he says to them, "Be quite ready, children. I am going out to get a cab, and we must start the moment it comes, or we shall lose the train. Keep looking out for me, and be quite ready waiting. I do not want one of you to be left behind!"
"LORD, LORD OPEN TO US!"
Well, some of the children are very obedient, and they do exactly as they are told.
But one child thinks to herself, "There is plenty of time—Father has hardly got to the end of the road yet, and I do just want to finish this page of my book! Then I will dress in a hurry!"
But the page takes longer than she thought, and while she hastens upstairs to dress, the cab drives up, and she is not ready!
The father looks dreadfully sorry, for the train will not wait; and the little girl has to be left behind!
That is why our Lord says in that 24th Chapter, "Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh."
So after Jesus had urged them so earnestly to watch, and to be ready, He told them a story, which will help us all to understand what He meant.
"Then shall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten virgins who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom," He said.
And five of these virgins were wise, and five were foolish. Those that were foolish took their lamps, but took no oil with them.
They wanted to meet the Bridegroom, but they forgot that perhaps He might come when it was dark night, and their lamps would be of no use unless there was oil in them.
It was not that they could not have obtained the oil; oh, no! But they were careless, and did not think.
But the wise virgins took oil in their pitchers, with their lamps.
So they all went out to meet the Bridegroom, some with oil, and some without it.
But it seemed a long time before the Bridegroom came, and all the virgins fell fast asleep while they waited.
But at midnight there was a sudden cry! But it was a sound of happy voices! "Behold the Bridegroom cometh!" the voices said joyfully.
Then the virgins waked out of their sleep, and they rose up and quickly trimmed their lamps.
But the foolish virgins found to their dismay that their lamps had gone out, and their little pitchers were empty!
So they ran to the wise virgins, and asked them to give them some of their oil!
But the wise virgins shook their heads, for they knew they must not give their oil away, or they would have none left for their own lamps to meet the Bridegroom.
"Go quickly and buy!" they urged the foolish virgins.
And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and those who were ready went in with Him to the marriage; and the door was shut.
Oh, the terrible sound of those words—the door was shut!
Afterwards the other virgins hurried back; and when they came to that closed door, they called with bitter longing and entreaty, "Lord, Lord open to us!"
But the Bridegroom answered in these sorrowful words which should be a warning to every one of us as we read them, "Verily I say unto you I know you not."
This story has, as you see, a very sorrowful ending.
And the Lord Jesus would not have told it to us unless He had intended us to take a great warning from it.
The Oil spoken of in this Parable is a type or picture to help us to understand about the Holy Spirit.
For we must have the Holy Spirit in our hearts if we want to go in with Jesus to the Marriage supper, in Heaven.
When Jesus was baptized in Jordan, John saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and resting upon Him.
Perhaps you ask, "Could those foolish virgins have had the oil?" Ah! Indeed they might! Evidently they could have bought the oil.
The Holy Spirit is given to us "without money and without price," for our Lord says, "How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."
Some years ago we had a young maid who could not understand how she was to find Jesus. I told her that if she would pray for the Holy Spirit, she would certainly be shown the way.
In ten days she came to me with a joyful face. "I did pray as you told me," she said, "and I have come to Jesus, and He is my Saviour."
XXV. The Good Samaritan
There was once a lonely man, walking in Palestine on the mountainous road between Jerusalem and Jericho.
He had no one with him, and his heart sank as he recalled the stories of the wild men who lived in the caves, and came out to rob unfortunate travellers who passed that way.
The silence was unbroken, and as he looked from side to side and hurried along, he began to hope that he might reach Jericho without mishap.
The road lay between steep hills and mountains, and there were sharp corners and jutting rocks all along the way, which would hide any number of the robbers who haunted the place.
But all his fears and all his anxious, watchful glances were of no use. Suddenly a band of thieves sprang out of their hiding-place behind him, and in a moment they surrounded him, robbed him of all his property, and, as he evidently resisted them with all his might, they not only robbed him, but cruelly wounded him, and then made off, leaving him by the roadside, half dead.
Sad indeed was his plight, lying there in the glaring sunshine, aching with pain and consumed with thirst. "Would no one come to help him?" he sadly thought.
Yes—he heard footsteps coming down the stony path, and as they drew nearer and nearer, his hope began to revive. Surely some kind man would take pity on him!
And then the steps came close to him, and at last, as he lifted his weary eyes, he saw one of the Jewish priests standing for an instant, arrested by the sad sight, but, when the priest saw him, he passed by on the other side of the road, and went away.
So the lonely man lay there, still suffering and uncared for.
Presently another step was heard, and another man, a Jewish Levite, came along the road, and, catching sight of the wounded man, he came over and looked at him; but he, too, passed by on the other side.
* * * * *
But at length there was a traveller who was making the same journey, and he saw the poor man lying there dying; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. A great pity filled his heart. He could not bear to see him wounded and suffering.
So he quickly went to his side and bound up his wounds, putting on them the only salves he had with him, oil and wine, which would both soothe and heal the sores; and then he lifted him on to his own donkey, and walking by his side and doing everything he could for the poor man, he brought him at length to an Inn, where he made him as comfortable as ever he could, and stayed with him all night.
You can picture to yourself this kind traveller sitting quietly by the suffering stranger, and cheering him with kind words, and bidding him hope for better times, when he should be well again.
At length the morning came, and the traveller was obliged to proceed on his journey. So he called the Master of the Inn and gave him some money, and told him to take care of the stranger, and promised to repay the Innkeeper, when he returned, whatever he had spent in caring for the sick man.
* * * * *
Nov when the Lord Jesus told this story to the lawyer who had been questioning him, He turned to him and asked him, "Which do you think was a neighbour to this man that fell among the thieves?"
So the lawyer answered him, "The one who shewed mercy on him!"
And Jesus said to him words like this, "Then you go and do the same."
And now, I think, our Lord Jesus, who looks down from heaven at all that is happening here, says to each one of us, as we pass on our journey through this world—"Go thou, and do like that kind Samaritan."
And perhaps you say to yourself: "How can I? I do not see any wounded men that want help—I am only a boy, and nobody needs my care! I am only a girl, and I have lessons and work to do, and I have not got any neighbours, such as that story speaks of—people who want my help—I am only a little girl!"
Yes, that is natural for you to say to yourself, but just stop for a moment and think.
You have a brother who is a Scout! Is not he always looking out for opportunities to help others? Cannot you be a "Scout" for Jesus our King? Cannot you, whether you are boy or girl, do at least one kindness a day?
That invalid sister drops her ball of wool! Cannot you stop as you are racing out to play, to pick it up, and give her a sweet smile of cheer into the bargain?
That schoolfellow has a headache and cannot get his sums right. Could you not bend over him for a moment or two, and help him find out the mistake, and set him free to come out and play?
Oh, do not say in your heart, "He is nothing to me, I cannot help his troubles!" Do not be like the Priest and the Levite. Cheer up everyone you come across, and if you do this for Jesus your King, believe me, your life will be full of sunshine and joy.
Do one kind deed every day, and you will end in being, in very truth, like the Good Samaritan whom Jesus praised.
XXVI. No Wedding Garment
Our Lord told the people who listened to Him many wonderful stories, or parables, which were meant to sink deep into their hearts, to warn them lest they should sin, or to encourage them to be good.
He often told them stories about "the Kingdom of Heaven," for He wanted all who heard Him to enter into that Kingdom, and to share its everlasting joy.
The parable I am going to tell you to-day is one in which the Kingdom of Heaven was likened to a certain great King who made a marriage feast for his son.
He invited a great many guests, and when all was ready, he sent his servants to call them all to the wedding.
But the guests who were invited were so busy about their own affairs that they did not trouble to come to the King's house!
Then the King sent some more servants, with the message that everything was prepared for the feast, and to bid the guests to come to the marriage.
But they made light of the invitation! One went to his farm, and another to his business; and the rest treated the King's messengers very badly, and even killed some of them.
Then the King was very angry, and sent his armies against the men who had murdered his messengers.
Then the King said to his servants, "The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy: go instead into the highways, and bid all that you can find to come to the marriage."
So the servants went out, and gathered all they could find, and brought them to the King's Palace, both bad and good. And this time there were plenty of people who came to accept the invitation.
Then the King came in to see the guests, and his eyes fell on one of them who had not on a wedding garment.
I think it is plain from the story, as our Lord told it, that this man might have had a wedding garment if he had chosen to do so.
Doubtless the servants had beautiful clean garments ready in another room, which the King had provided for every guest to put on.
But this one guest had no wedding garment!
Then the King said to him: "Friend, how did you come in to the banquet without having a wedding garment?"
But the man was speechless; he had no answer to make; he had no excuse to offer. Perhaps he thought his own clothes were good enough for any wedding feast! Perhaps he had been angry with the servants for offering him the King's garment!
We are not told—we only know that unless he had that garment which had been provided, he could not taste of the King's feast.
The King ordered him to be sent away; and, in the dark night outside, how earnestly he must have wished that he had not been so proud, or so careless; and how he must have wept when he realized all he had missed.
I think that the Lord Jesus told this story as a solemn warning against some things which prevent people from entering the "Kingdom of Heaven."
These things are just as likely to prevent people now, as they were in the time that our Lord gave this parable to the multitude.
The chief danger is carelessness.
People say:
"Oh, I haven't time!"
"Oh, I can't take the trouble to be religious, I do very well as I am."
They think it is all very well to be invited to the Wedding-feast in the Kingdom of Heaven, but they have other things to do; and they esteem the servants of the King, who bring the message, as very troublesome persons, who had better mind their own business!
Those are some of the people who miss getting into the Kingdom of Heaven.
THE KING ORDERED HIM TO BE SENT AWAY.
XXVII. Sowing the Tares
When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He taught many of His most wonderful lessons by means of Story-pictures, or Parables.
Perhaps you are older than some of your school-fellows, and the little ones gather round you and say "Tell us a story!"
Don't they love stories? And don't you love stories?
So did the people to whom our Lord spoke. He often put a word-picture before their eyes, and it sank into their hearts, and they remembered it ever after.
I am going to tell you about one of these Parables which our Lord told to the listening multitudes.
This one was about "The Kingdom of Heaven." This is the word picture which he put before their eyes.
He said that the Kingdom of Heaven was like a man who had a field, and who sowed it with good seed.
But at night, under cover of the darkness, while men were asleep, there came an enemy into this field.
He carried a basket in his hands, and as he went up and down the field, he looked stealthily round him to make sure that no one was aware of his presence. And then he took handful after handful of seed from his basket and scattered it all over the field. Then he crept away in the darkness.
SOWING THE TARES.
Why did he do it, do you think?
It was because he hated the owner of the field, and wished to destroy his beautiful harvest.
By and by the seeds began to grow, and the little blades came up green all over the field. Then the servants of the master of the field, looking closely at the crop, saw that some of the blades were of good wheat, but some looked like tares, which were of no use to anyone and only injured the wheat. So they hastened to the owner of the field, and they said, "Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field; how have the tares got there?"
And the owner said, "An enemy has done this."
Then the servants asked if they might root up the tares at once.
I have read that when the little plants are young, the blades of the wheat and the blades of the tares are so much alike that it is difficult to tell them apart.
So the master of the field answered, "No; you had better not try to pull up the tares, lest you should pull up the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'Gather together the tares first, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
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This is a story, as I said, of "The Kingdom of Heaven." And it is important to all of us, because we all live in that Kingdom. Our hearts ought to be God's throne here, we ought to be growing up as His Good Seed, to be gathered into His eternal Home when the Harvest comes!
You may not always live in England—you may go to Canada, or Australia, or France, or Germany!
But in this Kingdom of Heaven you may always abide, till the Harvest-day comes; and happy for you if you do!
God's Kingdom is a place where His Good Seed grows.
Perhaps your Mother or your Teacher tells you of Jesus our Saviour, and of His love, and you long to be able to serve Him. You would like to be kind and loving to those round you; you are sorry when you do wrong, you are happy when you do right. That is the Good Seed taking root and growing in your heart!
But at other times you feel differently.
You are not so happy; you do not wish to do good things so much; you even find yourself wanting to do wrong things! You find it hard to be loving; you want so much to do something you have been forbidden to do; you are sure no one will see you if you do wrong, and you say to yourself, "After all, it is such a little thing," or "It is only this once!"
Ah! Those are the tares sown in your heart!
"How did they get there?" the servants asked the Master.
And He answered, "An enemy has done this."
Satan is our enemy. It is true we cannot see him, but he is near us all the same.
Like the enemy in the Parable, he creeps out when men are asleep—when you are off your guard—when you have forgotten to watch and to pray; and it is he who whispers to you that:
"No one will see."
"That it is such a little thing."
"That it is so hard to obey!"
Ah! What must the little Christian boy do when he finds tares in the field of his heart? What must the little Christian girl do when she finds tares in God's Kingdom in her heart?
I think the best thing to do is to look up to Jesus instantly, and ask Him to conquer the great enemy for you. Say the Holy name Jesus softly to yourself, or out loud if you are alone, Satan, our great enemy, will run away, you will surely find.
He was named JESUS (which means Victory).
"For He shall save His people from their sins."
XXVIII. The Prodigal Son
There was a man who had two sons. He loved them both very much, and did everything he could to make them happy.
But the younger son was restless, and got tired of being quietly at home. He had heard something about the world outside, and he thought it must be a very fine place by all accounts.
So one day he asked his father to divide what he had to leave to him and his brother, so that he might do as he liked with his share of it.
Not many days after, the younger son took his journey into a far country, and as he had no one there to guide him, and as he did not heed the advice of his dear father, he began to waste his money and get into evil ways.
Very soon he had spent all his father had given him, and had nothing left in his purse.
Up to this time he had thought he could do very well without his father, but now he began to be in want. It was so hard to be hungry, to find his clothes get ragged, and for his companions to forsake him. And it made him sad and afraid when he remembered that he had no house to sleep in, and no friends near.
By and by a farmer took pity on him, and hired him to go and feed his pigs; and he was so hungry that he could almost have eaten the pigs' food. But no one gave him anything.
At last as he sat dejectedly watching the pigs, he came to himself! He began to remember his dear home and his father's love. He no longer prided himself on what he could do, and what he could buy. He saw his behaviour in its true light. He told himself that he had been very naughty and very disobedient, and he began to be sorry.
And when he came to himself he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I, his son, am dying of hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and tell him I have sinned, and ask him to make me one of his servants."
So he got up to go to his father.
His father had been very sad all the time his boy had been away. His heart had ached terribly, though his son had never thought of that.
Every day he looked out for his lost one, and watched for him along the roads and over the mountains till it grew too dark to see.
But one day, when the son was yet a great way off, his father saw him coming! Then the dear father ran to meet him, and fell on his neck and kissed him.
And the son said, "Father, I have sinned before Heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son—"
But he could not get any further than that in what he meant to say! For his father's arms were round him, and his father's voice was saying in the old familiar tones, "Bring hither the best robe, and put it on him! And put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring here the fatted calf and let us make a feast; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found!"
Children, we have here a picture of the way our loving Heavenly Father welcomes back those who have wandered from Him.
His heart is full of love; He grieves that we want to take our own way, and go far-off from Him.
But if we are sorry, and come back to His loving arms, we shall find that they will open to receive us; He will put the best robe upon us, and He will prepare a feast for us; and there shall be joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting!
Do you want to know what the "best robe" means?
It is the Robe of Christ's righteousness. For Christ's sake, who has shed His precious blood to make us clean and white, we can be dressed in that perfect robe; and then we shall be fit to join in the feast and the rejoicings, which are coming by and by in heaven.
XXIX. The Pharisee and the Publican
Two men were wending their way towards God's Temple at Jerusalem, a Pharisee and a Publican.
There, on a hill, stood the beautiful building with its white marble pillars glistening in the sun; and as they walked along the hot roads towards God's House, their thoughts were very different.
They knew that God's Holy Presence was in that Temple to which they were going, and one of them thought with awe that he would soon be in the place where he would meet with God.
The other man was thinking entirely about himself, and nothing at all about God.
So they ascended the many steps leading up into the Temple, and at last stood within the Sacred House.
* * * * *
And then the Pharisee thought of how he understood all about God's law, and how he did not need anyone to teach him what was written in the Scriptures.
But he did not know two things which would have made him a different man—he did not know his own heart, and he did not know God's heart.
He did not know that his own heart was full of pride and love of self; he did not know that God's heart was full of pity and tender love towards sinful men who came to Him to be forgiven.
So the Pharisee began to pray. And when the Lord Jesus told us this story about him, He said "he stood and prayed thus with himself."
But he began his prayer like this:—
"God! I thank thee that I am not like other men! I am not one who exacts more than I should from others; I am not unjust or impure; or even like this Publican. I fast twice in every week, and I give tithes of everything I have."
Then the Pharisee, having finished his prayer, went down once more to his home.
He had not seen the vision of God! He had not come near to Him, nor waited to receive the answer to his words. He did not even know what he had missed!
* * * * *
And the other man who went up to pray was the Publican.
He was a collector of the Roman taxes; and because of the frequent cheating of these publicans, they were hated by the Jews.
It was a calling which gave great opportunities for dishonesty, and when some of the Jews, for the sake of gain, engaged in it, they were despised and called traitors.
So this Publican, whom our Lord Jesus told about in this story, was evidently a Jew, as he among other Jews "went up into the Temple to pray."
And when he entered God's House, there stood the Pharisee praying; but the Publican, standing afar off, not full of his own good deeds, but feeling ashamed of his own sinfulness, would not even lift up his eyes to Heaven, but smote his breast saying:
"God be merciful to me, a sinner!"
* * * * *
And our Lord turned to those who were listening to Him and said, "I tell you, this Publican went down to his house justified, rather than the other."
Do you wonder what it is to be justified? Should we not all like, when we have been naughty, or have done wrong, to know that we may go down, like the Publican did to his house, justified?
It means, I think, for a person to realise that some one greater and richer than himself has undertaken to set him free from his debt.
It means that we have come to God and told Him that we are very sorry we have been naughty, and have asked Him to have mercy upon us, and to forgive us for Jesus' sake.
When we have done that, we may, indeed, like the Publican, go away "justified."
Perhaps some boy gets into trouble at school, and owes something to another boy, which he has no means of paying.
So the boy who owes the money goes to his father. He knows he has done wrong, but he tells his father all about it, and asks him to help him. And the loving father sees to it all for him, and pays the debt.
The school-fellows know nothing about this, but they have heard about the debt, and they whisper to each other, and jeer when the boy comes near.
But to their surprise, he raises his head now! "My father has paid," he says, with shining eyes.
I think that is being "justified."
* * * * *
And it seems to me that that was how the Publican felt, when he had told God he was a sinner, and had asked for His mercy.
He went home happy, and forgiven!