“I conquered the world by force, but this man, Jesus Christ, conquered it with love.” These are the words of Napoleon, having read the life of Jesus Christ from the Bible.
In our discourse on the subject “The Year of Public Favour,” we shall see the truth of this remark. The second year of his ministry opened on a sad note, with Christ receiving the news that John the Baptist had been arrested and placed in prison. Almost as if this was a signal, Christ left the southern part of Palestine and went to the northern area, being Galilee. As the tempo of his public work increased, the words of John the Baptist would come into his mind— “I must decrease, he must increase.”
When Christ entered Galilee, the people were already aware of his ability to preach and perform miracles, for his work in Jerusalem had been carried swiftly to all the surrounding villages and towns.
It is only natural that the first place he should visit is his home town, Nazareth, the place of his childhood and youth. With the arrival of the Sabbath day, Christ joined the people assembled in the synagogue. The hour had arrived which the audience had anxiously awaited, when they would have the opportunity of hearing Jesus speak ; this Jesus who had grown up amongst them and was quickly gaining the attention of men and women everywhere.
Being called on to read a portion of the Scriptures, he opened the book at the Prophet Isaiah and commenced to read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor ; He hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
To the audience, Christ said, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Whilst he read, his presence and words seemed to have an hypnotic effect on them and for a while it would seem that they had favoured what had been said. But Christ goes on to say, “No prophet is accepted in his own country,” and he illustrated this by reminding them of Israel during the time of Elias. For none of the widows in Israel were visited save one, Sceptre, in the city of Sidon. Other examples he brought before them, which caused them to become angry toward him. The outcome was that they fulfilled the words which had just been spoken, for immediately they took him without the city and were intent on killing him. But he, passing through their midst, went his way, never to return to Nazareth, choosing to make his home in Capernaum.
His visit to Nazareth had the desired effect, for within a few weeks the whole province was ringing with the name “Jesus Christ.” The conversation in the fishing-boat, street-gathering, in the house or market-place, was centred around this man who proclaimed himself ordained of God to preach the hope of the gospel. The question became a continuous one—”Have you heard the power of his speech or seen the wonder performed by his hands ?”
Like a pebble thrown into a pond, the circles of Christ’s audience grew with the passing of every day. The situation arrived when he found it necessary to take them out into the desert places to address them. On occasions, the pressure of the multitude which followed him forced him to seek the sanctuary of a fishing boat to take the place of his speaking platform. The situation was such that Peter was caused to say “All men seek for thee.” To what did Christ credit his success ? It was not because he had told them he was the Messiah, for it was not his intention to reveal his true character until the time was ripe. His popularity came through the medium of his preaching and miracles, for his words and actions moved the emotions of all Galilee. A transformation had come over Galilee, its streets became open-air hospital wards, whose patients waited anxiously for the great physician to lay a hand on their diseased bodies.
Trading in the market-places came to a standstill as Christ passed by, the rich and poor forgetting class distinctions as they sought, if nothing else, the shadow of Christ to fall upon them. In the deserted areas where only the sick in mind sought refuge, Christ’s presence brought peace to those disturbed in mind, and at the same time filled the air with a calmness which could not be explained.
Through his preaching and miracles we see clearly the character of Christ, for from them radiated not only the message that he was sent from God, but also the virtues which were his, holiness, wisdom and love. In the restoring of sight to the blind man, we see symbolised Christ’s real desire to heal the inner eye. The heart that was still in darkness being led to the grave by the things of the flesh. The raising of the dead suggested that he was the resurrection and the life, that those who followed him faithfully could have the opportunity of everlasting life. When he cleansed the leper, his triumph spoke of having power to remove the leprosy of sin. So we could continue with the miracles, not forgetting the provision of bread for the feeding of the five thousand, for was he not the “bread of life” which came down from heaven.
Such miracles made him popular with the audience, but Christ realised his popularity was temporal, the message carried with each miracle would soon be lost. The time was near when the hands and lips that praised and accepted him would be condemning him, assisting in driving the nails into his hands and feet.
Coupled with the drawing power of his miracles was his preaching, which drew many listeners. “Never did any man speak like this man.” The words of his enemies became a witness to the power of his preaching. It was said by one— “Never man spake with such authority.”
Christ’s message was a simple one, conveyed with sincerity. Indeed, as was spoken, “A teacher sent from God,” and Christ used the material of his Father to talk to the people. He was a keen observer of nature, capturing in his mind every-day scenes which had been painted by his Father’s hands.
On considering his preaching, we find that one-third of his sayings consist of parables, “The earthly stories with the heavenly meanings.” The sower, sheep following the shepherd, the keeping of vineyards, the glorious lily, trees and seasons, and many other such stories.
Toward the end of the second year, Christ realised his work was increasing and must go on, while he must leave for a while the stage of the world. So he chose twelve of his disciples to become apostles, witnesses of the great things which had happened, and to be witnesses of greater things to come before his ascension.
Christ’s desire to be popular with the people was not one of “Pride of Life.” Vanity was never his nor any other things pertaining to the weakness of the flesh. He sought only for the attention of his audience, that he might impart the important message of the gospel, hoping that all might repent of their ways.
With pen in hand, and the life of Christ passing through our mind, we could fill many pages with the deeds and sayings of the one we have grown to love. Yet we must pause for, as John said, “There are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the whole world itself could not contain the books that should be written.
From the short walk we have enjoyed with our Lord in his Year of Public Favour, let us remember his example. That the days of our popularity with the men and women might be to the same end as Christ’s was, to conquer a few human hearts with love toward the hope of salvation.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One