Volume 2

Con versations of the Disciples
215
countenance and bristling hair springing toward Him in
rage and fury, and crying out: "Thou! What dost Thou
want here? What business hast Thou here?" Jesus
repulsed him, saying: '"Withdraw, Satan!" And I saw the
man dashed to the ground as if his neck and every bone
in his body were broken. When he rose up, he was quite
changed, quite gentle, and he knelt at Jesus' feet weeping
and thanking. Jesus commanded him to be converted. 1
saw Him curing many as I-Ie thus passed along.
After that Jesus went with the discipIes to His
Mother's. It was night. On the way Peter spoke of his
household affairs: He had neglected many things connected
with his fishery, from which he had been so long
absent; he must provide for his wife, his children, and his
mother-in-law. John replied that he and James had to
take care of their parents, and that was more irnportant
than the care of a mother-in-law. And so they bandied
words freely and jocosely. Jesus observed that the time
would soon come when they would give up their present
fishing, in order to catch fish of another kind. John was
much more childlike and familiar with Jesus than the
others. He was so affectionate, so submissive in all
things, without solicitude or contradiction. Jesus returned
to His Mother's; the others, to their homes.
Early next day Jesus left His Mother's, which was
about three-quarters of an hour from Capharnaum in the
direction of Bethsaida, and went to the first-nalned city
with His disciples. The road was at first some\vhat of an
ascent, but near Capharnaum it began to decline. Before
reaching the gate of the city, the traveller came to a
house belonging to Peter, who had allotted it to Jesus and
the disciples and placed in it a pious old man as steward.
It was about an hour and a half from the lake. All the
disciples from Bethsaida and the country around were
gathered in Capharnaum, whither also Mary and the holy
women had come. NUITlbers of sick were ranged along