Volume 2

356
Life of Jesus Christ
those of our vines, though small when compared with the
fruit. The Levites put many questions to Jesus upon
different portions of the Psalms that treated of the
Messiah. They said: "Thou art certainly the greatest
Prophet after the Messiah! Thou canst explain these
points to us." Among other things there was question of
the words: "Dixit Dominus Domino mea," and of him
that with blood-besprinkled garments trod the wine press
alone..'3 Jesus explained all to them with its profound signification
and applied it to Himself. During this little instruction
they sat around one of the vinehills eating
grapes. The Rechabites, however, would not touch the
fruit, because they were forbidden to drink wine. But
Jesus challenged them upon their abstinence and commanded
them to eat, saying that if they sinned by so
doing, He would take the guilt upon Himself. When they
brought forward their Law as an excuse for not complying,
I heard them saying that Jeremias, on the command
of God, had once forbidden it and they had obeyed. But
now that Jesus ordered otherwise, they hearkened to His
word. Toward evening they returned to the city, and
assisted at another entertainment to which the poor were
admitted. Then Jesus taught in the synagogue and afterward
went to the house of the Levites, where He passed
the night on the roof under a tent.
Attended by the Levites, Jesus went from Abila to
Gadara and reached the small Jewish quarter of the city
in the evening. It was separate from the larger pagan
quarter which had as many as four idolatrous temples. I
knew at once that Gadara was a heathen city from seeing
the idol of Baal standing under a large tree. Jesus was
well received here. There were Pharisees and Sadducees
among the inhabitants, also a Sanhedrim for the country
around, although the male Jews of the place numbered
from three to four hundred only. Jesus found some
Galilean disciples awaiting Him in Gadara. They were