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The Fifth Lesson: The Foundation of the Work.999
such was Jesus—has His counterparts in the wandering holy-men of India
and Persia today.
But it must be remembered that even in Jesus’ time, the spectacle of a
rabbi living this ascetic life, forsaking the emoluments of His priestly rank
and deliberately taking up the roll of a poverty-stricken mendicant, was a
rare one. It ran contrary to all the thrifty and prudent customs and ideals of
the race. It was an importation from the Essenes, or from the strange people
of far-off lands, and it was not relished by the Jewish authorities, or people
who preferred the synagogues and Temple, with their sleek, well-fed priests,
with fancy robes and attractive ceremonies.
Making His base at Capernaum, Jesus began to form His band of disciples
with more show of a working organization. To some He delegated certain
authority, and bade them perform certain dues of the ministry. For some
reason He selected some of His leading lieutenants from the ranks of the
fishermen who plied their vocation along the waters of that port of the
country. The fishers of fish became the fishers of men. Jesus became very
popular among the fishing fraternity, and the legends, as well as the New
Testament narratives, tell of instances in which He bade His poor fishermen
friends (who had been unfortunate in their day’s haul) to let down their
nets at some point indicated by Him, when to their surprise and joy their
nets would be filled to overflowing.
Little acts of kindness bestowed here and there among the humbler classes
tended to have Jesus looked upon and spoken of as a friend of the people,
but which reputation excited the jealousy of the authorities who held that
such acts could be prompted by none other than a selfish motive, and that
motive the incitement of the masses to rebellion in the interest of Himself as
a Messiah. And so, we see His very acts of kindness and compassion served
to increase the suspicion and hatred which the authorities, both ecclesiastical
and temporal, had always felt toward Him.
His desire to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and wretched took Him
much among these people and away from the so-called higher classes. The