so would the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Then Jesus left this region and came to Bethsaida. Here they brought a blind man to him that he might give him his

sight. Jesus spat on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, and asked him if he saw aught. And he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking. Then Christ put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up. And his sight was restored, so that now he could see clearly.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

TEACHING THE DISCIPLES-THE TRANSFIGURATION-DRIVING OUT THE EVIL SPIRIT-PETER AND THE TRIBUTE MONEY RETURNING TO JERUSALEM-THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES-PARABLE OF THE KING AND HIS SERVANTLITTLE CHILDREN-SICKNESS AND HEAVEN.

FROM Bethsaida Jesus went with his disciples to Cæsarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, Whom do men say that I am? They said, Some say John the Baptist come back to earth; some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets risen from the dead.

Then Jesus asked them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter replied, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus then began to show his disciples how that he must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and Scribes, and be put to death and after three days rise again.

These things the disciples could not understand, and Peter said, Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee. But Jesus knew that he had been sent into the world to suffer these things, and that if he did not die the people could not be saved from their sins.

Therefore he rebuked Peter, and said to him, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of man. And if any man wants to be my disciple, he must deny himself of his own pleasures, and take up his cross and follow me. But what would it profit a man were he to gain all the pleasures of the world and lose his own soul?

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the same three disciples who were with him when he raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and brought them up into a high mountain, that they might see his glory and so be strengthened for trials and service which were to come.

Jesus began to pray, while his disciples went to sleep, and when they awoke they saw their Master as they had never seen

him before. The fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistening like snow. St. Luke says, His face did shine as the sun. And there talked with him two men, Moses who gave the Law and Elijah the greatest prophet. The subject of their conversation was the death of the Saviour, which should take place at Jerusalem. The disciples knew that it was Moses and Elias who were with Christ, and they wanted to stay there. So Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles and stay here. One for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias.

While Peter was speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.

When the disciples heard the voice they were sore afraid, and fell on their faces, but Jesus came and touched them and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they looked around they saw no man save Jesus only, for Moses and Elias had disappeared.

On his way down from the mountain Jesus told them not to tell the vision to any one till the Son of man be risen from the dead. But the disciples could not understand what Jesus meant when he spoke of rising from the dead. When they were come down from the mountain they found the rest of the apostles surrounded by a great multitude of people, and amongst them certain of the Scribes.

While Jesus was on the mount a man, whose son was possessed with an evil spirit, asked their help, but they were unable to cast out the spirit. This man came to Jesus, and said, Master, I beseech thee have mercy upon my son, for he is mine only child, and is tormented by an evil spirit. I took him to thy disciples, but they could not heal him. Jesus said, Bring thy son hither. While he was coming to Jesus the devil threw him down and tare him, and he rolled on the ground till he foamed at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, How long is it since this came unto him? And he said, When he was a child, and often it has cast him into the fire and into the water to destroy him. Then Jesus told the unclean spirit to come out of him, and to enter into him no more. And the

spirit cried out and rent him sore and came out of him. The young man was as one dead, but Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

Jesus went through Galilee and came to Capernaum. Here the tribute money was being collected. This money was paid by every male Israelite who was twenty years of age, and was used in the service of the sanctuary at Jerusalem. The collectors came to Peter and asked, Does not your Master pay tribute? Peter said, Yes, and went into the house to get the money. Jesus knew what the men had asked, and said to Peter, of whom do the kings of the earth receive tribute? of their own children or of strangers? Peter said, Of strangers. Jesus said, Then are the children free. He meant that, inasmuch as the temple was his Father's house, he was not under any obligation to pay towards supporting it. Christ, however, did not want them to stumble at his refusal to pay as others did, so he told Peter to go to the sea and cast in a hook, and in the mouth of the first fish that he would catch he would find a piece of money. This he was to give as tribute for the Lord and himself.

Christ had often taught his disciples concerning the kind of kingdom that he came to set up in the world, that it would be a spiritual kingdom, established in human hearts; and that instead of his being made a great king, who should sit on an earthly throne, he should be put to death at Jerusalem as a sacrifice for the sin of the world.

They had the idea that his kingdom would be a great earthly kingdom, and at one time they had a dispute among themselves as to who should have the highest position in it. Christ rebuked both their wrong worldly notions concerning his kingdom, and also their pride, shown by each of them wanting to occupy the highest position in it. He rebuked their pride, and showed them how foolish their worldly notions were in this way He called a little child to him and set him in the midst of them, and said, Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. And whosoever shall humble himself as that little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Christ also told his disciples that if their hand or foot should

lead them to offend God-that is, if there were any sin they loved as much as they loved their right hand, foot, or eyethey must give up that sin if they wanted to be saved, and that it would be better for them to do so than to keep the sins

and at last be excluded from heaven and be cast into hell, the fire of which would never be quenched.

The feast of Tabernacles drew near. This feast was a thanksgiving for the harvest, and was held also in remembrance of the time when the Jews dwelt in tents in the wilderness. The brethren of Jesus did not believe him to be Divine,