PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Personal Friendships of Jesus
Miller, J. R. (James Russell), 1840-1912 · 49,074 words · 73 reading sections
Chapter
Produced by Al Haines Personal Friendships of Jesus AUTHOR OF "SILENT TIMES," "MAKING THE MOST OF LIFE," "THINGS TO LIVE FOR," "BLESSING OF CHEERFULNESS," ETC. One friend in that path shall be, To secure my steps from wrong; One to count night day for me, Patient through the watches long, Serving most with non…
364 wordsSECTION 2The Humanheartedness Of Jesus.
O God, O kinsman loved, but not enough, O man with eyes majestic after death, Whose feet have toiled along our pathways rough, Whose lips drawn human breath; By that one likeness which is ours and thine, By that one nature which doth hold us kin, By that high heaven where sinless thou dost shine, To draw us sinn…
724 wordsSECTION 3The Humanheartedness Of Jesus.
So it was unto the end. Through the years of his public ministry, when his words and works burned with divine revealing, he continued to live an altogether natural human life. He ate and drank; he grew weary and faint; he was tempted in all points like as we are, and suffered, being tempted. He learned obedience by the…
695 wordsSECTION 4The Humanheartedness Of Jesus.
There are few more pathetic words in the New Testament than that short sentence which tells of his rejection, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." Another pathetic word is that which describes the neglect of those who ought to have been ever eager to show him hospitality: "The foxes have holes, and the…
758 wordsSECTION 5The Humanheartedness Of Jesus.
The stories of the friendships of Jesus when he was on the earth need cause no one to sigh, "I wish that I had lived in those days, when Jesus lived among men, that I might have been his friend too, feeling the warmth of his love, my life enriched by contact with his, and my spirit quickened by his love and grace!" The…
267 wordsSECTION 6Jesus And His Mother.
Sleep, sleep, mine Holy One! My flesh, my Lord!--what name? I do not know A name that seemeth not too high or low, Too far from me or heaven. My Jesus, _that_ is best! * * * Sleep, sleep, my saving One. MRS. BROWNING. The first friend a child has in this world is its mother. It comes here an utter stranger, kno…
730 wordsSECTION 7Jesus And His Mother.
Every true mother feels a sense of awe in her soul when she bends over her own infant child; but in the case of Mary we may be sure that the awe was unusual, because of the mystery of the child's birth. In the annunciation the angel had said to her, "That which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God." Then …
791 wordsSECTION 8Jesus And His Mother.
The answer of Jesus is instructive: "I must be about my Father's business." There was another besides his mother to whom he owed allegiance. He was the Son of God as well as the son of Mary. Parents should remember this always in dealing with their children,--their children are more God's than theirs. It is interestin…
664 wordsSECTION 9Jesus And His Mother.
The answer of Jesus startles us: "Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come." The words seem to have in them a tone of reproof, or of repulse, unlike the words of so gentle and loving a son. But really there is in his reply nothing inconsistent with all that we have learned to think of the gentlenes…
699 wordsSECTION 10Jesus And His Forerunner.
In the pure loves of child and mother Two human loves make one divine. Where is the lore the Baptist taught, The soul unswerving and the fearless tongue? The much-enduring wisdom, sought By lonely prayer the haunted rocks among? Who counts it gain His light should wane, So the whole world to Jesus throng? KEBL…
650 wordsSECTION 11Jesus And His Forerunner.
Brief was the duration of the friendship of the forerunner and the Messiah; but there are evidences that it was strong, deep, and true. There were several occasions on which this friendship proved its sincerity and its loyalty. Reports of the preaching of John, and of the throngs who were flocking to him, reached Jeru…
712 wordsSECTION 12Jesus And His Forerunner.
"None of self, and all of thee." It is pitiable to see how some among the Master's followers fail to learn this lesson. They contend for high places, where they may have prominence among men, where their names shall have honor. The only truly great in Christ's sight are those who forget self that they may honor their …
676 wordsSECTION 13Jesus And His Forerunner.
Then John reminded his friends that he had distinctly said that he was not the Christ, but was only one sent before him. In a wondrously expressive way he explained his relation to Jesus. Jesus was the bridegroom, and John was only the bridegroom's friend, and he rejoiced in the bridegroom's honor. It was meet that the…
772 wordsSECTION 14Jesus' Conditions Of Friendship.
The story of the friendship of Jesus and John is very beautiful. John's loyalty and faithfulness must have brought real comfort to Jesus. Then to John the friendship of Jesus must have been full of cheer. As we read the story of the Baptist's life, with its tragic ending, we are apt to feel that he died too soon. He b…
804 wordsSECTION 15Jesus' Conditions Of Friendship.
At one time we read that all the publicans and sinners drew near unto him to hear him. The religious teachers of the Jews found sore fault with him, saying, "This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." But he vindicated his course by telling them that he had come for the very purpose of seeking the lost ones. On…
725 wordsSECTION 16Jesus' Conditions Of Friendship.
There was a third case. Another man, overhearing what had been said, proposed also to become a disciple--but not yet. "I will follow thee; but first suffer me to bid farewell to them that are at my house." That, too, appeared only a fit thing to do; but again the answer seems stern and severe. "No man, having put his h…
729 wordsSECTION 17Jesus' Conditions Of Friendship.
Religion, therefore, is a passion for Christ. "I have only one passion," said Zinzendorf, "and that is he." Love for Christ is the power that during these nineteen centuries has been transforming the world. Law could never have done it, though enforced by the most awful majesty. The most perfect moral code, though proc…
728 wordsSECTION 18Jesus' Conditions Of Friendship.
But the friendship of Jesus is perfect. Its touch is always gentle and full of healing. Its helpfulness is always wise. Its tenderness is like the warmth of a heavenly summer, brooding over the life which accepts it. All the love of God pours forth in the friendship of Jesus. To be his beloved is to be held in the clas…
455 wordsSECTION 19Jesus Choosing His Friends.
He seeks not thine, but thee, such as thou art, For lo, his banner over thee is love. CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI. If you loved only what were worth your love, Love were clear gain, and wholly well for you. Make the low nature better by your throes! Give earth yourself, go up for gain above. BROWNING. Nothing in life…
735 wordsSECTION 20Jesus Choosing His Friends.
But his deepest desire was that he might be a blessing to them. He came "not to be ministered unto, but to minister;" not to have friends, but to be a friend. He chose the Twelve that he might lift them up to honor and good; that he might purify, refine, and enrich their lives; that he might prepare them to be his witn…
692 wordsSECTION 21Jesus Choosing His Friends.
"He chose twelve." Probably this was because there were twelve tribes of Israel, and the number was to be continued. One evangelist says that he sent them out two and two. Why by two and two? With all the world to evangelize, would it not have been better if they had gone out one by one? Then they would have reached tw…
669 wordsSECTION 22Jesus Choosing His Friends.
Jesus was the truest of friends. He never tried to make the burden light, the path smooth, the struggle easy. He wished to make men of his apostles,--men who could stand up and face the world; men whose character would reflect the beauty of holiness in its every line; men in whose hands his gospel would be safe when th…
756 wordsSECTION 23Jesus Choosing His Friends.
We may be sure, too, that each man of the Twelve did a noble work after the Ascension, but no pen wrote the narratives for preservation. There are traditions, but there is in them little that is certainly history. The Acts is not the acts of the apostles. The book tells a little about John, a little more about Peter, m…
562 wordsSECTION 24Jesus And The Beloved Disciple.
My Lord, my Love! in pleasant pain How often have I said, "Blessed that John who on thy breast Laid down his head." It was that contact all divine Transformed him from above, And made him amongst men the man To show forth holy love. CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI. Love is regenerating the world. It is the love of God t…
726 wordsSECTION 25Jesus And The Beloved Disciple.
Most days in our lives are unmarked by any special event. There are thousands of them that seem just alike, with their common routine. Once or twice, however, in the lifetime of almost every person, there is a day which is made forever memorable by some event or occurrence,--the first meeting with one who fills a large…
728 wordsSECTION 26Jesus And The Beloved Disciple.
We must note, too, that he does not speak of himself as the disciple who loved Jesus,--this would have been to boast of himself as loving the Master more than the other disciples did,--but as the disciple whom Jesus loved. In this distinction lies one of the subtlest secrets of Christian peace. Our hope does not rest i…
663 wordsSECTION 27Jesus And The Beloved Disciple.
A peculiar designation is given to the brothers James and John. Jesus surnamed them Boanerges, the sons of thunder. There must have been a meaning in such a name given by Jesus himself. Perhaps the figure of thunder suggests capacity for energy--that the soul of John was charged, as it were, with fiery zeal. It appears…
793 wordsSECTION 28Jesus And The Beloved Disciple.
There was one occasion when John seems to have broken away from his usual humility. He joined with his brother in a request for the highest places in the new kingdom. This is only one of the evidences of John's humanness,--that he was of like passions with the rest of us. Jesus treated the brothers with gentle pity--"Y…
323 wordsSECTION 29Jesus And Peter.
"As the mighty poets take Grief and pain to build their song, Even so for every soul, Whatsoe'er its lot may be,-- Building, as the heavens roll, Something large and strong and free,-- Things that hurt and things that mar Shape the man for perfect praise, Shock and strain and ruin are Friendlier than the smili…
784 wordsSECTION 30Jesus And Peter.
Some months passed, and then came a formal call which drew Simon into close and permanent relations with Jesus. It was on the Sea of Galilee. The men were fishing. There had been a night of unsuccessful toil. In the morning Jesus used Simon's boat for a pulpit, speaking from its deck to the throngs on the shore. He the…
730 wordsSECTION 31Jesus And Peter.
But the Messianic lesson was yet only partly learned. Simon believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but his conception of the Messiah was still only an earthly one. So we read that from that time Jesus began to teach the apostles the truth about his mission,--that he must suffer many things, and be killed. Then it was tha…
715 wordsSECTION 32Jesus And Peter.
So the work was completed; the vision of the new man had been realized. Simon had become Cephas. It had been a long and costly process, but neither too long nor too costly. While the marble was wasting, the image was growing. You say it was a great price that Simon had to pay to be fashioned into Peter. You ask whethe…
534 wordsSECTION 33Jesus And Thomas.
I have a life in Christ to live, I have a death in Christ to die; And must I wait till science give All doubts a full reply? Nay, rather while the sea of doubt Is raging wildly round about, Questioning of life and death and sin, Let me but creep within Thy fold, O Christ! and at thy feet Take but the lowest se…
758 wordsSECTION 34Jesus And Thomas.
It is at this point that Thomas appears. He said to his fellow-disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." He looked only at the dark side. He took it for granted that if Jesus returned to Judea he would be killed. He forgot for the time the divine power of Jesus, and the divine protection which sheltered hi…
802 wordsSECTION 35Jesus And Thomas.
The second time at which Thomas appears is in the upper room, after the Holy Supper had been eaten. Jesus had spoken of the Father's house, and had said that he was going away to prepare a place for his disciples, and that then he would come again to receive them unto himself. Thomas could not understand the Master's m…
694 wordsSECTION 36Jesus And Thomas.
We have an illustration of the deep, tender, patient, and wise friendship of Jesus for Thomas in the way he treated this doubt of his apostle. He did not say that if Thomas could not believe the witness of the apostles to his resurrection he must remain in the darkness which his unbelief had made for him. He treated hi…
710 wordsSECTION 37Jesus And Thomas.
You say, but with no touch of scorn, Sweet-hearted, you, whose light-blue eyes Are tender over drowning flies, You tell me, doubt is devil-born. I know not: one indeed I knew In many a subtle question versed, Who touched a jarring lyre at first, But ever strove to make it true: Perplext in faith, but pure in de…
402 wordsSECTION 38Jesus' Unrequited Friendships.
"Friend, my feet bleed. Open thy door to me and comfort me." I will not open; trouble me no more. Go on thy way footsore; I will not rise and open unto thee. "Then it is nothing to thee? Open, see Who stands to plead with thee. Open, lest I should pass thee by, and thou One day entreat my face And howl for gra…
662 wordsSECTION 39Jesus' Unrequited Friendships.
By and by he went away from Nazareth to begin his public ministry as the Messiah. From that time the people saw him no more. The carpenter shop was closed, and the tools lay unused on the bench. The familiar form appeared no more on the streets. A year or more passed, and one day he came back to visit his old neighbors…
794 wordsSECTION 40Jesus' Unrequited Friendships.
A careful reading of the Gospels shows that Judas was frequently warned of the very sin which in the end wrought his ruin. Continually Jesus spoke of the danger of covetousness. In the Sermon on the Mount he exhorted his disciples to lay up their treasure, not upon earth, but in heaven, and said that no one could serve…
727 wordsSECTION 41Jesus' Unrequited Friendships.
Unrequited friendship! Yes; and in shutting out that blessed friendship, Judas shut out hope. Longfellow puts into his mouth the despairing words:-- "Lost, lost, forever lost! I have betrayed The innocent blood ... * * * Too late! too late! I shall not see him more Among the living. That sweet, patient face Will …
691 wordsSECTION 42Jesus And The Bethany Sisters.
Her eyes are homes of silent prayer, Nor other thought her mind admits But, he was dead, and there he sits, And he that brought him back is there. Then one deep love doth supersede All other, when her ardent gaze Roves from the living brother's face, And rests upon the Life indeed. TENNYSON. The story of Jesus…
747 wordsSECTION 43Jesus And The Bethany Sisters.
The third picture of this home shows us a festal scene. A dinner was given in honor of Jesus. It was only a few days before his death. Here, again, the sisters appear, each true to her own character. Martha is serving, as she always is; and again Mary is at Jesus' feet. This time she is showing her wonderful love for t…
673 wordsSECTION 44Jesus And The Bethany Sisters.
It is only a legend, but its lesson is well worthy our serious thought. Too many people in their life as Christians, while they strive to excel in character, in conduct, and in the beautiful graces of disposition, and to do their work among men faithfully, are forgetting meanwhile the law of love which bids every follo…
714 wordsSECTION 45Jesus And The Bethany Sisters.
It is worthy of notice that the alabaster box itself was broken in this holy service. Nothing was kept back. Broken things have an important place in the Bible. Gideon's pitchers were broken as his men revealed themselves to the enemy. Paul and his companions escaped from the sea on broken pieces of the ship. It is the…
691 wordsSECTION 46Jesus And The Bethany Sisters.
After a long and worthy life, given up to lowly ministry, a good clergyman was called home. Soon after his death, there was a meeting of his friends, and many of them spoke of his beautiful life. Incidents were given showing how his labors had been blessed. Out of full hearts one after another gave grateful tribute of …
461 wordsSECTION 47Jesus Comforting His Friends.
Not all regret, the face will shine Upon me while I muse alone; And that dear voice, I once have known, Still speak to me of me and mine: Yet less of sorrow lives in me For days of happy commune dead; Less yearning for the friendship fled, Than some strong bond which is to be. TENNYSON. A gospel with no comfor…
663 wordsSECTION 48Jesus Comforting His Friends.
There seems to be no need of the stars in the daytime, for the sunshine then floods all earth's paths. But when the sun goes down, and God's great splendor of stars appears hanging over us, dropping their soft, quiet light upon us, how glad we are that they were there all the while, waiting to be revealed! So it is tha…
801 wordsSECTION 49Jesus Comforting His Friends.
It is worth our while to note the comfort which Jesus gave to these sorrowing sisters. First, he lifted the veil, and gave them a glimpse of what lies beyond death. "Thy brother shall rise again." "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and b…
656 wordsSECTION 50Jesus Comforting His Friends.
But Jesus gave the sisters true consoling besides this. His mere presence brought them comfort. They knew that he loved them. Many times before when he had entered their home he had brought a benediction. They had a feeling of security and peace in his presence. Even their inconsolable grief lost something of its poign…
681 wordsSECTION 51Jesus Comforting His Friends.
No doubt thousands of other friends of Jesus in the sorrow of bereavement have wished that he would comfort them in like way, by giving back their beloved. Ofttimes he does what is in effect the same,--in answer to the prayer of faith he spares the lives of those who are dear. When we pray for our sick friends, we only…
666 wordsSECTION 52Jesus And His Secret Friends.
The dark-brown mould's upturned By the sharp-pointed plough-- And I've a lesson learned. My life is but a field, Stretched out beneath God's sky, Some harvest rich to yield. Where grows the golden grain? Where faith? Where sympathy? In a furrow cut by pain. How many souls--his loved ones-- Dwell lonely and ap…
747 wordsSECTION 53Jesus And His Secret Friends.
However, one need not apologize for Joseph. The record frankly admits his fault, his weakness; for it is never a noble or a manly thing to be afraid of man or devil when duty is clear. Yet we are told distinctly that he was really a disciple of Jesus; though it was secretly, and though the reason for the secrecy was an…
682 wordsSECTION 54Jesus And His Secret Friends.
Yet we must mark that Jesus said not one word to chide or blame Nicodemus when he came by night. He accepted him as a disciple, and at once began to teach him the great truths of his kingdom. We are not told that the ruler came more than once; but we may suppose that whenever Jesus was in Jerusalem, Nicodemus sought hi…
694 wordsSECTION 55Jesus And His Secret Friends.
We may note progress in the friendship of this secret disciple. During the two years since he first came to Jesus by night the seed dropped into his heart that night had been growing silently. Nicodemus was not yet ready to come out boldly as a disciple of Jesus; but he proved himself the friend of Jesus, even by the f…
653 wordsSECTION 56Jesus And His Secret Friends.
No doubt there were many other secret friends of Jesus who during his life did not publicly confess him. The great harvest of the day of Pentecost brought out many of these for the first time. No doubt there always are many who love Christ, believe on him, and are following him in secret. They come to Jesus by night. T…
534 wordsSECTION 57Jesus' Farewell To His Friends.
"What meaneth it that we should weep More for our joys than for our fears,-- That we should sometimes smile at grief, And look at pleasure's show through tears? Alas! but homesick children we, Who would, but cannot, play the while We dream of nobler heritage, Our Father's house, our Father's smile." At last the…
764 wordsSECTION 58Jesus' Farewell To His Friends.
The Lord's Supper was not all of the Master's farewell. There were also words spoken which have been bread and wine, the body and blood of Jesus, to believers ever since. To the eleven men gathered about that table these words were inexpressibly precious. One of them, one who leaned his head upon the Master's breast th…
715 wordsSECTION 59Jesus' Farewell To His Friends.
"Thank God, thank God, the Man is found, Sure-footed, knowing well the ground. He knows the road, for this the way He travelled once, as on this day. He is our Messenger beside, He is our Door and Path and Guide." Then Philip had a question. He had heard the Master's reply to Thomas. Philip was slow and dull, loy…
652 wordsSECTION 60Jesus' Farewell To His Friends.
Another of his possessions which he bequeathed was his joy. We think of Jesus as the Man of sorrows, and we ask what joy he had to give. It seemed a strange time, too, for him to be speaking of his joy; for in another hour he was in the midst of the Gethsemane anguish, and to-morrow he was on his cross. Yet in the uppe…
771 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.