The course of teaching in which the Twelve were initiated covered a considerable part of that of which an outline will presently be sketched, , especially its first two heads. It is suiiiniarized j in the phra.se 'the mystery of the Kinudnm' , (Mk4iMI). t)f course it is n("it to be lliought that the disciples at once undcrstc.oil all that was told them. \'ery far from it. They had much to un- learn as well a.s to learn, and they showed ihem- Selves slow of apprehension. Hut the form of teaching adopted by Jesus was exactly tilted for , its object, which was to lodge in the mind prin- ciples that would gradually become lumiiions as they were interpreted by events and by prolonged , if slow reflection.
I Jesus Himself knew full well how unripe even the most intimate of llis disciples were to carry out llis designs. After a time — we may sn]ipose early in the year 28 — He sent out the Twelve on a mi.ssion to villages and country districts which He was not able to visit at once lliinself (Mt 10"'l|). Hut they were not to attempt to teach. Some of the wonderful works which Jesus did Himself they also were empowered to do; but the announcement which they were to make by word of mouth was limited to the one formula with which liolh .Fohn and Je.sus had bei;un : ' The kingdom of heaven is at hand' (Mt 10').
In one Go.spel mention Is made of a mission which seems to he sii;»|ileiiient.-il to this. Lk .speaks not only of the Twelve lu'iiitf sent out. but :ilso of Severity sent out like tlie 'I'welvo by twos (Lk llliff-). When we observe that tlie ilistnirtions civen to them are substjiiltiiiily a re|ietitinn of ttiosi- already iriven to the Twelve, the ijuestiori lies near at hanii whether we have not in tiiis Inetilent a mere doulilet of the preeeilinir. tlie number seventy (vtif. left, seventy-two) represeiitintr in eiirient symbol- ism till* nation.sof the known world (cf. (In 111) — beiliir gradually sutislitiited in the oral tradition of (jentiie Chniehes for the number twelve, whicii seemed to point sjieelitily to Israel. We note also that Lk omits the restrietions of Mt iliB. ijnt, on the other hand, Lk eomiects with tin- return ot the Seventy a little irrniip of sayinjrs (Lk Hii*-2ii) wliieh have every appearance of iieiiiir Keniiine. and so increase the credibility of tlie narrative which leads up to them. Ancl there is reason to lliiiik that one at least of the special sources to which Lk had access came from Just such a quarter as that indicated by the Seventy— not the "innermost, but tlie second circle of discip'lcs. lie may therefore have had liistorical foundation for his statement. Nor need It perhaps mean more than that .tesus did iiol draw any hard-and- fast line at the Twelve, but made use of other dlsei|iles near llis person for the same purpose.
ii. Differentintinn of the Ministnj of .Ttsns from that of John the fiiiptist. — We have just seen that John, Jesus llim.self, and the apostles .all opened their ministry with the .same announcement. They I also made use of the .same rite — baptism. But ' there the resemblance ceivsed. These were only the links whicli bound the stage of preparation to the stage of fulfilment. Looking back upon the
' * lluco Delir (Oexch. (I. Itdbbl .fe/iiii r. Xii^iirelh. p. In tl), ' distiiiiruishini.' between the Apostle .I<ilin and the author of the I KourtU Oo.-pel, makes the latter a dew .>f priestly family.
JESUS CHRIST
JliSLS fllUlST
U15
work of .loliii. Jesus ppjiiounced that the least of His own ilisfiples was sjiealer than he (Mt ll"ll). It was llie difference between one who was within tlie ranfie "f the Kiiiiriloni and one who was without it. The work of John Wiis perfectly pood and appropriate as far as it went. Its character was iiidicati'd hy the 'preaching of repentance,' with wlilch it .stopped short. In full keejilng with this was John's ascetic habit and mode of life. The ahandonnient of this by Jesus was the first outward sit;n of diverijence which struck the eye of the world (Mk •-"•^--11, Ml ll'6t|i). Hut the inward diver-ience was far ureater. John iidierited the old idea as to the nature of the KiM!.'diim and of the .Messiah. While impressed with the necessity of a moral reformation as hadin;: up to It, there is nothinj; to show that in oiher respects John's conception of Kliij; and Klnfidoni differed from that of his countrymen. But Jesus came to revolu- tionize not only the conception but the mode of carrying it out. Hence It was that towards the end of his day, with the despondency of one who.se own work seemed wrecked, ami who was himself confined in a dunsieon, and with llie dlsappoint- nient natural to one who saw or heard of but few of the sii,'ns which he had expected as in process of fnllilment, John sent to inquire if Jesus were the Messiah indeed, or, in other words, if the great hope and the great faith to wliich he liad himself given expression had proved delusive. As yet Jesus had but in part, and that very covertly, declared Ilini.self; it was impussible all at once to open the eyes of ,Iohn to the full mysteries of the Kingdom ; and therefore Jesus contented Himself Willi appealing from the current idea to one of tlie fundamental jias-sages of ancient prophecy the higher authorily of which John would recognize (.Mt Il''!l). At the .same time He hinted tliat liatiince and insight were necessary for a true lalih; anything less than this might easily stuiubie (Mt ll''||J.