3. Ethical beautu. — The life of Christ witnessed in every detail to His inspiring and impressive per- sonality. It is surely a torso presentation of that life that would make ' sweet reasonableness ' its prevailing characteristic. Rather it is marked by the absence of that philosophic detachment that would live and let live. In His mind truth took precedence even of the heavenly hoiie, and He assured His disciples that If that hope were a sweet but baseless imagination. He would have tohl them (Jn 14-). He had come as light into the world, and questionings not only of the defiant darkness (Jn 1'), but of the bewildering twilight (le"''), sprang up around His path. In His presence men were greater and less than they had been before. Even in the days of His flesh those who were Christ's were impelled to put on Christ, and were after- wards recognized as having been with Him (Ac 4'^). lie exeiiiplifitHl in His own life the principle by which His disciples were to live and extend His kingdom. His outward power was the measure of His inward submission. He came not to do His own will (Jn 6^^*). It was when He was lifted up that He would draw all men unto Himself (12'-'). Even so the life of the Christian has its condition of complete and continuous surrender, and in the service of the gospel it is found that men do not yield to the messenger, but to what they see that he yields to.
In the course of Christ's life on earth, along with the general impression of His teaching and mini- stry there were \arious incidents that showed in a s])("rial iiKininT with what tender sympathy _Hu tiKik a]i(iii lliiM our nature and bore our infirmities. Ainniiu ih.sc- limy be mentioned the conversation with till- S:iiiiaiit,"ui woman at Jacob's well (Jn 4), the blessing of the little cliildieu that were almost sent away (Mt 19""- l, tiiu tuucliing of the leper in the act oiE healing (Ml S-), and the words of hope concerning Nineveh (Mt I--'") ami Tyre (Lk lO""-), and those who should come into the Kingdom from the distant East and West (Mt 8"). On the cross we have the prayer for His persecutors (Lk 23**), His comradeship with the penitent thief (v.«'-), and
BED
BEELZEBUB OR BEELZEBUL 181
the commending of His mother to the care of the disciple Jolin (Jn lO^"'-).
Also in the lives of others, chiefly of Avomen, He met with intuitions and actions which through His affinity of soul were noticed and commended liy Him as bearing the stami) of moral and spiritual beauty. Such were the return of the Samaritan leper to give glory to God (Lk l?'™) ; the humble insistency of tlie Syro-Phoenician woman (Mk T"^"-); the courage and consecration of the widow who gave her mites to the Lord {12*^''') ; the act of the sinful woman who bathed His feet with her tears (Lk 7^^), and of her also who unsealed, as for His burial, the alabaster vase of precious ointment (Jn 12').
AVith regard to things jjliysically and morally loathsome, on the other hand, the disease of leprosy (Mt S'', Lk 7'- 17'^) and the affliction of demoniac possession (Mt ff'*-, Mk 7-^ Lk 8^' etc.) could always claim His healing power ; there was discriminating pity towards those who had sinned in ignorance (Lk 23^^), or who had been overcome by some swift arid overmastering temptation (Mt 26*S Lk 7", Jn 416 21'*), or by the difficulties of outward circum- stance (Mk 10-"-, Lk 13^) ; while in .sharp contrast with the above, there was His denunciation by descriptive parable and stern rebuke of the hope- less oiiensiveness of the Pharisaic type (Mt 21"" 23, Lk 20" etc.).
S.°i')i
LiTEEATnRE.^-Under (y Hauck-Herzog, PRE, art. 'Christus-
Tzog.j "■ ■ ■
Farrar, Chi
Teaching of Jems, i. 151 ff.; Expositor, 3rd ser. ii. [1 Underl(3) Liddon, Bampton Lectures^ p. 192 ff.; Channing, Complete Works [18S4], pp. 237-243. G. M. MaCKIE.
BED.— The word 'bed' {Mfv, KpajSfiaros, koItti) is found in the Gospels only in Mt 9--^, Mk 2*"'- 421 7**, Lk 5'8 8'= 11' 17=^^ Jn G""'-. There is little here to indicate the kind of bed, or beds, that were in use among the Hebrews in the time of Christ. Among the ancient Hebrews, however, as among other Oriental peoples of that day, the bed usually consisted of a wadded quilt, or thin mattress, to be used, according to the season, or the condition of the owner, with or without covering (cf. Ex 22-' ' For that [the outer garment worn in the daytime] is his only covering : it is his garment for his skin : wherein shall he sleep ? '). The very poor often made their bed of the skins of animals, old cloaks or rugs, or slept in their ordinary clothing on the bare ground floor, as they do to-day in the East.
The bedding ordinarily in use among Orientals now is, doubtless, much the same as it was in Christ's day : a mat made of rushes or straw to be laid down first ; sheep or goat skins, or a quilt stuffed with hair or vegetable fibre, or both, to lie upon ; and a covering consisting often only of the ' cloak,' or outer garment, of the poor man, but sometimes in summer of some light stuti' in addition, or in winter of skins, or some heavier quilted stuff.