speaks
of
the
Apostles
as
reclaimed
sinners
of
the
worst
type,
but
this
is
manifestly
an
exaggeration
designed
to
illustrate
the
regenerative
power
of
the
gospel.
The
leading
members
of
the
band
were
fishermen
—
of
a
craft
which
is
pursued
under
a
sense
of
dependence
on
Providence,
and
therefore
tends
to
foster
the
spirit
of
piety.
The
sons
of
Zebedee
seem
to
have
been
in
better
circumstances
than
the
rest,
and
Matthew
the
tax-gatherer
doubtless
wielded
a
competent
pen;
but
they
were
ignorant
men
as
tested
by
the
standard
of
the
schools,
whether
ancient
or
modern.
Humility,
sincerity,
and
prudence,
coupled
with
trust
in
God
and
devotion
to
Himself,
were
the
quaUflcations
which
chiefly
guided
Jesus
in
selecting
them
(Mt
lO*"-
16").
In
calling
the
Apostles,
Jesus
was
satisfying
a
need
of
His
own
inner
life.
It
was
a
maxim
of
the
Rabbis
that
it
was
a
sin
to
have
no
friend
with
whom
to
dis-course
of
the
Divine
Law,
and
for
Jesus
this
opportunity
was
provided
by
their
intimate
converse.
It
is
also
evident
that
He
was
wont
to
feel
strengthened
by
their
sympathy
(Mk
14").
On
the
other
hand,
He
needed
them
for
the
work
of
the
Kingdom.
It
was
necessary
that
in
them
the
righteousness
of
the
Kingdom
should
be
personally
manifested,
so
that
men
might
see
their
good
works
and
glorify
the
Father
(Mt
5'').
For
this
reason
we
find
that
it
becomes
increasingly
the
peculiar
care
of
Jesus
to
perfect
their
training
in
knowledge
and
in
character.
He
also
looked
to
them
as
instruments
to
aid
Him
in
His
work.
'
To
the
disciples
werelef
t
the
details
of
the
daily
provision
of
food;
they
furnished
the
boat,
they
rowed
Him
across
the
lake;
sometimes
one
and
sometimes
another
of
them
exe-cuted
His
commissions;
they
were
His
channels
of
com-munication
withthepeople,
with
thesick,
withthePharisees'
(Keim,
iii,
p.
280).
They
were
to
Jesus
'
arms
and
eyes,'
and
evenina
sense
'
an
extended
personality.'
He
assigned
to
them
powers
and
duties
similar
to
His
own.
He
appointed
'twelve
that
they
might
be
with
him,
and
that
he
might
send
them
forth
to
preach
and
to
have
authority
to
cast
out
devils'
(Mk
3"').
'And
they
went
out
and
preached
that
men
should
repent.
And
they
cast
out
many
devils,
and
anointed
with
oil
many
that
were
sick
and
healed
them'
(B'^-
").
(c)
The
opposition
and
self-vindication.
—
Two
sections
in
Mk.,
with
parallels
in
Mt.
and
Lk.,
are
devoted
to
explaining
why
certain
classes
refused
to
believe
in
Jesus,
and
to
showing
how
He
repKed
to
their
objections.
The
charges
may
be
reduced
to
three
heads
—
blasphemy,
irreligious
conduct,
and
insanity.
(i)
The
charge
of
blasphemy
was
early
brought
against
Jesus
by
certain
of
the
scribes,
on
the
ground
that
He
professed
to
forgive
sins
(Mk
2').
The
reply
of
Jesus
is
that
in
heaUng
the
paralytic
He
gives
evidence
that
He
has
received
this
authority
from
God.
The
same
general
charge
is
impUed
in
the
request
of
the
Pharisees,
'seeking
of
Him
a
sign
from
heaven,
tempting
him'
(8")
—
the
ground
taken
being
that
it
was
impious
to
teach
as
He
did,
unless
He
could
produce
satisfying
evidence
of
a
Divine
sanction.
Had
the
Evangelist
edited
his
material
with
inventive
hcence,
we
should
have
expected
to
this
question
the
same
reply
as
was
sent
to
John
the
Baptist.
Instead,
we
have
the
startlingly
authentic
word,
'
Why
doth
this
generation
seek
a
sign?
There
shall
no
sign
be
given'
(v.'').
It
is
incredible
that
this
should
mean
that
Jesus
disc'
aimed
to
work
miracles;
but
it
certainly
imphes
that
He
did
not,
and
probably
that
He
could
not,
when
He
was
challenged
to
perform
them
out
of
connexion
with
moral
conditions,
and
as
a
mere
contribution
to
a
con-troversy.
(ii)
Irreligious
conduct.
—
There
are
charges
of
sins
of
omission
and
of
sins
of
commission.
Among
the
sins
of
omission
charged
against
Jesus
is
His
neglect
of
fasting
—
a
recognized
exercise
of
the
holy
Ufe.
which
had
been
enforced
by
John
the
Baptist
(Mk
2").
The
reply
is
that
there
is
a
time
to
fast,
and
that
the
time
will
come
for
His
disciples
when
their
Master
is
taken
away
(vv.'>-
™).
To
the
same
category
belongs
the
accusation
which
was
preferred
by
the
Pharisees
and
certain
of
the
scribes,
that
some
of
His
disciples
neglected
the
laws
of
cere-monial
purity
and
ate
with
unwashed
hands
{7^-).
Jesus
replies
that
defilement
consists
in
the
impure
heart,
which
is
the
source
of
all
evil
(v.^").
Of
the
sins
of
commission
the
chief
transgression'charged
was
that
He
and
His
disciples
did
not
keep
the
Sabbath
(22»-28),
and
He
defended
Himself
by
appealing
to
OT
precedent,
and
by
laying
down
the
principle
that
the
Sabbath
law
could
not
be
broken
by
doing
good
to
man
on
that
day.
It
was
also
a
common
ground
of
accusation
that
His
manner
of
life,
especially
His
consorting
with
disrepu-table
persons,
stamped
Him
as
wanting
in
the
character
of
sanctity
(2").
He
repUed
that
He
visited
them
as
a
physician
(v.").
(iii)
The
charge
of
insanity
was
also
made.
The
Evangelist
does
not
shrink
from
recording
that
some
of
His
friends
thought
that
He
was
beside
Himself
(Mk
S^').
Scribes
from
Jerusalem
repeated
this
in
the
form
that
He
was
the
tool
of
diaboUcal
influences
(v.^).
'How
can
Satan,'
He
asked,
'cast
out
Satan?'
(v.^').
(,d)
The
attitude
of
Jesus
Himself
to
the
Messiahship.
—
While
the
Synoptics
labour
to
show
by
accumulated
proofs
that
Jesus
was
the
Messiah,
they
do
not
represent
Him
as
obtruding
the
claim.
On
the
contrary,
He
enjoins
silence
upon
those
who
know.
He
forbids
the
spirits
to
testify
(1^),
He
even
takes
steps
to
keep
secret
the
notable
miracles
—
such
as
the
healing
of
the
leper
(1"),
and
the
raising
of
the
daughter
of
Jairus
(5"),
which
would
have
been
likely
to
carry
conviction
to
the
general
mind.
The
impression
which
is
conveyed
is
that
Jesus
desired
that
His
disciples,
without
being
prompted,
and
as
the
result
of
their
knowledge
of
Him,
should
draw
the
right
inference
as
to
His
dignity
and
mission.
Even
when
the
grand
discovery
was
made
and
proclaimed
by
Peter
at
Csesarea
Philippi
—
and
in
all
the
Gospels
this
confession
is
recognized
as
mo-mentous
—
Jesus
enjoined
reserve
(Mk
8"-™,
Mt
le'sf).
Henceforward,
He
spoke
of
it
freely
to
the
'Twelve
with
the
purpose
of
preparing
them
for
the
unexpected
issue
of
His
Messiahship
in
suffering
and
death.
Following
upon
Peter's
confession,
'
He
began
to
teach
them
that
he
must
suffer
many
things,
and
be
killed,
and
on
the
third
day
rise
again'
(Mk
8^').
The
same
was
the
burden
of
His
teaching
on
the
last
journey
through
Galilee
(9™-»).
These
predictions
of
His
Passion,
it
may
be
added,
were
manifestly
precious
to
the
Primitive
Church
as
removing
a
stumbUng-block
in
the
way
of
beUeving
the
Messiahship.
The
Crucifixion
was
a
very
real
difficulty
to
faith,
but
it
would
have
been
much
greater
had
not
the
Apostolic
witnesses
testified
that
He
who
claimed
to
be
the
Messiah
had
also
foretold
His
own
death.
(c)
The
results
of
the
Galilcean
ministry.
—
The
Synoptic
tradition,
while
not
concealing
the
darker
side
of
the
picture,
is
most
concerned
with
the
achievements
and
the
gains
of
the
Galileean
period.
It
is
well
known
that,
as
Jesus
foretold,
much
of
the
seed
fell
on
bad
soil
or
came
to
nothing.
We
read
of
a
Woe
pronounced
by
Jesus
on
Chorazin
and
Bethsaida
which
expresses
a
sense
that
He
had
failed
to
produce
a
general
change
for
the
better
in
the
cities
by
the
Lake
(Mt
1
1««-
)
.
Luke,
in
particular,
puts
in
the
forefront
His
rejection
by
the
people
of
His
own
town
(Lk
428-8O).
gut
as
the
Primitive
Christians
looked
back
on
it,
it
might
well
seem,
in
the
light
of
later
confidence
and
optimism,
that
the
success
was
more
conspicuous
than
the
failure.
The
people
reverenced
in
Him
One
of
superlative
greatness
—
either
the
Baptist,
or
EUjah,
or
'
the
prophet
'
(Mk
S'').
He
had
gathered
round
Him
a
body
of
disciples,
who
were
the
germ
of
the
future
Church
(Mt
IB's).
Above
all,
they
had
risen,
in
spite
of
prejudice
and
opposition,
to
a
heroic
avowal
of
the
faith
in
His
Person
and
in
His
mission
which
was
to
move
and
to
transform
the
world
(Mk
8™).
