Whenever he met any one he would inquire. But they answered, 'No, you cannot find it; and what after all does it matter, it is only one sheep!' But he went on and would not give it up. He never despaired; he was determined to bring back the lost one to the fold. It must always have seemed to him as though that single one was more precious than the whole ninety and nine. Finally one morning he hears a solitary bleat among the rocks; he follows it, listening intently; until at last he comes upon the sheep which had strayed away that long distance and did not know where it was. He takes it in his arms, travels back again, and when he is once more at home restores it to the flock. Then he goes around to his friends and neighbors exclaiming to them: Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' They thought it a little strange. Why had he given so much pains, taken so much effort in so small a matter; surely it had not been worth the labor. But to every one he had the same reply: 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'

Along with this story I think of two other beautiful sayings of Jesus. Once he said to his disciples: Behold the very hairs of your head are all numbered. At another time he said to the people: Not a sparrow falleth to the ground as if it were no account.

There was still another thought which he desired to bring home to them. He had given them at one time a saying which they had not quite understood. They had asked him what one should do to inherit the kingdom of heaven. He had answered: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Now they wished to know who was their neighbor? Did it mean the person who

lived next door to them? Was it the man who lived in the same city? Whom must they love as themselves, if they wished to inherit that kingdom? Again he gives them an answer by one of these parables:

You will only understand it if you know that there was a certain class of men in that country who were very much looked down upon. They were called "Samaritans." The people felt that these persons did not know what was good and true. On the other hand the one class of persons whom they did look up to, were called the " Levites." Whatever the latter persons did, people thought must always be right.

Who then is my neighbor? was the question. answer was given as follows:

The

"There was a certain man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. It was a lonely road and there were no other travelers. While he was on his way all by himself, suddenly he was attacked by robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed leaving him half dead. Now it so happened that a Levite, one of that class so much esteemed by the people, came along and saw the man lying there. What do you suppose he did? He passed by on the other side. But, one of the class so much looked down upon by the people, a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw the man, he was moved with pity and came up to him at once. He knelt down by the side of the wounded man, spoke to him, asked him what he could do for him. Then he helped the stricken person to rise, led him forward, put him on his own horse and walked by his side a long distance till they came to an inn. Then the Samaritan helped the wounded man down, took him by the arm, supported him into the house and had everything done for him that was necessary. When on the next day he had to leave, he took out money,

gave it to the host and said: 'Take care of him; and whatever you need, spend for him and when I come back, I will pay you.'

Jesus turns then to the people and asks them, which one of those men was the true neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves? And they said "He that showed mercy to him." Then Jesus answered: Let us go and do likewise. Who is our neighbor? All men are our neighbors. We are to love all men even as we love ourselves. A new commandment I have given you; that ye love one another.

At one time he told them a story which was to show the whole life of a man who had gone in the wrong way. No doubt he had found many such persons. He had met with young men who had left their homes and given themselves up to bad ways; men who cared no more for their former friends, their fathers or their mothers. His heart was full of pity for them, because he knew what a mistake they had made, and how much they had lost by taking that course. had longed so much to bring them back again, to save them and restore them to the true and better path. And so he tells the wonderful story of the Prodigal Son."

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He

"A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father: Give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me.' And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all he had, there arose a great famine in the country; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined

himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the field to feed swine. And he would fain have been filled with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many hired servants of my father have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will rise and go to my father; and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned and done evil in thy sight, and I am no more worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him: 'Father, I have sinned in thy sight; I am no more worthy to be called thy son.' But the father said to his servants; 'Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it; let us eat and be merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

"Now his elder son was in the field. And as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called to him one of the servants and inquired what these things might be. And the answer was, 'Thy brother hath come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.' But he was angry and would not go in. And his father came out and entreated him. But he answered, and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years do I serve thee. I have never transgressed a commandment of thine; and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. But when this thy son came, who has devoured thy living with bad people, thou killedst for

him the fatted calf.' And the father said: 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. But it was meet to make merry and be glad: For this thy brother was dead and is alive again; was lost and is found.'

THE VISIT TO HIS HOME.

Jesus had now been going about the country for a long while, teaching people about the kingdom of heaven in the heart, at the same time being everywhere the Brother of Mercy. He looked a good deal older than he did a year or two, before, when he had started out from his home in Nazareth. It seemed to him as if it were years and years since he had been there. It had been so much easier to be a carpenter among the people and to spend his evenings in quiet thought on the hill-side. But now for a long time he had had no home and no place of rest.

There were

people who actually disliked him or hated him. There were some who had abused him, called him names, thrown stones at him. A few of those to whom he had been the most kind, had laughed at him and his teachings. The people still kept dreaming about their kind of a kingdom, when they would have plenty and prosperity everywhere.

I wonder whether Jesus in those times did not often think about his home and the people there, whom he had known so well. Did he fancy how pleasant it would be to go back there and meet everybody again