Volume 2

Parable of the King's Son
221
King's Son and put Him to death, killed Him who had
poured oil and wine into the sufferer's wounds. Jesus related
this parable to His disciples that, reflecting upon it,
they might express their thoughts, and He might clear up
any misconceptions they might have concerning it. But
they did not understand Him. Noticing that He had described
the King's Son under characteristics that
belonged to Himself, they began to entertain all kinds of
thoughts and to whisper among themselves: "Who can
that Father of His be of whom He is always speaking?"
Then Jesus touched upon the solicitude they had expressed
on the preceding day for the loss experienced by
the neglect of their fisheries, and compared it with the
disposition of the King's Son. He had abandoned all
things and, when others in their abundance had left the
wounded man to die, He had anointed hinl with oil and
wine. And He went on: "The Father will not abandon the
servants of His Son. They shall receive all back with a
rich reward when He gathers them around Him in His
Kingdom."
In the nlidst of these and similar instructions, they
reached the lake a little below Bethsaida, where lay the
barques of Peter and Zebedee. A part of the shore was
entirely fenced in, and up on the bank were little mud
cabins for the fishermen's use. Jesus went down to it with
His disciples. On the ships were the heathen slaves, but
no Jews were engaged in fishing because of the fast day.
Zebedee was in one of the huts on the shore. Jesus told
those in the ships to discontinue their fishing and come to
land. He was at once obeyed, and then He gave them an
instruction.
Jesus afterward proceeded up the lake toward
Bethsaida, a half-hour distant. Peter's license to fish
enlbraced about an hour's distance along the shore. Between
the harbor and Bethsaida was a little bay into
which emptied several streams, branches of that which