Volume 2

260 Life of Jesus Christ
secute Him? Do not spies surround Him? But they will
cast out and kill the Son of the Lord of the vineyard, and
how shall it be with them? If ye will not receive salvation,
yet shall it not be lost. Ye cannot prevent its being
given to the poor, the sick, to sinners and publicans, to
the penitent, and even to the Gentiles in whose favor it
shall be taken from you." Such was the substance of
Jesus' discourse. He added: "That John whom they have
imprisoned ye acknowledge to be a Prophet! Go to him
in his prison and ask him for whom did he prepare the
ways and of whom did he bear witness?" While Jesus
spoke, the rage of the Pharisees increased, and they
whispered and muttered together.
During Jesus' discourse, four distinguished men of
Capharnaum, sick of an unclean malady, were carried by
eight others less sick to the synagogue and placed in such
a position in the court that Jesus could see them and they
could hear His teaching. On account of their sickness,
they were allowed to enter only by one particular gate,
but that being just at present obstructed by the crowd, the
eight semi-invalids had to lift them in their beds to a
place over a wall and force their own way through the
crowd, which at once retreated before the unclean sickness.
When the Pharisees saw the newcomers, they
became angry and began to snarl at them as public sinners
suffering from an unclean malady. They spoke aloud
against them, asking what kind of irregularity was this,
that such people should venture into their vicinity? When
their remarks ran through the crowd and reached the objects
of them, the poor sick men became sad and
frightened lest Jesus, being informed of their sins, should
refuse to cure them. They were full of contrition, and had
long sighed for Jesus' assistance. But when Jesus heard
the murmuring of the Pharisees, He turned on the instant
to where the sick men were lying in fear and anxiety, addressed
His discourse to the crowd in the court and, cast­