Volume 2

276 Life of Jesus Christ
a similitude from a brook that flowed in their vicinity. He
applied it to the life, gentle and beneficent, of some men;
He spoke of the flowing waters of grace, and of the conducting
of those waters to our own field, etc. He sent
John's two disciples to Ennon with a commission to say to
His own disciples there that they should go to Machaerus
and calm the people, for He knew that an insurrection
had broken out in that place. Aspirants to baptism had
crowded to Ennon; immense caravans had arrived. But
when they found out that the Prophet had been arrested,
they proceeded to Machaerus, their numbers increasing
on the way. They raged and shouted, crying for John to
be released, that he might instruct and baptize them. They
even threw stones at Herod's palace, all the approaches to
which the guards hastily closed. Herod pretended that he
was not at home.
That evening Jesus put up near Gennabris in another
farmhouse, and taught again of the grain of mustard seed.
The master of the house complained to Him of a neighbor
who for a long time had encroached upon his field and in
many ways infringed his rights. Jesus went to the field
with the owner, that he might point out to Him the injury
done. As the present state of affairs had lasted some time,
the damage was considerable, and the owner complained
that he could not do anything with the trespasser. Jesus
asked whether he still had sufficient for the support of
himself and his family. The man answered, yes, that he
enjoyed competency. Upon hearing this, Jesus told him
that he had lost nothing, since properly speaking nothing
belongs to us, and so long as we have sufficient to support
life, we have enough. The owner of the field should resign
still more to his importunate neighbor, in order to satisfy
the latter's greed after earthly goods. All that one cheerfully
gives up here below for the sake of peace, will be
restored to him in the Kingdom of his Father. That hostile
neighbor, viewed from his own standpoint, acted rightly,