Volume 2

26 Life of J esus Christ
Andrew and the greater number being sent on ahead by
the same route by which they had come; while Jesus with
Saturnin and Joseph of Arimathea's nephew went on
toward John's place of baptism, He took the sanle road
as at the time upon which John rendered to Him the first
public testimony after His baptism. On the way He entered
some of the houses, taught their occupants, and exhorted
them to Baptism. They reached Bethabara in the
afternoon, where Jesus again delivered an instruction at
the place of Baptism. Andrew and Saturnin baptized the
crowds that succeeded one another. Jesus' teaching was
generally the same; viz., that to all that did penance and
were baptized His Heavenly Father had said: "This is
My beloved Son," and that, in truth, all then became
God's children.
Most of those who now received Baptism were under
the jurisdiction of the Tetrarch Philip, who was a good
man. His people were tolerably happy, and therefore had
thought little about receiving Baptism.
From Bethabara Jesus, with three disciples, went up
through the vaHey to Dibon, where He had lately been
for the Feast of Tabernacles. He taught in some houses,
also in the synagogue, which was somewhat distant from
the city on the road running through the valley. Jesus did
not enter Dibon itself. He stayed overnight at a poor,
retired inn which indeed was little more than a shed
where the field laborers from the country around obtained
food and lodging. It was now seed time on the
sunny side of the valley, the crops of which were to ripen
about the Pasch. They had to dig the ground here, for it
was made up of soil, sand, and stone. They could not use
the implement generally employed in breaking up the
ground. Part of the standing-out harvest was now
gathered in for the first time. The inhabitants of this
valley, which was about three hours in length, were good
people, of simple habits, and well inclined toward Jesus.