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THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The people of the Bible land had lost their kingdom before the time of Christ. They had no king of their own, but governors came from Rome, a city hundreds of miles away, and ruled them. But the people hoped that this would not last. They wanted a kingdom of their own. They believed G.o.d would give it to them some day. They prayed that it might come.

When Jesus began to teach and hear people, they thought perhaps he would be a king to bring this kingdom that G.o.d would give them. But Jesus had something better than a great kingdom on earth. He tried to make them understand what it was. He called it the kingdom of heaven.

By that he meant the rule of G.o.d in the world.

G.o.d's rule is not in a great palace, with soldiers and a throne and great splendor. It is in the heart, and grows up very quietly, like the plants in the field. Jesus once told a story to show this. It was the story of

THE MUSTARD SEED

"The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field.

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"Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."

So the kingdom of heaven grows very quietly. But it is very precious, even if it is hidden away so closely. One might better let anything else go than that.

Again, he told them, the kingdom of heaven is like to a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.

Again, the kingdom is like to a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls.

How proud a man is to be a citizen of a great country! In this country we are proud to be Americans. Do you suppose you could be a citizen of the kingdom of G.o.d? Yes. Jesus said once that children and people who were like children belong to this kingdom.

"Suffer the little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

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LOADING CAMELS AT JERUSALEM

From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon, and used by his kind permission.

In the East much of the commerce is still carried on by means of caravans of camels; sometimes there are several thousand camels in one of these great caravans conveying all kinds of merchandise from one point to another. The camel will carry a very heavy load, but it utters piteous cries of complaint when it thinks the load is too heavy.

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THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID

Leprosy.

A very dreaded disease.

Leper.

One who has leprosy.

Rent his clothes.

To show great sorrow or trouble.

Chariot.

A small wagon with two wheels, used in war.

Flesh shall come again.

In leprosy the flesh dries up, and the person becomes very thin.

In the old times war was very cruel. Houses were burned and men and women killed, and very often the little children were taken far away and sold for slaves. Sometimes they never came back to their homes or friends again.

There had been war between the people in Israel and the people who lived in a country called Syria, which lay to the north of Israel. In this war a little girl had been taken away, and sold as a slave. She was bought by a great general named Naaman, who took her home, and she waited on Naaman's wife. Naaman and his wife must have been kind to the little slave girl, for when he was sick she wished that he could be made well.

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Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. And the little maid said to her mistress, "Would G.o.d my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would heal him of his leprosy." And one went in, and told his lord, saying, "Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel." And the king of Syria said, "I will send a letter unto the king of Israel."

And he departed, and took with him a large present of money and fine clothes.

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy."

And it came to pa.s.s, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, "Am I G.o.d, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to heal a man of his leprosy?

wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."

And it was so, when Elisha the man of G.o.d {207} had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, "Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean."

Then Naaman was angry, and turned to go away in a rage.

And his servants came near, and spoke unto him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, 'Wash, and be clean'?"

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of G.o.d: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

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HOW THE PEOPLE TRAVELED IN THE LANDS OF THE BIBLE

Did they have railroads? Oh, no. Railroads were first built less than a hundred years ago, and the Bible times were many hundreds of years ago.

Then they must have traveled in wagons? Not often.

There were few roads, and wagons were not very common.

Then they went on horseback? Sometimes, but not often. In the earliest Bible times horses were only used in war, and only the kings of great countries kept a few, for their most honored soldiers to ride on.