JESUS AT NAZARETH.

How happy they all were now!
They were happy, not because they
were rich and great, but because
they believed in Jesus, and had
Him for their Saviour and their
friend. Do you wish to be as happy
as they? Then you too must
believe in Jesus. Perhaps, like the
nobleman’s son, you have kind
friends who have asked Jesus to

 

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heal you of a worse disease than
that poor child had—the disease of
sin. But you must pray for your-
self, if you want to be healed. Ask
the Saviour to take away your sins,
and enable you to love Him; and
He will hear your prayer, and make
you a truly happy, because a holy,
child.

CCLVI.

pEsuS AT NAZARETH,

BOUT this time, Jesus
went to Nazareth, the
| place where He had lived
when a child; for He
wished to preach the Gos-
pel to the people there. On the
Sabbath day, He went into the
- synagogue, or place of wership, and
stood up to read. The Jews had
certain parts of God’s word ap-
pointed to be read every day; and
the part for this day was from the
prophet Isaiah. “The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because He hath
sent me to preach the gospel to the
poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to
comfort those that mourn.” God’s
Spirit had taught Isaiah to write
these words many years before.
They were a prophecy of Jesus;
and they were now fulfilled, for He
was come, and was preaching the
Gospel, and healing the sick, and
comforting those that believed in
Him. So when Jesus had finished
reading, He shut the book, and

 

gave it to the minister, and sat:

down. All the people looked at
Him in wonder; and then He said
to them, “To-day this scripture is
fulfilled in your ears.”

But some of the people despised
Jesus, and would not believe that
He was the Son of God. And when
He reproved them for their unbelief,
they grew angry, and rose up, and
drove Him out of the city, to the
top of a hill, wishing to throw Him
down. But Jesus did not let them
do this, for the time for His death
was not yet come. He did not fight
against His enemies, but He quietly
passed through the midst of them,
and all felt His power, and none
dared to touch Him. So he left
Nazareth, and came to Capernaum,
and taught there.

Jesus offers His gospel to sinners
now. He invites them to believe in
Him, and be saved. But very many,
like the people of Nazareth, will
not attend to Him, nor receive Him
into their hearts as their Saviour.
Jesus will not bear with such obsti-