II:27).

On another Sabbath day (Luke VI:1, 6), a man with a withered hand was in the synagogue, and the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they might accuse him." Jesus cites the case of a sheep falling into a pit on the Sabbath day, and says: "Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath day." Thereupon He restores the man's hand "whole" (Matt. XII:10-13).

In Mark and Luke, Jesus asks the question of the scribes and Pharisees as to whether it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath day. "But they held their peace. And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, stretch forth thine hand" (Mark III:1-5; Luke VI:6-10).

Again Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath and cures a woman of a "spirit of infirmity" of eighteen years' continuance. The "ruler of the synagogue" objects "with indignation" to this healing on the Sabbath, because "there are six days in which men ought to work." Jesus says: "Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering" (Luke XIII:11-17).

Another similar case occurred when Jesus "went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath," and healed a certain man "which had the dropsy." Here He cites against the Pharisees the illustration of an ass or an ox falling into a pit on the Sabbath day (Luke XIV:1-6).

John records two more cases of cures being performed on the Sabbath day, and of the Pharisees objecting to them as unlawful acts (John V:1-17; IX:1-38. See John VII:23).[30]

THE TRANSFIGURATION

Six (or eight) days after certain preaching, Jesus "taketh Peter, James and John" and "bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them; and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt. XVII:1, 2). Moses and Elias then appear and talk with Jesus (Matt. XVII:3). Peter proposes that they make three tabernacles (Matt. XVII:4). A cloud then overshadows them and a voice comes out of the cloud, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. XVII:5). The disciples are afraid, fall on their faces, but Jesus touches them and tells them to arise and be not afraid (Matt. XVII:6, 7). When they arise they see no man, except Jesus (Matt. XVII:8). As they come down from the mountain, Jesus charges them, "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead" (Matt. XVII:9).

Mark follows closely the narrative of Matthew, and adds that the disciples "kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean" (Mark IX:2-10).[31]

Luke follows the accounts of Matthew and Mark, adding that the disciples were "heavy with sleep," but saw the vision when they awoke, and "they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen" (Luke IX:28-36).

John says nothing about this vision.

THE EVENTS PRECEDING JESUS' ARREST

About the middle of his Gospel, Matthew says, "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples" His future trial, death and resurrection at Jerusalem (Matt. XVI:21). Peter, with his faith in Jesus' earthly power, "began to rebuke" Him, saying that this should not be done unto Him (Matt. XVI:22). But Jesus turned on him and said, "Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me; for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Matt. XVI:23. See also Matt. XVII:22, 23).

Mark and Luke both give this incident, although Luke omits the rebuke of Peter (Mark VIII:31-33; Luke IX:22).

In all three Gospels the incident closely follows Peter's declaration of Jesus as "Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. XVI:16; Mark VIII:29; Luke IX:20).

Again, at a later date, as Jesus is going up to Jerusalem, He predicts to His disciples the fate that is there awaiting Him (Matt. XX:17-18; Mark IX:31, 32; X:32; Luke XVIII:31).

Just when these communications were made to the disciples is not clear, but the earliest of them must have been some time before the last visit to Jerusalem, since they precede much of Jesus' teaching and many of His parables and miracles.[32]

As the last Passover approached, Jesus "departed from Galilee and came into the coasts of Judæa beyond Jordan" (Matt. XIX:1). He continued His preaching as He journeyed, and finally came to Bethphage, nigh unto Jerusalem (Matt. XXI:1). From there He sends two of His disciples to a neighboring village, and they bring to Him an ass and her colt (Matt. XXI:1-7). Riding on the ass (or the colt), He makes His entry into Jerusalem. The multitude spread their garments, and branches from the trees, in the way, crying out, "Hosanna to the son of David," and salute Him as "Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee" (Matt. XXI:7-11).[33] Jesus then went into the temple, drove out those who bought and sold therein,[34] and healed the blind and lame (Matt. XXI:12-16).

Leaving Jerusalem, Jesus goes to Bethany (Matt. XXI:17) to the house of Simon the leper (Matt. XXVI:6). On the following day He returns to Jerusalem, and on the way occurs the blasting of the fig tree (Matt. XXI:18-23). It would seem that Jesus must have spent some time in Bethany, preaching in the day time in Jerusalem, since there follow four and a half chapters of preaching and parables, which were delivered before the Passover (Matt. XXI:23-46; XXII; XXIII; XXIV; XXV).[35]

While Jesus was at Simon's house in Bethany, sitting at meat, a woman (who, it seems, was Lazarus' sister Mary; see John XI:2) came in with an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured on His head. The disciples object to this as a useless waste, but Jesus rebukes them and commends the woman for her act (Matt. XXVI:6-13).

Mark follows closely Matthew's narrative to this point, except that Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt, "whereon man never sat" (Mark XI:2; Luke XIX:30), and except that the cleansing the temple of the money changers is omitted (Mark XI:11).

Luke adds to the accounts of Matthew and Mark the encounter with Zacchaeus, and Jesus' entertainment by him (Luke XIX:1-7). According to him, it was "the whole multitude of the disciples" who greeted Jesus on His entry into Jerusalem (Luke XIX:37). Luke omits the anointing of Jesus by Mary.

John omits the cleansing of the temple,