THE CHIEF PRIESTS. 105 U. Yes; we find it written that "the chief priests" accused Him to Pilate; "they sought to take Him and put Him to death;" they "sent officers to take Him." When Pilate wanted to release Him, the chief priests and the scribes made him crucify Jesus; and even when Jesus was hanging on the cross, these wicked men insulted and mocked Him. These were the men who every morning and evening sacrificed the lamb in the temple as an atonement, or offering, for the sins of the people; but, instead of telling the people that Jesus was the true Lamb of God to which all their sacrifices pointed, they were the foremost amongst His murderers. Shall I tell you what was the matter with all these men, both priests and people? They were all sick of a very dreadful disease, which I shall call leprosy. Theirs was a worse disease than that of Naaman, or of the lepers whom Jesus healed; they were ill in body, but the people we have just been talking about were sick in their souls, --their hearts were so altogether wicked, that they refused to acknowledge Jesus as their king. Em. But Jesus prayed for the people who crucified Him, Uncle? U. Yes, He said, "Father, forgive them; they know not what they do." Although these men, as I said before, had the writings of the prophets, sin and unbelief made them so blind and ignorant, that they would not believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. They little knew what they were doing when they hanged Him on the cross; but we know that Jesus was to be made like to "the brazen serpent," as He Himself said, "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me." We shall think more about Jesus being lifted up upon the cross when we come to talk about ourselves as poor sinners, and about Jesus who is a great Saviour,-" the same yesterday (that is, as He was of old), to-day, and for ever." CHAPTER VI. THE CURE OF SIN. "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me." "Unto Him that washed us from our sins in His own blood." U. WE have now left the miracles of Jesus, in which He proved that He was the Son of God, by the mighty power with which He healed all who came or were brought to Him. You have seen pictures of Naaman washing in Jordan, the grateful Samaritan leper worshipping Jesus, the blind man having sight given unto him, and now I have another picture for you to look at-the Lord Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. P. What did Jesus mean by doing that, Uncle ? U. One lesson he wanted to teach the dis ciples by taking upon Himself "the form of a servant," was that of humility, as we see from the whole narrative; but there is one little verse, which I have put at the top of this chapter, which tells me Peter far more than this. that Jesus taught What did Peter say when Jesus came to wash His feet, Walter? W. "Lord, dost Thou wash my feet?" U. Peter was a very hasty man, and he thought that it was so improper for his Lord and Master to humble Himself so much as to wash the feet of His disciples, that after Jesus told him, although he knew not then the reason of His doing it, but that he should know hereafter, yet he still refused to let Him wash. his feet. It was not until Jesus had said plainly, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me," that Peter understood his Lord, and said, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." Now we have been talking about the cleansing of the leper, the blind having their eyes |