The Last Thirty Days of Christ

owbeit he preferred to say unto us "Make camp, my sons," and that decided the matter. On the way to the synagogue a large multitude swarmed the streets. His brothers and sisters with the mother came to greet him. He let them wait for a long time, then kissed his mother on her snow-white hair, talked a few commonplaces, thereupon turned away again. Peter wanted to know why he did not make more qf them and introduce them to us. The Master stretched forth his hand in one of his mysterious sweeping gestures and said: "They do not mean more to me than anybody else, whosoever believes in me and follows me, is my brother and sister and mother." I realized that meetings of this kind must be unprofitable, as soon as one member of the family has outgrown the remainder, either in mind, character, even in wealth or position. Relatives do not make life easier. The audience was large but distant. At Mag- dala it had been eager and sympathetic, in Tiberias curious and easygoing, here it was of the doubting and easily offended kind. As I was one of the ushers my ears caught many discourteous remarks, such as?"Is not this the carpenter's son who (when a boy) stole olives from my garden??What great things can he have to tell us!?Do we not meet his sisters on the street, poor stuff they are!?And do not his brothers Hosea and Juda peddle greens on our stairs!?Where did he get all this knowledge from! How can anyway a great prophet come from Galilee.?And his mother, why she is s...