e was the Sent of God; but evidence was abundant
that His was a divine character. She saw Him sacrificing Himself for
the good of others. His presence brought a purer atmosphere into the
home, and His life was as leaven working amid the elements of society.
Harmless and undefiled, He walked among the thoughtless, the rude,
the uncourteous; amid the unjust publicans, the reckless prodigals, the
unrighteous Samaritans, the heathen soldiers, the rough peasants, and
the mixed multitude. He spoke a word of sympathy here and a word
there, as He saw men weary, yet compelled to bear heavy burdens. He
shared their burdens, and repeated to them the lessons He had learned
from nature, of the love, the kindness, the goodness of God.
He taught all to look upon themselves as endowed with precious
talents, which if rightly employed would secure for them eternal riches.
He weeded all vanity from life, and by His own example taught that
every moment of time is fraught with eternal results; that it is to be
cherished as a treasure, and to be employed for holy purposes. He
passed by no human being as worthless, but sought to apply the saving
remedy to every soul. In whatever company He found Himself, He presented
a lesson that was appropriate to the time and the circumstances.
He sought to inspire with hope the most rough and unpromising, setting
before them the assurance that they might become blameless and
66 The Desire of Ages
harmless, attaining such a character as would make them manifest as
the children of God. Often He met those who had drifted under Satan’s
control, and who had no power to break from his snare. To such a one,
discouraged, sick, tempted, and fallen, Jesus would speak words of
tenderest pity, words that were needed and could be understood. Oth-
[91] ers He met who were fighting a hand-to-hand battle with the adversary
[92] of souls. These He encouraged to persevere, assuring them that they
would win; for angels of God were on their side, and would give them
the victory. Those whom He thus helped were convinced that here was
One in whom they could trust with perfect confidence. He would not
betray the secrets they poured into His sympathizing ear.
Jesus was the healer of the body as well as of the soul. He was
interested in every phase of suffering that came under His notice, and
to every sufferer He brought relief, His kind words having a soothing
balm. None could say that He had worked a miracle; but virtue—the
healing power of love—went out from Him to the sick and distressed.
Thus in an unobtrusive way He worked for the people from His very
childhood. And this was why, after His public ministry began, so many
heard Him gladly.
Yet through childhood, youth, and manhood, Jesus walked alone.
In His purity and His faithfulness, He trod the wine press alone, and
of the people there was none with Him. He carried the awful weight
of responsibility for the salvation of men. He knew that unless there
was a decided change in the principles and purposes of the human
race, all would be lost. This was the burden of His soul, and none
could appreciate the weight that rested upon Him. Filled with intense
purpose, He carried out the design of His life that He Himself should
[93] be the light of men.
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[97]
Chapter 10—The Voice in the Wilderness
This chapter is based on Luke 1:5-23, 57-80; Luke 3:1-18; Luke
3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8.
From among the faithful in Israel, who had long waited for the
coming of the Messiah, the forerunner of Christ arose. The aged priest
Zacharias and his wife Elisabeth were “both righteous before God;”
and in their quiet and holy lives the light of faith shone out like a star
amid the darkness of those evil days. To this godly pair was given
the promise of a son, who should “go before the face of the Lord to
prepare His ways.”
Zacharias dwelt in “the hill country of Judea,” but he had gone up
to Jerusalem to minister for one week in the temple, a service required
twice a year from the priests of each course. “And it came to pass,
that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his
course, according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to
burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.”
He was standing before the golden altar in the holy place of the
sanctuary. The cloud of incense with the prayers of Israel was ascending
before God. Suddenly he became conscious of a divine presence.
An angel of the Lord was “standing on the right side of the altar.” The
position of the angel was an indication of favor, but Zacharias took
no note of this. For many years he had prayed for the coming of the [98]
Redeemer; now heaven had sent its messenger to announce that these
prayers were about to be answered; but the mercy of God seemed too
great for him to credit. He was filled with fear and self-condemnation.
But he was greeted with the joyful assurance: “Fear not, Zacharias:
for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and
thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness;
and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of
the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be
filled with the Holy Ghost.... And many of the children of Israel shall
he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit
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68 The Desire of Ages
and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby
shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in
years.”
Zacharias well knew how to Abraham in his old age a child was
given because he believed Him faithful who had promised. But for a
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moment the aged priest turns his thought to the weakness of humanity.
He forgets that what God has promised, He is able to perform. What a
contrast between this unbelief and the sweet, childlike faith of Mary,
the maiden of Nazareth, whose answer to the angel’s wonderful announcement
was, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word”! Luke 1:38.
The birth of a son to Zacharias, like the birth of the child of Abraham,
and that of Mary, was to teach a great spiritual truth, a truth that
we are slow to learn and ready to forget. In ourselves we are incapable
of doing any good thing; but that whi
