mmands, bound in bonds which they
thought would hold them till they themselves should rot away from within
them; they were buried out of sight of all that could give spiritual
life, and the heavy stone of their own hardened will lay on their ruined
and outcast condition. But Christ's love sought them out and called
them into life. Assured that He has had power to do this, conscious in
themselves that they are alive with a life given by Christ, they cannot
doubt that the grave will be but a bed of rest, and that neither things
present nor things to come can separate them from a love which already
has shown itself capable of the utmost.

XXIV.

_JESUS THE SCAPEGOAT._

"Many therefore of the Jews, which came to Mary and beheld that
which He did, believed on Him. But some of them went away to the
Pharisees, and told them the things which Jesus had done. The chief
priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said,
What do we? for this man doeth many signs. If we let Him thus alone,
all men will believe on Him: and the Romans will come and take away
both our place and our nation. But a certain one of them, Caiaphas,
being high priest that year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
nor do ye take account that it is expedient for you that one man
should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. Now
this he said not of himself: but being high priest that year he
prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; and not for the
nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the
children of God that are scattered abroad. So from that day forth
they took counsel that they might put Him to death. Jesus therefore
walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed thence into the
country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim; and
there He tarried with the disciples."--JOHN xi. 45-54.

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead He was quite aware that He was
risking His own life. He knew that a miracle so public, so easily
tested, so striking, could not be overlooked, but must decisively
separate between those who yielded to what was involved in the miracle,
and those who hardened themselves against it. It is remarkable that none
had the hardihood to deny the fact. Those who most determinedly
proceeded against Jesus did so on the very ground that His miracles were
becoming too numerous and too p