Men Called Him Master   By: Elwyn A. (Elwyn Allen) Smith (1919-)

By ELWYN ALLEN SMITH

THE WESTMINSTER PRESS PHILADELPHIA

COPYRIGHT, MCMXLVIII, BY W. L. JENKINS

Transcriber's Note There is no evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.

All rights reserved no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review in magazine or newspaper.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CONTENTS

Have You Ever Wondered? 6

1 A Voice in the Wilderness 7

2 Fishers of Men 14

3 A Man of Authority 25

4 God Is Now King! 34

5 Who Is This Carpenter? 45

6 The Old and the New 54

7 Missionaries of the Kingdom 64

8 He Is More than a Teacher 74

9 How Will You Know the Messiah? 80

10 "You Are the Christ" 88

11 A Secret Is Told 102

12 The Greatest Among Us 113

13 The Messiah Must Die 122

14 A Day of Victory 131

15 Dispute in the Temple 141

16 The End of Hope 152

17 The Darkest Hour of All 165

18 The Rock of Faith 173

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED?

What kind of men were Jesus' disciples? What was it like to be with Jesus in Palestine? Why did some of the disciples find it so hard to understand Jesus? Who were the people who killed Jesus? Why did they do it? This book has been written to help you to answer these questions. It takes you right into Jesus' world so that you can hear his conversations with the disciples and watch the things they did.

The stories of Jesus and the disciples in this book are told in different words from those you will find in your Bible, and background has been built in from other records of the time. For example, the Bible gives only the fact that one of the disciples was a Zealot; in this book the disciple is shown speaking and acting as we know Zealots spoke and acted. The story of the rich young ruler has been placed early in Jesus' ministry to show that he would not accept every man who wanted to be his disciple. The parable of the Good Samaritan has also been placed in the early period as an example of the informal way in which Jesus taught. That you may know what is from the Bible and what is added to make a complete story, Scripture references for each event are given in the back of the book. These references will help you to read and understand the Gospels. As you read what it meant to be a disciple of Jesus while he was on earth, you will see more clearly what it means to be one of his disciples today.

[Illustration]

1. A VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

"Andrew! The baskets are slipping!" Two men on foot were driving heavily loaded donkeys ahead of them. Across the back of Andrew's tiny beast hung two huge baskets. One slanted crazily forward.