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272
Humble Hero
light streaming over them from the hanging lamps, and the majesty
of the ceremonies deeply impressed the onlookers. But the most
impressive ceremony was one that commemorated an event in the
wilderness journey.
At dawn the priests sounded a long blast on their silver trumpets,
and the glad shouts of the people from their shelters welcomed
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the festal day. Then the priest dipped a container of water from
the flowing waters of the Brook Kidron. Lifting it to his shoulder,
while the trumpets were sounding, he went up the broad steps of the
temple, keeping time with the music with a slow and measured step.
At the altar in the court of the priests, there were two silver basins.
The priest poured the water into one, and a similar amount of wine
was poured into the other, and the contents of both flowed into the
Kidron and on to the Dead Sea. This consecrated water represented
the fountain that gushed from the rock at God’s command to quench
the thirst of the children of Israel.
As the sons of Joseph made their preparations to attend the feast,
they saw that Christ gave no sign that He intended to go. Since the
healing at Bethesda, He had not attended the national gatherings.
To avoid useless conflict at Jerusalem, He had been working only
in Galilee. His apparent neglect of the great religious assemblies
and the hatred shown Him by the priests and rabbis perplexed even
His own disciples and His family. In His teachings He presented
the blessings of obedience, yet He Himself seemed indifferent to the
service that God had established.
He mingled with tax collectors, disregarded rabbinical obser-
vances, and freely set aside traditional requirements concerning the
Sabbath—all these seemed to place Him in conflict with the religious
authorities. His brothers thought it was a mistake to alienate the
great and scholarly men of the nation. They felt that these men must
be in the right. But they had witnessed Jesus’ blameless life, and His
works had deeply impressed them. They still hoped He would lead
the Pharisees to see that He was the Messiah, the Prince of Israel!
They cherished this thought with proud satisfaction.
They were so anxious about this that they urged Christ to go to
Jerusalem. “Depart from here,” they said, “and go into Judea, that
Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one
does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly.