en. Sometimes he preached in the synagogue on the
Sabbath day; but more often he talked to the people in the open air,
sometimes on the mountain-side, sometimes on the shore of the lake
Gennesaret, or again in the streets of their towns.

The scribes and Pharisees were jealous of his popularity, and angry
because he exposed their hypocrisy. The proud and rich found many of
his sayings too hard to accept. So it was the poor and unhappy who
were most eager to hear him, and they often formed a large part of his
audience. Jesus himself rejoiced in this class of followers, and when
John the Baptist's messengers came to him to inquire into his mission,
he sent back the message, "The poor have the gospel preached to them."

In this picture of Christ Preaching, we see that his hearers are of
just the kind that the preacher's message is intended for,--the weary
and heavy-laden whom he called to himself. There are a few dignitaries
in the gathering, it is true, standing pompously by in the hope of
finding something to criticise. But Jesus pays no attention to them
as he looks down into the faces of the listeners who most need his
words. His pulpit is a square coping-stone in a courtyard, and the
people gather about him in a circle in the positions most convenient
to them.

There is no formality here, no ceremony; each one may come and go as
he pleases. Here is a mother sitting on the ground directly in front
of the speaker, holding a babe in her arms, while a little fellow
sprawls out on the ground beside her, drawing on the sand with his
finger. Though we cannot see her face, we know that she is an absorbed
listener, and Jesus seems to speak directly to her.

A pathetic-looking man beyond her is trying to take in the message in
a wondering way, and a long-bearded man behind him is so aroused that
he leans eagerly forward to catch every word. There are others, as is
always the case, who listen very stolidly as if quite indifferent.

Again there are two who ponder the subject thoughtfully. One of these
is in the rear,--a young man, perhaps one of Jesus' disciples; the
other sits in front, crossing his legs, and supporting his chin with
his hand. In the group at the right of Jesus we can easily pick out
the scoffers and critics, listening intently, some of them more
interested, perhaps, than they had expected to be.

[Illustration: CHRIST PREACHING
_Museum of Fine Arts, Boston_]

As we look at Jesus himself, so gentle and t