13 But Jesus took him by the hand and said: Arise; and he arose and spoke. 14 The people were amazed, and many said, This surely is a man of God, for no such power was ever given to man. 15 Then Jesus and the twelve went to the house, and after they had taken food and been refreshed, the nine disciples said, 16 Lord, why could we not heal this child? We spoke the Word; but even that was powerless. 17 And Jesus said, Your great success in all your former work has made you careless, and you forgot to recognize the power of God. 18 Without the spirit of the Word, the Word is like an idle tale; and you forgot to pray. 19 There is no faith without the prayer of faith. Faith is the wings of prayer; but wings alone fly not. 20 By prayer and faith you can bring down the mountain peaks, and cast them in the sea; the little hills will skip about like lambs at your command. 21 This failure may be well for you. The greatest lessons that are learned in life come through the failures that are made. 22 As the disciples sat in thoughtful meditation Jesus said, Let these words sink into your hearts: 23 The time has nearly come when you must bear your load alone; that is, without my presence in the flesh. 24 For I will fall into the hands of wicked men, and they will slay me on a mount beyond Bezetha wall. 25 And men will lay my body in a tomb where, by the sacred Word, it will be guarded and preserved three days; then I will rise again. 26 The twelve were sad; they did not understand, and yet they feared to ask him to reveal the meaning of his word. 27 Next day the Christine master and the twelve began their journey of return, and soon were in Capernaum. CHAPTER 131. _Jesus and Peter pay the half-shekel tax. The disciples contend for the supremacy. Jesus rebukes them. Teaches them many practical lessons. The parable of the good shepherd._ As Jesus and the twelve were resting in the house, the tax collector came to Peter saying, Man, do Jesus and yourself pay this half-shekel tax? 2 And Peter said, We pay whatever is assessed. 3 And Jesus said, From whom do publicans collect this special tax? from strangers or from native sons? 4 And Peter said, The strangers only are supposed to pay this tax. 5 Then Jesus said, We all are native sons and we are free; but lest we cause contention we will pay the tax; but neither had the shekel wherewithal to pay. 6 And Jesus said, Go to the sea; cast in a hook and catch a fish and you will find within its inner parts a shekel, which take up and pay the tax for you and me. 7 And Peter did as Jesus said; he found the shekel and he paid the tax. 8 Now Jesus heard the twelve dispute among themselves. The spirit of the carnal self was moving in their hearts, and they were questioning among themselves who was the greatest in the sight of God and man.