Letters to the young from the Old World : $b Notes of travel
John Stuart Mill · en
Nazareth is built on the side of a hill and presented quite a beautiful
appearance. Upon one of the hills which surround the city is an
orphanage school for girls, which, we learned, was under the care of a
self-sacrificing woman. Early in life she left parents, home and friends,
went to Nazareth and took charge of the little girls who lived there,
teaching them the way to Christ. At first it may have seemed a thankless
task, but to-day it is plainly seen that her labors were not in vain. An
English society supplied her with funds. All money given for the support
of such institutions in a foreign land is well spent.
There is a Protestant church in Nazareth, and we attended services there.
Two ministers of the Church of England conducted the services, and the
story of the Shunammite woman was read to us. The preachers belonged to
our party; the congregation was made up mostly of tourists, and a small
company it was.
The first thirty years of Jesus’ life were spent in Nazareth; but “he did
not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” Jesus talked
very plainly to the people, and they were filled with wrath and “rose up
and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
But he, passing through the midst of them, went his way.” The mount of
precipitation is shown the traveler, and we tried to imagine how the
people appeared when Christ deliberately walked away from them.
We spent a restful day at Nazareth, which helped us to bear the journey
of the following week. Our hearts were filled with gratitude to the Lord,
and on bended knees we thanked him for the great privilege of being
permitted to see the city of the meek and lowly Nazarene.