The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 171 -
The Child Explains Messiah Passages In Isaiah
TOWARDS EVENING of this day which - as already stated - was the day before the Sabbath, James took the little Child and went up on Joseph's favorite little hill.
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And Joseph and Jonathan soon followed the example of James and also went up the hill.
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James, as usual, took some butter and honey along in a small jar and a piece of wheat bread for the little Child,
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of which he now and then put a small portion into the little Child's mouth; for He preferred most of all a piece of bread with butter or honey.
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Now when James set his jar on a little bench and gaily played about in the grass of the gentle hill with the little Child,
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a few bees and flies quickly visited the jar and feasted in abandon on the sweet contents.
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When Joseph noticed this, he called to James, 'Go and cover that jar with something, or its contents will soon be eaten up by bees and flies.'
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And James went over quickly with the little Child and wanted to chase the guests from the jar, but they did not obey him.
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At this the little Child said, 'James, give the jar to Me, and I will see whether the fly and the bee will also show themselves disobedient to Me!'
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Here James gave the jar to the little Child, and the Child hissed with a three-fold tsh tsh - tsh into the jar, and the flies and the bees instantly departed.
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Thereupon James gave the little Child a small piece of bread with butter and honey, and the Child took it and ate it with satisfaction.
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Jonathan, who had just discussed the wisdom in the Egyptian symbols with Joseph, noticed this action, which seemed to be of very minor importance, and asked Joseph whether any sort of significance containing a higher wisdom could be attached thereto.
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And Joseph answered, 'I would not think so, for not every insignificant action contains hidden wisdom.
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As often as anyone puts butter and honey out in the open, bees and flies will always appear and eat thereof.
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One might be able to use this occurrence, like thousands of others, as a parable at a good opportunity - but in itself this action is without meaning.'
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The little Child now ran over to Joseph and gaily stated:
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'My beloved Joseph, this time you are mistaken!
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What do you read in Isaiah? Is it not written about Me as follows, Butter and honey shall He eat, so He will know to reject evil and choose good.
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But before the Boy learns to reject evil and choose good, the land that you see desolate will be forsaken of its two kings.
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And the Lord will send days upon you, upon your people and upon your father's house, which have not been since the time that Ephraim was separated from Judah by the king of Assyria.
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For in that time the Lord will hiss the fly at the end of the waters in Egypt and the bee in the land of Assur.
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See, Joseph, what is contained in the words of the prophet is also contained in this act.
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But the time for the unveiling is still not here, although not far off!
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Now do you know the Son of the prophetess, who was named Hastening to Booty, Speeding to Prey?
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Do you know the Son to whom a virgin shall give birth and shall name Him Immanuel?37
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See, all That am I! But you will not grasp that fully until I as Hastening to Booty, Speeding to Prey and as Immanuel will call father and mother from the height!'
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Here the little Child ran back to James again. But Joseph and Jonathan gazed at each other in wide-eyed astonishment at the words of the little Child and at the remarkable actual concurrence of the recent action with the words of the prophet.