The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 192 -
A Prophetic Game Of The Future Begins
THE LITTLE CHILD NOW turned to Sixtus as the oldest boy among the children adopted by Cyrenius, and said to him,
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'Sixtus, go and make ten little pits there at the edge of the path, each a hand-span away from the other. You already know what to do.
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Then bring the ten little marbles that James made from clay for us to play with, and we shall toss a few marbles - you already know how, since you are the one who showed Me!'
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At this Sixtus promptly did what the little Child wanted.
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When the ten little pits were made, and the clay marbles were brought, the little Child said to Cyrenius,
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'Now set Me down again so I can explain to you and show how this game goes, but you other children must not interrupt Me, since I want to explain the matter to Cyrenius Myself.'
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Hereupon the little Child with pathos turned to Cyrenius and declared,
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'See, the game goes as follows: you must stand three paces away from this little pit, then toss a marble.
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If you make a successful toss into the tenth and therewith last and farthest pit you are the king of the game; if you reach the ninth, you then are a prime minister; in the eighth you are a general!
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In the seventh you are a governor, in the sixth a judge, in the fifth a priest, in the fourth a farmer, in the third a father, in the second a mother and in the first a child!
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How the game then goes on I shall tell you as soon as the pits are occupied.'
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Hereupon Cyrenius smilingly took a marble and tossed it along the path, and the marble quickly rolled into the first pit!
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And the little Child asked, 'Are you satisfied with your station? Otherwise you can as a beginner toss twice more!'
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And Cyrenius said, 'O all joy of my life, my Jesus! I am satisfied just where I am!'
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and the little Child replied, 'Good, so do all of you now toss, one after the other. I shall make the last toss!'
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And the children tossed their marbles but did not occupy all the little pits but generally came together in twos and threes in one pit.
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Finally the little Child tossed and came, as always, into the tenth pit.
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At this a girl complained and declared, 'So the little Jesus just has to be a King all the time!'
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But the little Child retorted, 'Why are you vexed at that? You after all tossed ahead of Me, so why are you so awkward with your hand?
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Now do not be cross with Me over that, or I shall quickly send you another mouse of which you are so much afraid!'
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To this the girl said no more and was reconciled to being alone in her second pit.
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And since the ninth, eighth, seventh and sixth pits were unoccupied, Cyrenius said to the little Child,
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'See, O my life! We still have no prime minister, no general, no governor and no judge!
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Who now will take over these important posts?'
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'These posts', replied the little Child, 'I will now have to look after Myself, since no one occupied them, for all the unoccupied posts must be taken over by one, starting with the one who occupies the King's pit!
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If the pit of the prime minister were occupied, the three following posts would go to him. But since this post is vacant, the four pits fall only to the King! - And since all the pits are now occupied, let us begin the actual game!'