The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 228 -
The Difference Between God's True And False Servants
WHEN THE MORNING MEAL was thus prepared and all the guests had arisen, Joseph promptly went to Cyrenius and asked him if he were ready to partake of the morning meal.
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And Cyrenius said to Joseph, 'Oh my truly noble friend and brother, I am of course quite ready with my entire company;
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but I also know that you do not have such a supply in your larder that you can accommodate over a hundred people for several days.
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Therefore I shall send my servants to the city this morning, where they shall buy foodstuffs for me and for you."
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When Joseph heard this, he replied,
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'Oh dear friend and brother, that you can of course do for your ship;
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but in my case you would go to a lot of trouble for nothing.
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You see, in the first place the morning meal is already prepared, and secondly there still is so much left in my larder that all those here could hardly eat it up in eight days.
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So do not concern yourself for me of all people - for truly, I am indeed well supplied.'1
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And Cyrenius affirmed, 'Truly, truly, if nothing else were to give me witness of your most high calling, it would be given me in fullest measure by your quite incomprehensible unselfishness.
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'Yes, therein one will always be able to accurately tell the true servants of God from the false:
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The true ones will be unselfish to a high degree, and the false ones will be just the opposite;
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for the true ones serve the Lord in their heart and there also have a most high, eternal reward -
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but the false ones serve a God modeled after their own bad kind, for the sake of the world -
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hence they also seek the reward of the world and allow themselves to be paid extravagantly for every step they take.
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For I as a born pagan know best, how the Roman priests allow themselves to be paid for each and every step.
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Truly, I myself once had to pay the chief priest a hundred pounds of gold for some advice.
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I ask: Was that a fitting servant of a true God?
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'But you have now shown me your hospitality for three days, and what teachings I have received in your house - and still you accept nothing.
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Not even for my eight children will you accept anything. - From that it certainly should be clear how the real and true servants of God appear.'
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Here Joseph said, 'Brother, do not say any more about that now, for such talk praises me too much;
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but sit down at the table, and the morning meal will be served right away.' And Cyrenius promptly followed Joseph's wish and sat down at the table.