The Three Days in the Temple
Conversations of the twelve year old Jesus
- Chapter 12 -
The meeting of the examining board in the conference hall on the second day. The unsuccessful attempt of the temple officials to raise the session.
UPON hearing this, the whole staff hastened to the conference hall and were, according to custom, appropriately greeted by the audience, this being something which greatly pleased the Pharisees, and concerning which some of them found fault, because the Boy gave nothing but what had the remotest semblance of a greeting.
2
Therefore an elder came up at once to Me and asked Me rather modestly, why I, like a somewhat obstinate boy, had greeted no one.
3
But I said quite shortly to him: "That is all right for you and such as you, among yourselves, but what has that to do with a twelve years old boy? Besides, not one of you greeted Me either, so why should I return something that I have not previously received from you?
4
And after all, this custom does not exist among us in Galilee, and certainly not in My case! For you always allow yourselves to be greeted and honored above measure, because the world has made master of you. But I also am in My way quite a special master; why have you then not had the politeness to greet Me?
5
O believe Me, I as a boy know very well whom I have to greet; but to you here I absolutely owe no greeting! My Roman can give you the more special reason, if you really wish to know it. But today there is also an after Sabbath, on which, as on the Sabbath itself, according to your law all greeting and honoring are strictly forbidden, because even that profanes the Sabbath and soils a man the whole day. Why then do you ask something of Me that is contrary to your law?"
6
Hereupon the temple officials were silent and looked at each other in amazement, and the young Levite said: "My high master, this remarkably fine looking boy is really quite unbearable! The best of the matter is that he actually knows about everything, and is at the same time unquestionably right."
7
The chief priest said to the Roman commissioner: "Noble judge according to right and office! This boy referred us to you to receive a reason why he did not greet us. Would it be agreeable to you to make it known to us?"
8
The judge: "O why not? Very willingly! But I do not know if it will give you any special pleasure!"
9
All of them said: "Just tell us! For today we are in a good humor and shall bear many things that otherwise we would scarcely allow!"
10
The judge said: "Well then, now listen! This boy is that very same wonderful boy of Nazareth himself whom yesterday he seemed only to represent! Now how do you like this story? Whoever bends a hair of his head, will have to expect my deepest anger!"
11
When the Board heard this, they started with fright and trembled!
12
It was only after a while that the chief priest said: "Why did you not tell us that yesterday? Had we known it, we should surely have spoken quite differently to you and have given you quite different answers, which surely would have pleased you better than did those of yesterday!"
13
I said: "O that I know well; but as my concern is not hypocrisy but Truth,I therefore did as I did! And if today I had still been the one I was yesterday, I should again not have heard one true word from you, as during the night, for fear of the Roman judge, you consulted very cunningly amongst yourselves, how you would let absolutely everything concerning the Messiah's being on the earth, hold good with Me in order to soften Me, and through Me perhaps the judge also, because of the matter of Zachariah.
14
As however I am not the defender of the marvelous Boy, but the wonderful Boy Himself, a so sudden and unforeseen turn of affairs has confused your senses, and frustrated your bad plan; and now you stand there full of fear and anxiety, and are at your wit's end. Say, how do you like things now?"
15
All of them were speechless with amazement, and the chief priest said with a seemingly friendly mien: "Well, my dear marvelous boy, as you seem to know everything beforehand, I should now still like to hear from you which of us really thought out such advice?"
16
I said: "The very same to whom I Myself suggested it! He is the youngest among you, and was also born in Galilee: his name is Barnabas!"
17
This answer was again as a flash of lightning to the Pharisees, and great fear fell upon them; for many a one's conscience was very unclean, and they were afraid of many a revelation of their secret voices in the ears of the strict Roman.
18
The chief priest whispered into the ear of a Pharisee: "Let us return the money to Simon, and the conference with the Jehovah-be-with-us-boy, who will yet bring us into the most unbearably embarrassing situations, will be at an end! Or else we ourselves will put him through no more examination! If he questions us, we will give him an answer through which no Satan shall get any wiser! No, the boy shall by no means be cleverer than we! Just look at this young customer! Yesterday he was one person, and today he is another!"
19
Thereupon a Pharisee, wanting to be very cunning, took the chief priest aside and said: "Do you know what? We no longer owe speech and answer to that boy prodigy! The one for whom the money was paid, is not the one of today; for the one of today no one has paid and thus we no longer owe him speech and answer! What do you think?"
20
The chief priest said: "Friend, only a God could have inspired you with that thought! When the need is greatest, help from above is nearest! The conference and permission to talk shall therewith be declared as annulled, because the boy of today is another than the one of yesterday, for whom alone payment was made."
21
With that the herald of the temple quickly stepped forward and said with all the dignity of his temple office: "With all authorization from the very highest sub High priesthood of the temple of Jehovah, I declare that, as the boy of today is no longer the one of yesterday for whom the heavy tax was paid, the further session is completely annulled, to neither this marvelous boy prodigy for whom no tax was paid, nor to any one else, shall any more answer be given! Dixi! (I have spoken!)
22
But the judge arose, looking very serious, and said: "The session remains, and you will speak! The boy of today is exactly the same for whom the big tax was paid, only the moral characteristic personality has unexpected by you become another. However, according to our own laws, this clever circumstance does not change anything of the boy's right, and therefore my valid sentence is: The session remains unchanged today and tomorrow, whatever happens! Ask or reply, it's all the same!"