The Three Days in the Temple
Conversations of the twelve year old Jesus
- Chapter 6 -
The young Levite expresses his approval. The contemptuous speech of the chief priest about the son of the carpenter of Nazareth.
BUT there stepped forward a young Pharisee who, as a fact, was still a Levite, and asked permission to say a few words here. The judge permitted it, with the remark that he was to speak calmly and reasonably.
2
The Levite then began and spoke thus: "I come out of Galilee, and can now remember having heard many things about that boy prodigy of whom this boy has just made a by no means insignificant announcement. I cannot however assert that I have become personally acquainted with him; but I have heard much and often about him.
3
I got to know as much as I could about his parents, and heard that his father was a carpenter named Joseph, whose second wife was named Mary, and that both of them are in the direct line from David. And this is well known in accordance with the assertion of the prophets.
4
My opinion is therefore, that it would be well worth while to examine more exactly this case, which is a matter closely concerning us Jews especially. However it is not for me to settle the matter, but only to express my opinion in all humility, recognizing this as my duty; anything further is the concern of the council of the temple. I have spoken in all humility."
5
Then a High priest rose and said: "What should the temple do with the assertion of a boy out of his mind? Higher arguments than these must be given to the temple! There has often been such talk among the Jewish people, even miracles have been manifested, and yet later there was no discovery of a true Messiah.
6
How long is it then since Zachariah presided as high priest in the temple? His wife Elizabeth, advanced in years, bore him a son who was announced to him by an angel when he was sacrificing in the temple. Zachariah would not believe this announcement as his wife was too old for it. Then he was struck dumb for it until his gave birth; but when one day the knowledge came to him in the temple that his wife had brought forth a son, and he was asked what his son should be called, his tongue was loosened and he said: 'John'! And behold, this was the very name that, ten months previously, the Angel of the Lord had given.
7
But Zachariah asked the Angel: 'What shall this child become? Let me but know the Will of the Lord!'
8
But the Angel said: 'This is he of whom Isaiah spoke: The voice of the preacher in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain! And all flesh shall see the divine Savior!'
9
They then inquired more closely, and soon found that the ambitious Zachariah only wanted to found a spiritual dynasty for himself with the secret help of the Essenes; he was therefore seized by the arm of justice and punished with death for such an outrage.
10
What then became of this great Messianic hope? Nobody thinks of it any longer! Before the temple, sanctified by Jehovah for all time, everything has melted into nothingness like a feeble vapor of a pool before the power of the sun! And yet that story proceeded from the high priest himself, but being impure, and threatening the soil of the divine sanctuary, the Lord did not delay the chastisement of this outrage, at the right time.
11
If however that story which looks so remarkable ended thus, how would then the Messianic story of the carpenter Joseph look before the temple, where nothing is behind it save some Essenian and Indo-magical frauds! The boy should just produce his wonders before our all-seeing eyes, and we shall then know how to explain and unveil this supposed Messiah to the stupid people!
12
When this One does come, there will be great signs in the firmament before all eyes. Then only will the great Expected One come, equipped with all the power of the heavens, to redeem His people from the power of the heathen, and will be the future Lord and King over all the countries of the earth, and the children of Abraham will be and remain His people in Eternity.
13
He who know this as we do, out of the books of the ancient prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, surely cannot possibly believe that God, who has ever manifested His coming in a supremely great manner before the eyes of men and every creature, should now come into the world as simply as possible, and even as an illegitimate child, as a weak man, and like us subject to death!
14
For we are well aware that Joachim's daughter Mary was pregnant before she was wedded to Joseph as his wife in the temple. The maid was given at first to the foster care of the well known master builder from the tribe of David, and only in order not to ruin him, they kindly advised him to take the maid as his wife before the matter got known to the people, and thus blot out the error.
15
However that child is and remains illegitimate, and consequently there is the less possibility that he ever will be a promised Messiah, and this even if he had power to move all mountains through having learned magical arts!
16
It is to be hoped that through all this, even a weak-minded person could see what is in any way possible, and what, according to the circumstances of this case is and must be purely impossible!"