The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 184 -
The Way Of The Lord With Cyrenius
WHEN, with the exception of Jonathan's servants, the entire party had arrived at the villa, Joseph at once told his sons to prepare a good noon meal.
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And Jonathan gave them the generous load of the most choice tuna fish which he had taken along for that purpose.
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After this Joseph went with most of the members of Cyrenius' company and of course with Cyrenius himself, with Mary, with Jonathan and with the little Child, which Cyrenius still carried on his arms, up his favorite little hill.
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And Eudokia and Tullia as well as the eight children did not remain in the house either, but also followed the company up the little hill which had a large, free space at the top.
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Arrived there they all sat down on the benches made by Joseph and refreshed themselves beneath the fragrant shade of rose-, myrtle-and papyrus trees.
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For the top of the hill was divided into two parts - one was thickly foliated and was meant for the daytime -
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while the other was free and was meant for the evening and nightime, so one might enjoy the fresh air and the unrestricted view of the land as well as of the sky.
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As they sat amid the beautiful, covered foliage of the hill, Cyrenius asked Joseph whether he would not give him the desired enlightenment now concerning his sea voyage.
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And Joseph answered, 'Yes, brother, here is the place and the time for that, so hear me!
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See, the east wind signifies the grace of God! This drove you stormily to Him whom you now hold on your arms!
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Now there still are ever so many who do not know and recognize the Lord's grace nor when and how it operates.
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Thus you also did not know what the Lord's boundless grace intended for you.
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'You thought yourself lost and supposed that the Lord had wholly forgotten you!
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And behold, when you were stranded on the sand bar by the boundless grace of the Lord and gave yourself up for lost, the Lord seized you with great power and rescued you from every downfall!
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For thus has always been and will always be the way of the Lord, by which He leads those who have been and will be on the road that leads to Him!
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'Now why did the Lord lead you thus? - See, as it became known about Tyre that you would go here by ship, paid assassins assembled,
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took vessels and wanted to murderously assault you on the high seas!
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At this the Lord suddenly sent a strong east wind -
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which very quickly pushed your ship away from your enemies, so they were wholly unable to reach it.
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But since your enemies did not let you out of their sight but constantly followed you all the more fiercely, the Lord's grace over you then turned into a gale.
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This gale drowned your enemies in the sea and put your ship at rest in the right place where you were fully rescued. - Cyrenius, now do you understand this, your sea voyage?'