The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James

Biographical Gospel of the Lord

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- Chapter 204 -

The Parable Of The Wise King

WHEN MARY HAD CARESSED the little Child for a while, she asked Him quite fearfully,

'My Jesus, will You really love me, Your handmaiden, as much in return as Your handmaiden will eternally love You?'

And the little Child smiled at Mary in a most friendly way and answered,

'Now that was indeed a frail human question!

If I did not love you more than you love Me, verily, verily, what would you be?

'Behold, if you loved Me with the fire of all the suns, your love would still be nothing against that love of Mine with which I love even the most wicked human being in My anger.

And My anger is in itself more love than your greatest love.

What all the more then is My actual love which I have for you?

How indeed would I ever have chosen you as the one to give Me birth if I had not loved you - more than eternity will ever comprehend?

See, how humanly frail your question is! - Now I say to you: Go and bring Tullia -

for I have some very important matters to discuss with her.'

Here Mary quickly obeyed and brought the wife of Cyrenius.

When Tullia quite fearfully stepped into the side chamber where the little Child sat up and addressed Tullia as follows,

'Tullia, whom I have recalled to life, listen! Once there was a great king who was single and full of manly grace and filled with divine wisdom.

This king said to himself: I will go and seek me a wife in a strange land where no one knows me-

for I want to take a wife for my own sake, and the woman shall love me because I am a wise man, but not because I am a great king!

'Thereupon he departed from his kingdom into a faraway, strange land and came into a city where he soon became acquainted with a house.

The daughter of the house was chosen and she was filled with joy, for she soon recognized the great wisdom of her suitor.

'And the king thought: Now you do indeed love me because you see me, and my form and my wisdom captivate you -

but I want to see whether you really love me! Therefore I shall disguise myself as a beggar and bother you thus from time to time.

But you shall not know nor have reason to suspect that I am incognito in the beggar.

The beggar, to be sure, shall carry a token of me as if he were my intimate friend, but otherwise poor in this alien land like his friend.

And it then shall become manifest whether this daughter really loves me! -

'And as the great king had thought the matter through, so also did he promptly carry it out.

After a while, since the king had seemingly gone on a journey, the beggar came to the daughter and said to her:

Dear daughter of this wealthy house, see, I am very poor and know that you possess great riches!

I sat at the gate as your glorious betrothed went on a journey, and asked him for a charity.

Thereat he stopped and said: Friend, I have nothing here that I could give you except this keepsake from my betrothed who is very rich.

Go to her soon and show this to her in my name, and she will give you what you have need of as surely as she would give it to me.

And when I shall speedily return, I shall make everything good to her a thousand-fold!

'When the daughter heard this, she was full of joy and imparted to the beggar.

Thereat the beggar left and returned in a few days and had himself announced to the daughter.

The daughter sent him word to call another time, since she now had company.

The beggar came another time and had himself announced.

There it was said: The daughter has gone out with a few friends. And the beggar sadly turned back.

'As he, while leaving, came to the house door, he was encountered by the daughter in the midst of her friends, but she hardly paid any attention to him.

The beggar of course inquired: Dear betrothed of my friend, how can you love him when you do not hear his friend?

But the daughter replied: I want amusement - when your friend returns, I shall no doubt love him again.

'Thereupon the beggar again went to the daughter the following day and found her full of gayety; for she had a very lively company.

And the beggar asked her: Do you really love your betrothed - and are so gay, since he is away in matters concerning you?

At this the daughter conveyed the beggar outside and retorted: That is asking too much! Is it not enough if I love him when he is here? Why should I also love him in his absence? Who knows whether he loves me?

'Here the beggar tore his outer garment, threw it from him and declared to the astonished daughter:

See, he who was on a journey was always here to observe your love!

But you hardly thought of him, and he who showed you the token of your oath was rejected and ridiculed, since the company of the world suited you better.

And behold, the same is none other than he who now stands before you, and is that great king to whom all the world belongs!

And the same now gives back to you a thousand-fold what you gave him - but to you he turns his back forever and you shall never see his face!

'Tullia! Do you know this King and this Beggar? See, it is I, and you are the daughter! In the world you shall be happy -

but this parable tells you what will be afterwards.

I gave you life and great happiness, and you are capable of forgetting Me?

I gave you a husband from the heavens, and you wanted to take that part of his love which belonged to Me for yourself.

'Thereat you died - I have reawakened you, for which you accepted the homage of the world and paid no attention to Me.

And now that I had you called, you quake before Me like an adulteress.

Tell Me, just what shall I do with you?

Shall I continue to beg before your door?

No, that I shall not do, but I shall give you your portion, and then we shall be quits!' -

These words filled the entire house of Joseph with dread.

Hereupon the little Child requested to go out into the open with no one but His James and did not return until late in the evening.

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