The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 288 -
Where Is Up - And Where Down?
WHEN JESUS HEARD such lament from Piras Zachaeus, He smiled and said:
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'Now your vanities shall bear their fruits, and they who were blind of heart shall receive their sight!
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So then listen, o foolish one, you who carry Dumas in your eye like a thorn.
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See, I am come down from above so I may judge men according to the world in them,
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but after that appeal to their higher nature according to the mandate of Him who is within Me, over Me, and you,
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who sent Me from Himself in Me, so that you would be saved!'
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After these words of the Boy Jesus all those in the entire surrounding country who lay abed with any sort of illness became well.
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Thus also all were freed whose worldliness had at various times been smitten with the judgment of the little Jesus, with the exception of the shriveled boy.
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The latter had to spend the three set years under the judgment of the little Boy because of his father.
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Piras Zachaeus now arose, went with Joseph out into the open and there inquired of him,
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'Brother, we are now in the open and no one can overhear us.
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I therefore entreat you, dear brother, that you tell me what the circumstances are in the case of the Boy;
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for as I have said before, that is no natural Child!'
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Here Joseph answered, 'Friend, see, if I were to talk about the nature of my little Boy, I would not get through in many days;
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and besides, the Child does not allow me to break a confidence either just because I have a mind to.
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Look, the little Boy is just coming over to us now.
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Gather courage and love toward Him, and He will make everything known to you which will be good for your soul!'
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Here the teacher soon gathered courage and love toward the Boy, and when the Latter had come over he spoke to Him and said,
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'My most captivating, wonderful little Boy!'
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And the little Boy smiled and asked, 'Do you know, learned man, where up and where down is?
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See, the earth is round like a ball, and round about it people and creatures dwell.
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Some live up, and the others down. And the earth revolves daily abouts its center, and every day you are carried around about four thousand miles. Say, when are you up and when down?'
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Here the teacher looked greatly befuddled at such unheard-of things and did not know what he should say thereto.
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But the little Boy laughed at the dumbfounded expression of Piras Zachaeus and continued,
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'Oh you learned man! What are you going to teach, if you do not know that the light alone is the deciding factor there?
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Where there is light - there is up; but where there is night - there is down.
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Now with you it is still night, so you are at the bottom. But I have always been uppermost in the light; so you probably will be able to comprehend My Essence of light just as little in your night, as those whose feet are opposite ours and who now have night are able to see.' - Thereupon the little Jesus went away.
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Piras Zachaeus then asserted to Joseph, 'Now we have it. - Now I know as much as before. - Strange talk of the Boy. Just leave me alone now - I want to think about that.' And Joseph left the teacher alone in the garden.