The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 294 -
The Thousand-fold Harvest
AFTER THIS WONDER Jesus remained inactive for about two years and obeyed Joseph and Mary in all things.
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And in His eighth year a very bad harvest year appeared; for a great dry spell came, and all the green crops withered.
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It was already the seventh month, and nothing green was to be seen anywhere; in many cases the cattle had to be slaughtered, or it became necessary to have hay and grain brought from Egypt and Asia Minor at a high price.
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Joseph himself lived mainly from the fish that Jonathan brought him every week, and fed his domestic animals with the reed grass which Jonathan also sent him.
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Finally clouds appeared in the seventh month, and it began to rain sparingly now and then.
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Joseph thereupon told his four oldest sons, 'Harness the oxen to the plow, and we will sow some wheat into the ground in the name of the Lord.
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Who knows, perhaps the Lord will still bless it, since we may after all count Him as our Son and Brother whom He sent into the world.
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To be sure, He has not worked any wonders through Him now for two years, so that we already have as good as forgotten His eminence on that account;
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but who knows, whether this bad year is not the result of our forgetfulness toward Him who so divinely came to us from above!'
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Here the now eight year old Jesus went over to Joseph and said to him, 'Good, father Joseph! All of you have never forgotten Me; therefore I will go with you to lay the wheat into the furrows!'
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This made Joseph very happy indeed; and Mary and all the others in the house declared,
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'Yes, yes, where the dear Jesus will sow, a rich harvest will surely come up!'
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And Jesus agreed smilingly, 'I am of that opinion too. Truly, in vain shall no seed fall into the ground by Me.'
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Hereupon the plowing and sowing began. Joseph sowed to the left of the plow, and Jesus to the right.
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And thus the acre was fully cultivated in half a day.
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Soon thereafter a plentiful rain fell, and the wheat sprang up after taking a firm hold and as a summer crop came to a very gratifying maturity in three months.
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And here it was noted that the ears which the Boy Jesus had sown on the right-hand side had five hundred kernels throughout, while those of Joseph had only thirty to forty kernels.
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At this all were greatly surprised, and when the grain was finally threshed out on the threshing-floor, only then did the blessing of God show itself in full measure:
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For from each measure of wheat that was sown, exactly one thousand measures were reaped: a harvest which no one had ever experienced!
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And since Joseph had such a great supply, he kept seventy measures of wheat for himself and distributed nine hundred and thirty measures among the neighbors.
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And therewith an entire locality was helped with this wonderful harvest.
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And many neighbors came and praised and honored the power of God in the Boy Jesus.
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But the Latter admonished them towards love to God and to their neighbors and said to everyone, 'Love is better than praise, and a proper piety towards God is worth more than a burnt offering!' - During this time the withered boy also regained his health.