The Three Days in the Temple
Conversations of the twelve year old Jesus
- Chapter 19 -
The explanation of the two words 'Jerusalem' and 'Melchisedech' by the Boy Jesus. The Holy Scripture is God'S Word. Joram's hint as to the incomprehensibility of the passages in Isaiah referring to the Messiah.
BARNABAS said: "But you dearest marvelous Boy, about the two words 'Jerusalem' and 'Melchisedech' we should like to hear something from you today!"
2
I said: "Well, so pay attention to the roots alone of the single words in the old Hebrew tongue: Je (this is) Ruh or Ruha (the dwelling place) Sa (for the) Lem or Lehem (great King). Me or mei (of My) l'chi or lichi - read litzi (countenance or light) Sedek (seat).
3
You know of course that the elders pronounced the vowels between the consonants at the formation of words, but did not write them down because of a certain veneration: therefore one must understand how to put the vowels between the consonants in words more than a thousand years old, and the true significance of such an old name explains itself from its roots. Well, are you now satisfied with this explanation?"
4
Said Barnabas: "Yes, fully and far beyond all measure! But once more, how do you get to know about such secrets?"
5
I said: "In that case one is like the other, and all comes from the Power of the Spirit of God glorifying Me from above. But how this is possible, you can neither comprehend nor will you do so, for a long time yet!
6
See, you also read in the Scriptures, but to your mind there is nothing divine in them: but you believe in their being purely the work of several men put together in cooperation, so as to rule their fellowmen more easily. The Egyptians are supposed to have done that through their gigantic and mystical structures, and the Hebrews through their mystical writings; however, for the true instruction of man in these times, neither the one nor the other will any longer hold good, as all truly wise men could have clearly perceived and proved long ago.
7
Now see, this is your very own inward and therefore (to you) true creed: But I tell you: Whoever considers Scripture with your eyes, will certainly never find anything divine in it, and further will remain a material, worldly fellow, who sometimes of course will have a mind also for extraordinary things and phenomena, if they are carried out just before his eyes; but in his spirit he will never profit by it, because, for him, every miracle, no matter how great, is only an amusement delighting his senses!
8
Truly such men greatly resemble the swine which eat all kinds of things, but for all that, remain just the same old unchanged swine that like everything equally well, be it dirt or the finest wheaten bread.
9
But therefore, such men who are wanting in a higher spiritual faith, should not read nor disallow the Scriptures given to man out of the Spirit of God to be considered as a divine word, as is written: 'Thou shall not pronounce lightly the Name of the Lord (Jehovah)'."
10
But I say, and add thereunto: "Every word from out of the Spirit of God is equal with the Name Jehovah! Whoever reads it as a human work is a punishable vain user of Jehovah's name. But he who reads it with great reverence in his heart, and believes that the Scriptures are of divine origin, will also soon, and easily, find in it the divine, for the awakening and vitalizing of his Spirit!
11
If you - and also you others - would believe within yourselves that the Scriptures are of divine origin, you would long ago have recognized Me for what I really am, and how I bring about My wonders: but because you believe Scripture to be only a human production, and completely useless at this time, it is also impossible for you to acknowledge Me as that which I really am exactly, and as you do not wish to acknowledge Me as that, surely My deeds too must in the highest degree be incomprehensible to you!"
12
Said Joram: "My loveliest Boy, there you are still apparently going too far in your assumption! For behold, if there are a few who do not believe in the pure divinity of the Scriptures, yet there are, all the same, still some who keep very firmly to it, and believe, and therefore also hope for, the coming of the promised Messiah, and of His Empire; these too, when they get to know you more closely, will not be much against your being that promised Messiah, of whom the great Prophet Isaiah foretold the most of all.
13
Of course the prophecy of Isaiah is also given in a strongly mystical sense, and once cannot easily make out the personality of the Messiah: but, on the whole, there is very much that agrees with you! Of course there is also something that does not fit in it at all for you and eventually still less for any true Messiah, were He to come directly from the heavens! And thus, you exceedingly clever Boy, you will easily see that, honestly speaking, even for the firmest believers there is still a great difficulty about the good Messiah, and that it is truly a very hard matter through which to find one's way properly and clearly!
14
The thing remains always more of a legend resulting from the long fostered wish of the people, and there the Romans may not be quite wrong when they say: Ubinam vanis invectis superlativum tradit gens, nihil quam aquam haurire!' (Whatever the people hand down in words something exaggerated, they are drawing nothing but water). And so it is partly also here with the Messiah! There may of course be something in it - but possibly also nothing - and thus one would scarcely manage to draw a single healthy drop of water out of the old well of Jacob! What do you say to it, you loveliest Boy?"
15
I said: "How then do the passages out of the Prophet Isaiah run which absolutely do not fit the Messiah, and especially not Myself?"
16
Joram said: "Well, my dearest young friend, there I must just first fetch the book. Just now I do not know the passages by heart: one seldom rereads them, and therefore of course one forgets many a thing, especially out of the sphere of the Prophets! But just wait a little: we shall have the matter at once!"
17
I said: "But see! As it is already evening, let us leave that till tomorrow: and as from early morning till now, no one has taken anything to strengthen his body, we will raise our session, take supper, and then continue our matter tomorrow."
18
All agreed at once to My proposal, and we left the conference hall, and went to the inn already mentioned.