The Three Days in the Temple
Conversations of the twelve year old Jesus
- Chapter 17 -
The miraculous disappearance of the donkey. The miracle of the stone. The astonishment of the Roman judge at the miraculous power of the Boy Jesus, and the illuminating words of the latter about the coming of the divine Kingdom.
BUT I said: "To show you what power I own and to take away from you the fear of this unnatural animal, I command that it shall dissolve even as it was called forth."
2
At the same moment the animal faded away so completely, that not even a smallest hair remained. At that their astonishment was still greater, and they did not know what to say about it.
3
Only the Roman judge who was full of courage, said: "No! Listen! My dearest Boy! Either Zeus or some chief divinity must be living in you! If you wanted to, could you also destroy a natural animal, or indeed the existence of a human being?"
4
I said: "O yes, not only that, but also the whole earth! But My aim which no one has ever yet recognized, is: to maintain everything and to destroy nothing. But so that you may see for yourself that I am not a vain boaster, but can also bring about, what I say, fetch Me a stone, as large and as heavy as you like, and put it upon the table!"
5
At once a stone of more than a hundred pounds in weight, and of very hard composition, was brought and lifted upon the table with great effort. When the stone was lying there,
6
I said over it: "Be you dissolved, and return again to ether, your primitive element!"
7
And the stone so completely disappeared that there remained of it not even a tiny mote in a sunbeam.
8
Then the Roman said: "My esteemed friends, this can only be possible to a God, but never to a man of even the greatest powers! I am now convinced that it would be better to live with you, my loveliest Boy, in the best friendship, than in enmity!
9
Of what use would all our numerous legions be to us Romans, against you? For you need only wish, and they would suffer the fate of the stone that was here, and at the moment of your willing it, they would no longer be there, but would be dissolved into air and ether! And therefore I declare that you are infallibly a real Messiah of your people, and that a power that ever enters into conflict with you, will never gain victory!"
10
I said: "Do not you, as a Roman, get any grey hairs over that! For I did not come into this world to make a prince of Myself, and to found a worldly empire for the Jews, but only to bring the divine Kingdom of God to all men who are of good will, and possibly to destroy the empire of Satan, who is death upon earth! Therefore every earthly Empire can easily exist, and that in the best way, if it attract also the Empire of God which I shall create upon earth.
11
Therefore every fear of My divine power may leave you: for I shall be subject unto you until the transmutation of My Body, when I shall return thither whence I came. But now, at the close of this day, we will throw a little light upon the two words."
12
Barnabas said quite gladly: "Well, all praise to the Lord! Only the words again now and no more miraculous deeds! They make one feel quite uneasy!"
13
I asked him: "Why uneasy? You have already often gazed at Persian Indian and Egyptian wonders, and you have never shuddered at them, why then just now?"
14
Barnabas said: "Because those are all of them affected in a way which I can understand, but yours are based on nothing else but he power of your Will! And this makes an enormous difference!"
15
I said: "Well then, I must add still another remark, before I pass over to the explanation of the two words."