Vision Seventeenth
The Beautiful Gate is the largest and handsomest of nine which gives entrance to the Court of Israel from the Gentiles’ Court. It stands fronting the east with a colonnade and range of chambers on either side, the ground being seventeen feet above the other court, and the pillars being forty-seven feet high with the entablature making sixty. This gate is of surpassing magnificence, and is about ninety feet in height and seventy in width; the door being of massive Corinthian brass, covered on both sides with gold plates, as also the joints and lintels, with plain or fretted figures in low or high relief. On either side of the doorway is a tower seventy-three feet high adorned with columns twenty feet in circumference. All the exquisite art and ingenuity of the Jewish people seem to have been expended on this particular gate, for it was the most gorgeous of all the other parts of the temple. No one but an Israelite was allowed to enter it to the court beyond, for all other nations and creeds were excluded to the court below. When one of the true faith, as he considered himself, passed through the Gentiles’ Court and entered at this Beautiful Gate, a glow of pride and vanity ran through him to think that he was one of the privileged; he thought he must be superior to those he had passed in his way; he, therefore, could not help giving support and praise to institutions which had given birth to such vanity and error.
It was about the second hour when Jesus and some of his followers were walking in the Gentiles’ Court in front of the Beautiful Gate. Since the remarkable cure that had taken place at the Pool of Bethesda in the morning, his fame had considerably extended, so that wheresoever he was seen, some one knew him who would impart this information to others, and crowds of people would gather roundabout him. On the present occasion there were many people gathered in small groups up and down before the gate. They all stared at him as he passed. Some cried aloud that “he was the man of God.” Others, that “he was the Messiah,” while others approached him humbly asking for his blessing; and others made so bold as to stoop and kiss the selvage of his garment. At length a group men approached him, and prostrating themselves before him in the most humble manner, when one of them, who acted as speaker for the rest, said:
“Master, we have heard that thou art a good and wise man, that thou are blessed of God, holding a power from him to cure many complaints of the unhappy and afflicted people. We beg of thee to help us, for we are sorely plagued with divers complaints; impart to us, we beg of thee, the virtue of thy mysterious power, by placing thy hand upon us and healing our diseases.”
“Is it in me, or in God, thou trustest?” inquired Jesus, who was much pleased with the honest and sensible speaking of the man. “I am nothing more than a poor mortal like thyself, for I cannot lift my finger through any independent will of my own.”
“Master,” replied the man, “I know that all things come of God, and that we are all dependent on him; yet there are some of his children who have received a greater portion of his grace and power than others.”
“Thou hast spoken wisely,” remarked Jesus, who could not help being struck with the ideas of the man, being so much more rational than the superstitious notions of the people generally. “It is as thou sayest; and whatever advantage I have over thee through God’s favor, I will share with thee and thy companions to your benefit. Arise, then, good people.”
Then Jesus placed his hands upon the heads of all of them, at the same time giving them his blessing. Then they departed rejoicing and invoking blessings in return.
Then a tall man approached Jesus, who was dressed in a long black vestment fringed around the bottom, and a girdle of the same around his loins, with a plain linen tire around his head, having a high conical black center piece, from beneath which his coarse black hair hung down straight, just reaching the nape of his neck, and cropped all around with great precision. His visage was long and meager, of a dirty olive complexion; his beard black, long, combed out straight and cut even at the ends. The corners of his mouth were drawn down most lugubriously, and his hazel eyes emitted an expression of great gloominess. As this man approached Jesus his steps were staid and solemn; when suddenly arresting them, he confronted him with a look of severity and disapprobation, and said in a harsh tone of voice:
“Knowest thou, man of confusion, that this day is the Sabbath, and that thou art breaking the laws in performing thy acts of jugglery and pretended cures?”
Jesus, when he saw this man confront him, felt instinctively that an enemy was in his presence, and before any dialogue had commenced, he erected his noble person with an air of defiance. The thousand graces of love and amiability that generally played around his mouth, forsook him for a time; they became compressed, and his nostrils dilated and expanded with the current of life rapidly passing through them. But when the man addressed him in the language as above stated, his eyes, which generally expressed loving and amiable emotions, for the moment forsook their wonted offices and now beamed with a powerful fire of high indignation, expressing the dignity of his manhood to be insulted and aroused for defense or war.
“Man of folly and conceit,” replied Jesus in an emphatic manner, “who art thou thus to question me? Thinkest thou that I am a pagan that I know not when is the Sabbath? I, who when a child, could repeat the laws of Moses, thinkest thou that I know not the law?”
“Then if thou knowest these things, why dost thou break the law?” further inquired the man in black. “Is it not commanded to keep the Sabbath holy?”
“Did Moses or the God that spoke through Moses, give permission that unholy acts may be done on any other day of the week?” inquired Jesus.
“No,” replied his opponent.
“Then,” resumed Jesus, “if all our acts are required to be holy, where is the difference, whether we do them on a Sabbath or any other day?”
The opponent could not find an answer to this question, so he contented himself by frowning and allowing Jesus to resume. He was one of the dominant religious sects of that day, called the Pharisees, who made great pretensions to extreme piety and righteousness, but practiced only hypocrisy and selfishness.
“What are holy acts,” resumed Jesus, “but such as will please God and benefit man. Then let my acts be examined by this test; they will speak for themselves. If they are evil they cannot be holy; therefore they ought not to be done on any day; and if they be good, they are holy, therefore it is no sin to do them on the Sabbath. If thou wert sick and I cure thee, would it be good or bad for thee?”
“In that case, it would be good,” replied the Pharisee.
“Well, then,” resumed Jesus, “what else have I done for others but cure their infirmities and enlighten their understandings, that they may live a healthy life. Thus to act is to conform to what is holy, whether it be done on a Sabbath or on any other day; therefore I break not the law of Moses.”
“But the law requires that thou shalt do all thy work on the six days in the week, and rest on the Sabbath,” remarked the Pharisee.
“My labor,” replied Jesus, “is to do good. I hold it as the greatest principle upon which all true religion ought to be founded, to do good without ceasing, without distinction of time or seasons as long as we have the power to do so; and I will defy the whole body of the Priesthood to find a law of Moses to oppose it. Which wouldst thou rather do, save thy ox from falling into the pit on the Sabbath, or leave it to the next day when thy efforts would avail thee nothing to save it?”
“In that case,” replied the Pharisee, “I think I should prefer saving the ox on the Sabbath; but thou must recollect that this restriction of labor has reference to regular daily labor.”
“The law of the Sabbath is good in that respect,” replied Jesus. “The intent of the law was for the benefit of the poor laboring class, as a time of rest from labor, recruiting their powers, and a time for recreation. But how is it construed by the Priesthood? They say the Sabbath is the Lord’s day; on it thou shalt do no manner of work, excepting to wait on the Priesthood, to prepare their food, their clothing, their houses, or anything else they may require. The law says, also, that the ox, the ass, or the servant shall not labor on that day; yet the priests ride their horses, asses and mules on that day whither they choose. This law of the Sabbath, though good in the intent, is like all the others, construed by the priesthood to their advantage only.”
“But,” remarked the Pharisee, “the Sabbath is a day which is to be kept holy in commemoration of the Lord’s works, for he made the world and all that is in it, and rested on the seventh day, which he commanded to be kept holy.”
“The cause assigned in the Decalogue for the observance of the Sabbath, is but an absurd fiction,” replied Jesus; “so egregiously absurd is it that no man can give it credence, unless he put aside common sense, general experience and all learning. I will put a very simple case to thee to prove my assertion. Suppose a man shall work for thee daily for forty days, and at the end of that time he has done so much work—we will say he has ploughed forty rods of land. What wouldst thou say, if that man told thee he had done, at a former time, ten thousand times more work than that in six days?”
“I should think, in that case,” replied the Pharisee, “that he was either a liar or crazy man.”
“Thou wouldst have reason,” returned Jesus. “Now let us apply this to the law of the Sabbath. According to Moses’ account when he was in the mountain of Sinai he was absent forty days and nights, while the Lord was making the two tablets containing the ten commandments. When Moses descended he read them to the people, and one of them says ‘that the Lord made heaven and earth in six days.’ Now, if it took the Lord, with the aid of Moses, forty days to make two tablets of inscription, how can we believe the assertion that the Lord made heaven and earth in six days? There is no rationality in believing it, it is so absurd and ridiculous. We must, therefore, infer that the cause assigned for the establishment of the law of the Sabbath is nothing more than an absurd fiction invented by Moses. If we examine the features of this fiction, we shall find that we are at variance with all the experiences and knowledge we are enabled to deduce from the phenomena of nature, for they amount to positive impossibilities. In the first place, it states ‘the Lord created the heavens and the earth and all that in them is.’ Now, the word create means to bring into existence. The world and all the other bodies in the heavens are vast masses of matter, which to create is an impossibility, even to God himself, for something cannot be brought out of nothing. An atom of matter cannot be made, neither can it be destroyed. There has always been as much matter as there is now, and there will be the same amount to all eternity. Matter is always undergoing a change of form; but it never was created and never will be destroyed; there the statement is false and silly. There is another point we must notice. It is said that ‘the Lord having finished his work on the sixth day, rested on the seventh.’ This statement is disproved by the fiction itself in more instances than one, but I will view it in another light, to show its absurdity and impossibility. If we inquire into the nature of God, we are enabled to know this much at least: That he is an eternal active principle, a vital essence or subtle material power of intelligence and action; without an imaginary beginning, but now in action, never ceasing, and will never end. Then to suppose that he after a certain amount of labor became tired and needed rest, is to suppose that his nature is analogous to our own mortal state, which becomes fatigued and exhausted, needing recuperation. This will be to compare God to a poor laborer who sweats and tolls, struggling, straining and panting at his work until he becomes exhausted, and then lies down to rest. How inconsistent, how absurd, how silly this conception would be of a God, a child would be enabled to see! This fiction, therefore, needs no further refutation.”
“How, then, thinkest thou the Sabbath ought to be observed?” inquired the Pharisee.
“It was designed by Moses as a day of rest from labor,” answered Jesus. “Thus far it is good. The working people require one day of rest from labor in the week; but there are other wants the mass of the people require, which they ought to seek on that day. They require intelligence, therefore a part of the day ought to be set apart to the improving and refining their minds. They need recreations or amusements also to buoy up their spirits to cheerfulness, and fortify themselves against the disappointments and hardships of life. Yes, the remainder of that day ought to be devoted to rational and innocent amusements of dancing, singing, innocent games, exhibitions, walks, races, feats of power and emulation, gathering of kin and social assemblages of all virtuous kinds; and many other ways by which gloom, discontent, sorrow and apathy can be dispersed, the heart made cheerful and all rendered happy. Such is the manner the Sabbath ought to be observed, and such the people will enjoy when their rulers become wise.”
The Pharisee having no further objections to urge, Jesus ended his discourse about the Sabbath. The former took his leave with a little more civility than when he commenced the acquaintance of the latter, feeling that his previous notions were somewhat shaken. He thought that Jesus was not altogether an ignorant pagan, and by the time he reached home he felt that he was a wiser man.
Jesus then left the Court of the Gentiles and the temple, when, having given Judas certain orders concerning his followers, he, in company with John, passed over the Mount of Olives in Bethany, where, in the hospitable home of Lazarus, he passed several days reposing himself after his exertions. Sweetly glided his hours in this retreat surrounded by domestic comforts; his stern, arduous duties being exchanged for humble domestic enjoyments, which were rendered tenfold sweeter by the innocent enlivening discourse of his chaste and beloved Mary.
Excerpt from The True Life Of Jesus of Nazareth