“For,” said he, “from his birth upward, Jesus of Nazareth hath moved in Paradise; and being himself good, pure, and gentle, he believeth that others also are in their thoughts like unto himself, and that they need but a little help to make them in their deeds like unto himself. For he esteemeth of sin as being naught but an infirmity. But time and experience will open his eyes.”
Then answered Nathanael and said to Eliezer, “But is it not truly said, O son of Arak, that ‘The perfection of wisdom is repentance?’ and again, ‘When a man hath been wholly wicked, and hath repented at last, the Holy One receiveth him’? Nay, it is added that, ‘If a sinner repent, all the transgressions which he hath committed are imputed to him as merits,’ and that ‘Repentance was created before the world.’ How then is our Master wrong in receiving them that repent?” But Eliezer answered, with an austere countenance, that repentance availed nothing without works; and he quoted the saying, “No boor is a sin-fearer; nor is the vulgar pious”; and another saying which warneth men “Not to frequent the company of the unlearned.” “Moreover,” he added, “the All-seeing (blessed is He) alone knoweth the hearts of men, and discerneth the true repentance from the false. Wherefore none can forgive sins but God alone.”
Then Nathanael, remembering how great an evil had befallen his kinswoman through the hardness of Eliezer, became exceeding wroth, and brake out into bitter accusations against the Scribes, because they despised the people of the land: “For lo,” he said, “more than half of Israel even now goeth down to the pit of [pg 147]destruction, and ye raise no hand to save them. Yea, when the drowning ones lift up their heads from the waters and cry saying, ‘We are alive, help us,’ then stand ye on the bank and answer, saying, ‘Down, down, ye ought not to be alive, ye are not alive.’ For ye say that ye make fences to keep in the Law; but ye make fences indeed to keep out the people from the Law. Wherefore your fences are as offences, and ye are guilty of the blood of half the nation of Israel in the sight of the Lord.”
Then Eliezer arose in wrath, and as he went to the door, he turned and looked on Nathanael and said, “Like master, like scholar:” and so he went out. But when he was departed, Jonathan said to us, “Eliezer spake unadvisedly and harshly; yet is there truth in his words. For when we shun the ‘unlearned’ and the ‘vulgar,’ or the people of the land, we mean such as have not learned their duties toward God and man, which also are wholly given up to the things of earth. Such men are lovers of self, wallowing in carnal lusts: and are they not to be blamed?”
To this Nathanael replied, “True, O my father; and if all the teachers of Israel were as thou art, verily Israel would be blessed. But do not the Scribes cast out many from the synagogues for small matters, even though they perform the weightier duties? Yea, I myself have heard Eliezer say many times, ‘Hasten to a light precept’; and I have seen him to be more angered for a light transgression than a heavy one. Also many of them say that a ‘vulgar’ person is one that repeateth not the daily Krishma, or weareth not phylacteries, or fringes, or doth not wait on the learned. [pg 148]These things do the Scribes exalt, but they pass over justice, mercy, righteousness, and truth.”
Jonathan made no answer to this at first; but presently he sighed and said, “Truly we have need of a discerning spirit; and we should pray unto the All-seeing (blessed is He) that we may not make defiled the pure, nor make pure the defiled, and that we may not bind the loosed nor loose the bound.” No one spake further about this matter. But Nathanael sat musing, while I conversed with Jonathan concerning his return to Sepphoris and concerning certain messages which I desired that he should deliver to my mother. Presently we bade farewell to Jonathan and departed.
But as we passed through the street together, Nathanael still mused, and, as it seemed to me, was repeating to himself the words of Jonathan, “That we may not bind the loosed nor loose the bound.” Then he turned to me and said, “Joseph, is there not a certain saying touching the destroying of the Evil Nature?” “Yes, of a truth is there,” replied I; “for it is said that it shall come to pass, in the time to come, that the Holy One will bring the Evil Nature, and slay him in the presence of the righteous and in the presence of the wicked.” Then Nathanael smote his hands together for joy, and lifted up his voice and said “Perchance, therefore, in the day of the Redemption of Sion, the Evil Nature shall be utterly destroyed, and we shall no longer pray according to the prayer of Jonathan the son of Ezra, that we may not loose the bound; for all shall be loosed.”
While he spake thus, somewhat loudly, behold, a certain Barachiah the son of Zadok heard the last words [pg 149]of Nathanael; and he cried after us and mocked at us and our Nazarene prophet, for so he called Jesus. Now this man was a beggar, crook-backed and lame, and of a malignant disposition, one that took pleasure in slander and mischief: and oftentimes he had thrust himself in the path of Jesus and had besought Jesus to heal him of his deformity. But Jesus would not. So this man called after us, mocking us and imitating the voice of Jesus and saying, “Go in peace, go in peace.”
Then I began to question Nathanael why Jesus had not healed this Barachiah: Nathanael answered and said, “Because he hath not faith. Moreover, as thou knowest, Jesus doth not adventure to heal all afflictions and all diseases. And even if the affliction be such as can be healed, yet he healeth not, except there be first faith.” Then I said, “But how doth he discern such as have faith from such as have not faith?” But Nathanael answered, “I know not; and indeed it is a marvel to me to see how he healeth the sick. But he speaketh of these mighty works as being prepared for him beforehand in heaven. And indeed it seemeth to me that whensoever Jesus doeth a mighty work on earth, he seeth it also done, in that instant, in heaven. For he looketh upon the body of the sick man with his eyes; but with his spirit methinks he looketh on the spirit of the man in heaven; and there he seeth a Hand, even the Hand of the Everlasting Arm; and whatsoever the Hand worketh in heaven, even that doth Jesus work on earth; and if he seeth the Hand unloosing the chain from the spirit of the man in heaven, then Jesus unlooseth the chain on earth. But [pg 150]if he seeth that the Hand in heaven moveth not, then his hand also is stayed on earth.”
But I said, “When Jesus hath healed the sick, he biddeth them go in peace, as Barachiah but now cried after us. Now if there be no peace in the man’s heart, how can he go in peace? Doth Jesus therefore make peace in the man’s heart? Or is it that he merely seeth peace in the man’s heart, and speaketh aloud that which he seeth?” “Both,” replied Nathanael; “at least, so it seemeth to me. For I judge that Jesus not only discerneth peace, but also maketh peace. Likewise also he seemeth to me to make faith. I know not how it is, but of late a certain Mattathias described to me the manner in which Jesus had dealt with him. Now this Mattathias was afflicted with a disease in his feet, insomuch that he had not walked for these three years: and he was carried by his friends into the presence of Jesus. ‘And,’ said he, ‘before I saw Jesus, I had scarce any hope that he might be able to help me; but when I looked upon Jesus, and saw what a strength shone in his countenance, then I began to have faith, but not much; for still I feared more than I hoped. Yet as Jesus healed first one and then another (for there were many waiting to be healed before me) my faith grew stronger and stronger. But when Jesus was come to the bed whereon I lay, he fixed his eyes steadfastly upon me, so that the brightness thereof passed like purifying fire into my soul; and he looked up unto heaven and then down upon me, and it was as if he had been wrestling with the evil spirit of faithlessness in my heart and had quite driven it out. For now, behold, of a sudden, my doubts and fears and troubles were all clean gone, and [pg 151]my heart was as light as air, and a certain irresistible faith possessed me; insomuch that, though I lay still on my bed, I knew that I had been made whole and that I needed naught save the bidding of Jesus to tell me when to arise. And when the word came, I arose.’ Now,” said Nathanael, “thus spake Mattathias to me. But if he spake aright, then methinks Jesus hath a power to create faith in the heart as well as to heal the diseases of the body.”