Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the Lord

by Edwin Abbott Abbott

The words of Judas were true, that a great gulf now lay between our Master and the Pharisees; and day by day the gulf grew wider, as I soon perceived. It chanced that Eliezer the son of Arak knew that I was a friend of Jonathan; and desiring to draw me away from Jesus, he wrote a letter to Jonathan begging him to move me that I might return home. This letter of Eliezer therefore Jonathan sent unto me, and it was to the following effect:

“From Eliezer the son of Arak to Jonathan the son of Ezra: salutation and peace. Be it known unto thee, O Jonathan, that this Jesus of Nazareth, concerning whom we once had hopes that he might be a deep well or perchance even an ever-welling spring of the Law, hath proved an empty vessel and a broken cistern. He profaneth the Sabbath and teacheth others to profane it; he eateth without the washing of hands; he teacheth that no man is defiled by that which he toucheth or eateth; in a word, he breaketh the Law and causeth others to profane it. Yet this in part was known unto thee even before, and thou didst deceive thyself, and saidst, ‘Perchance he hath a message from God concerning the Sabbath and concerning the Law.’ Hear, therefore, [pg 169]O son of Ezra, what new thing this blind guide hath taken upon himself to do. He not only teacheth all people everywhere to abstain from sacrifice, wresting to his own destruction that hard saying of the Prophet which saith, ‘I will have mercy and not sacrifice,’ but he also hath dared to make himself as God, forgiving sins. This he hath done publicly in the synagogue, before the face of the congregation.

“Now we would fain deal gently with the young man, because he seemed once to purpose well, and because he hath made unto himself a name for casting out unclean spirits. Moreover he is befriended not only by the rabble that knoweth not the Law, but also by a few of the wise and pious, as, for example, thyself. For this cause we are minded not at once to punish him in accordance with the law for blasphemy, but to make excuses for him by saying that he is beside himself.

“And this indeed seemeth to be not unlikely, for he is not as other men are; for ofttimes he sleepeth not, but watcheth (as I am informed) whole nights together; and albeit he seeth no vision (which sheweth him to be no prophet), yet he carrieth himself in such strange fashion as if he saw visions daily; also he is wroth at small faults and at no faults (as thou thyself knowest), and yet withal easy to forgive great faults. Moreover of late he most strangely forsweareth the company of all the pious and learned, and consorteth publicly with tax-gatherers and sinners; insomuch that, but now, having called one Matthew a tax-gatherer, to be one of his disciples, afterwards, at a feast in the house of this Matthew, amid mirth and wine-bibbing, he took upon himself to forgive the sins of that Barachiah the son of [pg 170]Zadok, who, as thou knowest, is by all men called the child of Satan.

“Now therefore, for the sake of the young man Jesus himself, it beseemeth thee, O Jonathan, to cause this evil to cease, and to warn his friends, if perchance they may see fit to restrain him. Write therefore, I pray thee, to his mother Mary, and to his brethren (but I grieve that his father no longer liveth to restrain him) that they may come and lay hands upon him: for they will listen to thy voice. We desire also that thou wouldst write to the young man, thy pupil and friend, Joseph the son of Simeon, that he may return to Sepphoris, lest he too fall into the pit of destruction along with this blind guide Jesus. If also thou shouldst inform Joanna, the mother of Joseph, concerning all these things, she would peradventure join her voice to thine, that thy pupil might return. But in any case it were well that the certainty of the madness of this Jesus should be noised abroad among all thy friends and acquaintances, to the intent that we may the more easily restrain him.

“Hearken, I pray thee, unto my words, O Jonathan, for I will not hide the truth from thee, that certain of us judge the young man Jesus of Nazareth more harshly, saying that he is possessed by Beelzebub. Others also say that hands should be laid upon him without delay, and that he should be delivered to Herod. Now if he hearken unto thee and desist from his consorting with sinners, or if his kinsmen lay gentle hands upon him, then we are willing that he should suffer few stripes; but if not, many stripes will be needful. But if he should be delivered to Herod, or [pg 171]if the people should peradventure take up stones to stone him, who knoweth the end thereof? Peace be with thee!”

Together with the letter of Eliezer was a letter from Jonathan, who besought me to send word unto him about the welfare of Jesus; and I could perceive that, albeit the old man was wroth that any should say that Jesus was possessed with an unclean spirit, yet even he inclined his ear to believe that Jesus was beside himself. For after some words touching the health of my mother, the letter ended thus, “Alas, because of the iniquity of this generation! For verily Jesus was fit to be the Redeemer of Israel; but the generation was unfit. He was as the morning star in his joy, and as the sun in the glory of his brightness; but the night cometh apace, and the sun must give place to the darkness. Verily, Jesus was of them that have entered into Paradise, and have tasted of the honey of the highest heaven. But perchance he hath seen things not vouchsafed to men to see, even the mystery of the Chariot; and the vision hath been too much for the eye of man, and with much honey the mind hath been demented.”

When I received these letters, I purposed at once to inform Jesus concerning the plots of the Pharisees. But he was not at that time at Capernaum, but at Bethsaida Julias; so I hastened thither. When I was come thither, Jesus was exhorting the people; and there was a great concourse to hear him, so that I could not come nigh unto him for the press. But while I stood afar off, behold, Eliezer the son of Arak advanced towards him through the midst of the press; and all men made way for him. But he, making as though he [pg 172]could not advance further, called to Jesus in a loud voice, so that all men should hear: “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.”

Now could I see from Eliezer’s countenance and from the manner of his speech, and from the faces of some of the Scribes that were sitting in the principal places, yea, and from the faces of some others that were in the outermost part of the crowd (for they nodded and beckoned each to the other) that here was indeed the very plot of the Pharisees whereof Eliezer had made mention in his letter to Jonathan. For the mother and brethren of Jesus had come with intent to lay hands on him, having been persuaded that he was beside himself. And immediately all that were in the chamber seemed to become aware of the plot. For Jesus ceased from his teaching; and many stood on tiptoe gazing toward that quarter of the crowd where the mother of Jesus was waiting, and then they gazed back on Jesus again, marking how he bore himself. So there arose a marvellous great stillness, while every one waited to hear what Jesus would say: and my heart beat so that I could even hear the beating thereof. But Jesus said, “Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?” Then he looked round about on those of his disciples that sat nigh unto him and he said, “Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother and my sister and mother.”

When he had said these words, then the countenance of Eliezer fell. For he had hoped either to have found occasion against Jesus (as though he paid no reverence [pg 173]to his mother, not rising up or going forth to meet her), or else that the brethren of Jesus should have laid hands on him as he went forth, and so all men should ever after have esteemed him as one beside himself. But the words of Jesus manifested that he ceased not to love and honour his mother, howbeit he loved and honoured others also, even as many as were in the Family of God, unto whom he was as a brother or as a son; neither ought he to have forsaken all the Family of God to please the family of Nazareth; for, had he gone forth to meet them that stood without, he had forsaken and caused to stumble all them that sat within. So they perceived what was in the mind of Jesus; and they magnified him the more.