Ten-Year Old Jesus
Interrogates The Priests
By
The
Twelve Apostles
Jesus Interrogates The
Priests On Sacrifice
The great feast of the Jews was on, and Joseph, Mary
and their son, and many of their kin, went to Jerusalem. The child was ten
years old.
And Jesus watched the butchers kill the lambs and birds and burn them on the
altar in the name of God.
His tender heart was shocked at this display of cruelty; he asked the serving
priest,
“What is the purpose
of this slaughter of the beasts and birds?
Why do you burn their
flesh before the Lord?”
The priest replied, “This is our sacrifice for sin. God has commanded us to do
these things, and said that in these sacrifices all our sins are blotted out.”
And Jesus said, “Will you be kind enough to tell when God proclaimed that sins
are blotted out by sacrifice of any kind?
Did not David say that God requires not a sacrifice for sin? That it is a sin
itself to bring before His face burnt offerings, as offerings for sin? Did not
Isaiah say the same?
The priest replied, “My child you are beside yourself. Do you know more about
the laws of God than all the priests of
But Jesus heeded not his taunts; He went to Hillel, chief of the Sanhedrim, and
said to him,
“Rabboni, I would like to talk with you; I am
disturbed about this service of the pascal feast. I
thought the temple was the house of God where love and kindness dwell.
Do you not hear the bleating of those lambs, the pleading of those doves that
men are killing over there? Do you not smell that awful stench that comes from
burning flesh?
Can man be kind and just, and still be filled with cruelty?
A God that takes delight in sacrifice, in blood and burning flesh, is not my
Father-God.
I want to find a God of love, and you, my mentor, you are wise, and surely you
can tell me where to find the God of love.”
But Hillel could not give an answer to the child. His heart was stirred with
sympathy. He called the child to him; he laid his hand upon His head and wept.
He said, “There is a God of love, and you shall come with me; and hand in hand
we will go forth and find the God of love.”
And Jesus said, “Why need we go? I thought that God was everywhere. Can we not
purify our hearts and drive out cruelty, and every wicked thought, and make
within, a temple where the God of love can dwell?”
The master of the great Sanhedrim felt as though he was himself the child, and
that before him stood Rabboni, master of the higher
law.
He said within himself, “This child is surely prophet sent from God.”
Apostle Matthew: Between Jesus and the priests, who is right?
The Head: The two groups are right.
1.
Jesus
was saying the truth as it is in perfection.
2.
The
priests are right, because they are following the footstep, processes and procedures,
which God gave to humanity through Holy Moses. When the ancient saint, Holy
Enoch, ascended to heaven and appeared in the presence of God Almighty, God
told him that He does not need sacrifice. However, if humanity want to offer
sacrifice to Him, let them follow the processes and procedures as specified.
The processes and procedures were given to humanity through Holy Moses.
3.
It
is not just the ordinary animals that are offered to God, because at the time
of offering, the priest pray over the sacrifice, so that heavenly priests come
down and change the sacrifices into the heavenly sacrifices that are acceptable
and pleasing to God Almighty.
4.
The
fire becomes the Consuming Fire of the Holy Spirit.
5.
The
blood of animals are changed into the Blood of Jesus.
6.
The
incense changes into the heavenly incense called Chrysoprase.
7.
Therefore,
Jesus was right to say that the offering of animals are not needed by God. But
the priests who offer the sacrifices are also right, because they follow the
processes and procedures specified by God for humanity to offer sacrifices to
Him.
Apostle Matthew: Son of man, yourself answered very well.