THE ENLIGHTENED ONES 8

1 Kĕpha, who had been called Shim’on, owned a house beside an olive garden, and his brother, his wife and his mother-in-law lived there with children and servants. These did not welcome 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, while Kĕpha’s mother-in-law kept to her bed, for she was down with fever. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, finding her in this condition, sat down beside her and, taking her hand, stroked it so she soon slept. When she awoke, she got up and attended to the guests, for the fever had gone. 2 The brother of Kĕpha said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, “This place already supports sufficient kohenim and expounders of religion, and You bring others with You to swell their numbers. How will You all live?” 3 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “I will tell you a parable. An inconsiderate man once owned a cat, which he sometimes neglected to feed. One day, he came home with a dog found wandering and lost. The cat said to the dog, ‘Now I shall surely starve, for you are much bigger than I am, and the food for you will be often forgotten, so you will devour mine.’ The dog said, ‘This will not be so, for when we are hungry, I can bark and whine, which you cannot do. This will show the master we are hungry, and we will both be fed.’ ” 4 Later, while they were dining, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “Men say I am the scourge of the Parashyim, but this is untrue, for many of these are reverent men whom it would be unworthy to lash with the tongue. It is the painted Parashyim, the hypocrites pretending to be what they are not, whom I criticize.” 5 “There are those who carry their goodness on their shoulders for all to see; those who say, ‘Tell me my duty and I will do it, show me my obligations and I will carry them out’; those who bow to the ground so their eyes may not look on passing women; those who trip over their feet with excessive humility; and those who do good out of fear. I bring their faults into the light of day, so they may benefit from their own shame.” 6 The brother of Kĕpha said, “Aḏonai, we are respectable people and live among our own kind, for a man who works among goats always carries some of their smell. Why do You associate with wrongdoers?” 7 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “I prefer the wrongdoer who is aware of his deficiencies to the good man who is overly aware of his goodness. Is the starving and desperate man who steals to feed his hungry children bad, while the overfed respectable man protected from temptation by wealth ill earned is good? Which of the two needs compassion?” 8 “Going to the Hĕyḵal makes no one good unless goodness is already established in their hearts. No truly good man could serve the Father devotedly for an hour and then turn his back on Him for the rest of the day.” 9 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 went outside to where there was an open space surrounded by trees, and here a crowd started to gather around Him. While He was speaking, a man pushed through in distress and, coming close to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, begged Him to come and save his young daughter. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “I will go to her immediately after I leave here.” 10 Now, a leper stood apart from the crowd, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 went over to him, saying, “Do you want to be made well?” The man answered, “O Aḏonai, You could make me a new man if You would only will it to be so.” 11 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 touched him, and the man’s affliction began to depart. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said to him, “Go to a kohĕn, taking the prescribed offering of your cleansing, and he will testify to the cure.” 12 Those about said among themselves, “He heals unlike other qodesh men, for those He cures seem to be filled with a strange form of vigor.” 13 As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 went back into the gathering, a centurion came up to Him and said, “I have heard of Your powers from many people, and my son is at home and in great pain. Will You kindly heal him? And for this I will be forever grateful.” 14 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “My house is a very humble place and hardly fit for You to enter. Just command it and I know the boy will be cured, for I trust You. I who give and take orders know the power of command.” 15 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 was surprised to hear these words and, turning to those who followed Him, said, “Nowhere in the land have I seen faith such as this. Believe Me, many will come from East and West, thinking to sit among our forefathers in the Reign of the Ruaḥ, but many who are heirs to this Reign, having forfeited their heritage, will be found outside the gates, and there will be weeping and wailing.” 16 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said to the centurion, “Go home, My friend. Because of your faith, I will not disappoint you.” Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 gave the centurion a piece of metal, saying, “Place this beside the boy.” And from that time, the boy began to recover. 17 In the crowd which pressed around 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years, whom no one had been able to cure. Coming up behind 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, she prayed silently to herself and touched Him on the back. At once, the woman began to feel comfortable and relieved. 18 But 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 knew the healing power had been drawn from Him in an unexpected outsurge. Turning to the talmidim in the crowd, who stood guard, He asked who had touched Him. Kĕpha, who was there, said, “How can we know? The crowd presses so close we can hardly control them.” 19 The woman, hearing this, and fearful for what she had done, came forward and fell on her knees before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, confessing her guilt. He raised her up gently, saying, “My daughter, it is not the power in Me alone, but your faith has opened a door whereby it poured out to effect a cure. Be at peace in your heart, for the complaint will trouble you no more.” 20 After this, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 needed a rest, and while doing so a servant came bearing a message to the man whose daughter had been ill, telling him she had died. 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, overhearing what was said, called the man to Him and said, “Do not upset yourself; just trust Me and wait awhile, and we will go together.” 21 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 then bid the crowd remain where it was and went with the father and his servant, accompanied by three talmidim. When they arrived at the man’s house, mourners had already started the wailing of the laments, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 rebuked them for making such a noise when the girl was only sleeping, for He had sent his Ruaḥ before Him. The mourners said, “What kind of a fool is this?” 22 Ordering them outside, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, accompanied by the parents and two talmidim, entered the room where the child was lying. Taking her hands, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “Wake up, my little one.” And after a while she gave a great breath. Later, opening her eyes, she smiled and soon got up. The parents were overcome, but when they recovered, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 told them to keep their own counsel and attend to the child. 23 When they had left, Ya’aqoḇ, one of the talmidim, asked, “Why are some brought back to life and others not?” 24 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 answered, “Did I not say this one only slept? There is a time appointed for dying, and the ruaḥoth of men keep their appointments. I work with the Torah of ḥai, not against it.” 25 When they arrived back at the place where the crowd was gathered, there was a man lying in their midst, with a greatly swollen leg which had crippled him for many years. He said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, “Aḏonai, I have been a sinful man and have been punished.” 26 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “Be of good heart, for your suffering has compensated for your misdeeds.” 27 Some nearby who were hostile towards 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, hearing this, said, “This is blasphemous talk.” Overhearing what was said, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 turned to them and replied, “Talk such as this is cheap and serves no end. It takes more than a wagging tongue to effect cures.” 28 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said to the man on the ground, “Arise and go your way.” Thereupon he got up and walked, the people being amazed and giving thanks that such powers could be manifested among them. 29 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 then left and returned to the house of Kĕpha and, when he arrived, found several Parashyim waiting outside. They said, “We hear You have much wisdom. What is the basis of Your teaching? What sign can You give of Your authority, or what proof, so we can believe? Mosheh provided bread from the shamayim when our people starved in the wilderness, and by his deeds we know him for a true naḇi.” 30 A talmid said, “He has just healed four people.” But the Parashyim replied, “There are others who heal. This power is not unique in Him.” 31 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “Must you have proof and be given signs to believe? Surely this would take all merit from belief. As for Mosheh, I assure you he did not provide bread from the shamayim when he fed those who starved in the wilderness. Through Me, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will send down the bread of the shamayim, which nourishes the world.” 32 \"Therefore, when working to support yourselves, do not overlook the need for the bread of the shamayim which nourishes the ruaḥ, for man cannot live by mortal bread alone. Strive less for perishable food and more for the food of eternal life.” 33 The crowd answered, “O Aḏonai, never fail to provide us with this bread.” 34 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “I bring the bread of ḥai; whoever partakes of it will never hunger. I bring the water of eternity, and whoever drinks of it will never thirst. All I am intended to receive from above I will share with everyone who comes to Me.” 35 “The power I have comes from the shamayim and is used not for My own ends, but to serve the purpose of He who gave it. His Will is that I should waste no particle of what I have been given, but must account for it when My work is ended. For it is the Will of He who invested Me with authority and power that whoever has faith in Me and believes in My cause, putting My teachings into practice, will enjoy immortality in glory.” 36 One of the Parashyim said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, “Why do so many flock to hear You speak instead of going to the Hĕyḵal and places of assembly? Why do they have to listen to someone speaking on the streets and hillsides when they could listen to those fully armed with knowledge of the Torah?” 37 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 answered, “I too am surprised so many seek to learn righteousness from Me. Maybe they come because I am among those disinherited. But before telling them what to do, put yourselves in their place. Can it be they find My teachings more sustaining and closer to their hearts?” 38 Many of the Yahuḏim were angry at the teachings of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, for He said, “I have the true bread of ḥai and of the shamayim.” They said, “Is this not the 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 we know, son of Yosĕph and Miryam who are just ordinary people?” 39 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 once said to them, “Do not say things behind My back when you can say them to My face. I will draw no one away from your own teachings unless something greater inclines them towards Me. But if it does, they are on the way to immortality. The neḇi’im promised your forefathers that their descendants would receive instructions from Elohim. So can you not believe these things? Therefore, anyone 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 inclines towards Me hears Me speak with His voice.” 40 The people who joined the crowds about 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 filled Him with compassion, for they were so anxious to find the Deliverer. They seemed pathetically helpless and lost, like sheep without a shepherd. 41 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said to His talmidim, “The seed planted was good, and there is a rich harvest ready for the cutting. But alas, the harvesters are few; therefore, the overseer must be requested to send more men.” 42 The following day, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 was seated among the trees near the house of Kĕpha, and with Him were many talmidim. And one said to Him, “Aḏonai, since the days of our fathers, many slaves have come into the land - great numbers having no slaves, being forced into brigandage, for otherwise they would starve. Are these men evildoers?” 43 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 replied, “What they do is not good and therefore must be evil. But though their wrongdoing may be great in the eyes of men, it is small in the eyes of Elohim compared with the evil done by those who stand behind the deed. Many, blameless in the eyes of men, will not escape the judgment of eternity.” 44 “The disinherited say, ‘All things will change when 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 wills it,’ but I tell you the Father will not do the work of His sons. The Deliverer comes to take men to their places of labor and will ease their burdens there, but He cannot undertake the whole of the task. He will initiate the Rule of Elohim, but cannot force it upon men. He will teach them to judge the underprivileged justly and to deal harshly with the arrogant. The rich will be less rich and the poor less poor. He will point the feet of men towards the path of perfection, but cannot carry them along it. Earthly sovereigns can drive men to fulfill their tasks, but no one can be driven along the path to glory. Only those who guide and lead can take men this way.” 45 “I bring the Light, and the Light is a good tree bearing beneficial fruit. But fruit on the tree of darkness is consistent with conditions about its roots. For all trees are rooted in darkness, but the good tree transmutes the things of darkness into things of light.” 46 A talmid said to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏, “Aḏonai, You say harsh things about the rulers and those in high places but do not seek to arm us against them. Surely the day of arming comes soon.” 47 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 answered, “A physician is called to treat the sickness, and a healthy man does not require his attentions. The good in men I strengthen but leave untouched; it is the evil I seek out to destroy. Were it not for the strength of those who govern, there would be no shalom in the land. Man would strive with man, and there would be murder and pillage everywhere. It would be like the sea, where big fish feed on the small, and nothing is there to prevent it. Therefore, if murder and robbery are kept from your door, pay due homage to those who stand guard.” 48 “If an evil sovereign be guarded by a thousand good men, should these be slain to kill the sovereign? Is it not best to first take the good men away from service with the sovereign, bringing them into your own ranks? Those who serve evil, though powerful and wily, are cowards and hide behind the arms of better men. Therefore, by killing the brave men are you not adding evil to evil? No, first bring the good and brave men to your side, and then let events happen as they will.” 49 A young talmid who became an emissary said, “You speak about bread unlike other bread, but the meaning is not clear to me. Tell me again about it.” 50 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “I will tell you with certainty, he who follows My cause wholeheartedly will gain eternal ḥai, for I have the bread of immortality. The bread I give forms part of My being, and I share it for the good of the world. Many have the grains, but these are yet to be ground and baked. Unless, therefore, you can partake of My substance and become like Me, you cannot gain immortality in glory.” 51 “Yet what I can do, you can do also; what I have become, you can become. I do not ask men to follow a path I would not travel Myself. Neither is there anything in Me not inherent in you. As I am, I am the true food of men, and the power of ḥai flowing in Me is their true drink. I come with special gifts and authority from above, clothed with the living Ruaḥ, and I express ḥai as I do because of the powers within Me. So it will be with those who partake of My bread.” 52 Many of those with 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 could not hold these things in their hearts, for they were not easily understood. But one recorded them. Some, hearing these teachings, said, “These words are not easy to understand and difficult to accept.” 53 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤏 said, “So you find difficulty in accepting what I say. Suppose you could see Me communicating with My place of origin - would you believe then? But the eyes of the flesh cannot see things intended only for the eyes of the ruaḥ.” 54 “Only the ruaḥ contains the power of ḥai, and the flesh of itself can see or do nothing. The words I have spoken concern only the life-holding ruaḥ, and I have not referred to worldly matters. But still, you do not understand. I know you are perplexed and confused by My teachings. That is why I said something greater must speak internally to incline you toward Me.” 55 From this day, many talmidim and followers no longer heeded Him. 56 It is written in the Qodesh Books of the Yahuḏim, “In the days of unrighteousness, I will send forth a firebrand to consume the world with fire.” Also, “Then each man shall know the fullness of his own nature, and his reward shall be according to his measure.”