Yeshua Confounds the Temple Priests

CHAPTER 8

As a youth, Yeshua is instructed by many wise men, and with an impeccable memory, he retains everything he reads and learns. At the age of twelve, Yeshua travels to Jerusalem for the Passover feast with his family, and after all the days of the feast are concluded, his family leaves, thinking he is with them. When they find he is not, they hurry back to Jerusalem but do not find him for three days. During this time, he is speaking with authority to the priests in the temple who do not take kindly to his knowledge of the scripture in ways they do not, or cannot, fathom. The first night after the families return to Nazareth, an angel appears to Yosef in a dream and tells him that Yeshua must spend two years living in the community of Gimron with Yochanan to gain greater wisdom and stature.

 1 And it came to pass that Yeshua grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.

 2 His father Yosef taught him in the ways of wood in which he was very adept, and Yeshua became well practiced in the making of wheels, yokes, tables, and chairs.

 3 Prudently, using portions of the treasure of the Magi, Yosef and Miryam afforded Yeshua the opportunity to have instructions from wise men, particularly Greeks and others who came from beyond Galilee.

 4 And it came to pass that Yeshua was continually gaining wisdom and knowledge from every person he met and from everything he encountered in his life. And from every word of importance that he heard and from every written script his eyes beheld, he remembered all things; nor did he ever forgot anything that he learned or ever cease in his desire to acquire knowledge.

 5 Each year upon the Passover, Yosef and Miryam went up to Jerusalem with their kinsfolk to take part in the feast.

 6 According to the admonitions of the angel Gabriel whom visited Miryam when Yeshua was conceived, they ate not the flesh of any animal of warm blood or that nurtured its young nor drank anything except pure water and wine of the pure grape. And whenever possible, they ate not any creature that had been killed at all or of any plants except those that had just been harvested and still retained the essence of vitality.

 7 Thus, it was that when Yeshua was twelve years of age, he went to Jerusalem with them and many of their family, according to the custom of the feast.

 8 When Yosef and Miryam and their kinsfolk had fulfilled all the days of the feast, they departed Jerusalem to return again to Nazareth of Galilee.

 9 They supposed that Yeshua had returned with them and was among their kinsfolk, but unbeknownst to them, he had tarried in Jerusalem.

 10 His parents, upon discovering that he was not among them, hurried back to Jerusalem to search for him and, after three days, found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the priests and learned men in earnest discourse, listening to them and asking questions and giving answers. And a large group of people had gathered, and upon hearing Yeshua speak, they were astonished at his understanding.

 11 As Yosef and Miryam approached, a priest said unto Yeshua, “You say Elohim desires man to not eat the meat of creatures of warm blood and is more pleased if man eats meat not at all of any animal or fowl or even fish, but only plants and a little of honey and eggs and milk foods.

 12 Yet the sacred scrolls tell us that Elohim said unto Noah, “The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the Earth and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.”

 13 And Yeshua answered unto him, “Verily, those are the false words of men written into that which is sacred to justify themselves, for the scrolls also say of that day, and God saw the Earth and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the Earth.”

 14 Then were many of the priests angry with him insomuch that they desired to rend their garments, for he had said that some of that which was sacred to them was of men, not God, but they were restrained because of his youth.

 15 And another priest said, “The sacred scrolls tell us that Elohim has said that man is to have dominion over the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air and everything that moves upon the Earth. By this, we also know that man can eat the clean creatures of the world if he desires, for they are under his dominion.”

 16 Yeshua answered him with authority, saying, “Verily, dominion does not grant permission for man to kill animals as he desires, merely allows that Elohim has sanctioned man to use them to help with his labors, and with thanksgiving, take a little of their honey and milk and eggs to make into food as needed. But to kill them without great cause is to turn upon God, the creator of all.

 17 Had Elohim desired man to eat the flesh of animals, he would have made the bodies of man into great hunters with large sharp teeth and claws like the bear and the lion, not weak and frail, with small teeth and thin little nails, less than even the cattle and the chickens.”

 18 Consider instead that man was made in the very image of God, and do you think that Elohim would desire to see the reflection of God wantonly killing those creatures which Elohim has made to also have a life?

 19 Then the priests were wroth, and many murmured against him even though he was only a youth. And Yeshua, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, “Herein is the proof of the words I speak and the falsehood of the words of man posing as God revealed:

 20 Verily, I say unto you the commandments of Elohim are given for the good of man that man might be abundantly blessed as he honestly lives the commandments given.

 21 Therefore, how can it be that the sacred scrolls record Elohim giving a commandment to eat only the plants and fruits of the Earth to Adam, but then after the days of Noah, God would say that every moving thing that lives shall be food for you?

 22 It is not because Elohim suddenly requires less of man, but because in his wickedness, man no longer desires to live the higher laws and therefore cannot receive the greater blessings of God.

 23 Then to justify himself, man perverted the word of God, writing lesser commandments upon the sacred scrolls in the name of Elohim to uphold his weakness. So it was in the days of Noah and so it was in the days of Moses, and so it is even today as weak men uphold their contrary deeds with words of false scribes shrouded in the sacredness of ancient scrolls.

 24 Verily, I say unto you Elohim would not give a good commandment unto the children of men that they might be blessed, then when they are wicked as in the days of Noah, give unto them a lesser commandment because of their weakness, for then he would be becoming as man desired, instead of man becoming as God desired, nor could any blessing come from wickedness.

 25 In truth, the sacred scrolls say that after God had made all the Earth and all life upon it, he said that it was good. Therefore, it is the sacred trust of man to protect that which God has said is good, not to kill it and destroy it; else, man stands in opposition to the good and will of Elohim.

 26 And God said unto Adam, who came before Noah, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the Earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; to you it shall be for meat.’

 27 Now let me ask a question of you, my learned Elders. For what reason did the people in the times before Noah live for many hundreds of years, and Methuselah even for nearly a millennium, yet after the days of Noah, man lived scarcely any time on Earth at all?”

 28 And none could answer him.

 29 Then said Yeshua unto them, “Verily, it is because in the times before Noah, men did as Elohim commanded and killed not the creatures of the Earth at all and, for meat, ate only plants and the good things the animals gave unto them in life. Thus did they have the vitality of life and walked upon the Earth for hundreds of years in health and vigor.

 30 Then because of wickedness came the flood, because the children of men that came after Noah were corrupt and killed the animals and despoiled the world God had made. As they took death into them, so they died before their time.

 31 And I say unto you that in the days of Adam, God gave a fullness of the light and man ate only plants and the gifts of the animals; then after the days of Noah, man became exceedingly wicked and lost the knowledge Elohim gave to man for long life upon the land.

 32 But the day shall come when the children of men are again worthy of the fullness of light, for as the Prophet Isaiah said, ‘The wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.’”

 33 And the priests desired to answer him but could find no words, and all who listened were amazed at the teachings of Yeshua.

 34 Then Yosef and Miryam came over to him and were overjoyed to embrace him, and Miryam said unto him, “Son, why have you remained here without telling us? Behold, your father and I have searched for you for three days and have had much sorrow wondering what had become of you.”

 35 And Yeshua answered them, “Why did you search for me other than here? Did you not know that I must be in the house dedicated to my parents and about my Father’s business?” And they were confused by the words which he spoke to them, but Miryam remembered these things in her heart and knew that she must someday share them with others.

 36 The first night as they returned to Nazareth, while Yosef slept, an angel of God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Yosef, your son has been called of God before the world was; you must make straight his path that he may fulfill that which God would have him do.

 37 Therefore upon your return to Nazareth, prepare him to journey to the community at Gimron and there to join Yochanan, the son of Zekaryah and Elizabet, and remain for two years that he may further increase in wisdom and stature and find favor with God and man.”

 38 And being an upright and righteous man, who had seen wonders such as few men had seen, Yosef did not hesitate or doubt that which he dreamed and, straightaway upon their arrival in Nazareth began to make ready for Yeshua to depart.