Letters from Adina - #22

Letter XXII. Render unto Caesar.

“Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.”

Once more, my dear father, I write a letter to you from the holy city.

It was a joyous morning to me, dear father; for Aemilius, the noble Roman prefect, was this day, voluntarily to present himself at the Temple, as a proselyte to the holy faith of Israel.

Pilate, the Procurator, encouraged instead of opposing this change in him, believing that it would please the Jews and turn their hearts to the Romans : he resolved, therefore, to grace the rite with his presence.

I could see him proudly driving onward toward the Temple in his gilded chariot, surrounded by a score of guards, blazing in their Grecian cuirasses. I sought in vain to behold Aemilius; but he came to the Temple by another street.

While I was gazing upon the scene, and worshiping God, and thanking Him for the conversion of Aemilius, Rabbi Amos came, and said that he would take us to the Temple, for he was at leisure on that morning.

The air of the vast Temple was sweat with the fragrance of burning frankincense. As the victims bled, and the smoke ascended, the people fell on their faces and worshiped God. It was a glorious sight, and made my heart stand still with fear. I seemed to expect to hear the voice of Jehovah breaking the stillness that followed.

At length I beheld a train of priests following the High Priest as he marched thrice around the altar. In that train, I beheld a company of proselytes, led by twelve aged priests, with long snowy beards, and clad in vestments of the purest white. Among the proselytes, who numbered full a score of men from almost every nation, I discerned the tall and noble figure of the Roman Aemilius.

He was robbed in a black garment that covered him from head to foot. But when he drew near the baptismal basin, two young priests removed this outer garment and robed him in white. I then saw him baptized into the family of Abraham, and a new name given him, that of Eleazer.

I heard the silver trumpets proclaim the conversion, and the multitudes shouting their joy. While I was lifting up my heart in thankfulness for the happy conversion of Aemilius, and while the Jews were crowding about him to extend to him the hand of fellowship, rejoicing that a man of such authority should believe with us, Uncle Amos drew my attention by exclaiming joyfully:

‘‘Behold! yonder is Jesus, the Prophet.”

‘‘Where?’”’ I cried, trying to discover the divine Prophet among the multitude.

Hark! He speaks,’’ cried my uncle.

Every voice was hushed, as the words of Jesus rose clear and sweet, and piercing the stillness, like a heavenly clarion.

And he preached, dear father, a sermon so full of wisdom, of love to man, of love to God, of knowledge of our hearts, of divine and convincing power, that thousands wept; thousands were chained to the spot with awe and with rejoicing, and all were moved as if an angel had addressed them.

They cried, “Never man spake like this man!’’ and certainly never human lips came such wisdom.

When he had ended, the priests, seeing that he had carried the hearts of all the people, were greatly offended, and not being able to show their hatred and fear in any other way, they hired a wicked man named Gazeel, a robber, who taking one of the blood-stained sacrificing knives from the altar, and crept towards Him behind the column, to slay Him.

The robber drew near, and had already raised his hand to strike the Prophet from behind, when Jesus turning his head, arrested the hand of the murderer in mid-air, by a look. Unable to move, Gazeel stood betrayed to all eyes in the very act of murder, like a statue of stone.

“Return to those who hired thee. My hour is not yet come; nor can they have any power over me until my Father’s will be fulfilled concerning me.’’

The robber bowed his head with deep humility; the knife dropped from his hand and rang upon the marble floor; and he sank at Jesus’ feet, imploring forgiveness.

The people would have torn Gazeel in pieces, but Jesus said - “Let him depart in peace. The day shall come when he will be willing to lay down his life to save mine.

Ye, priests, go about to kill me,’’ he added, fixing His clear gaze upon the men who had sent Gazeel.

‘‘Wherefore do ye seek my life? Because I bear testimony to your wickedness. Ye lay heavy burdens on the people, and will not lift them with one of your fingers. I have come to my own, and to my Temple, and ye receive me not.

The day cometh when this Temple shall be thrown down, and not one stone left upon another; and some who hear me shall behold and shall mourn in that day.

Oh, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how oft would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Thou shalt be left desolate and cast out from among cities, because thou knewest not the day of thy visitation.

But ye, who would escape these troubles; seek to enter my kingdom, which shall have no end; fly to the Jerusalem which is above, whose foundation is eternal, and whose Temple is the Lord God Almighty, who is also the Light and Glory thereof.”

Upon hearing these words, there arose a great cry from ten thousand voices -

“Hail to Jesus, King of Israel and Judah! Hosanna to the Prince of David! We will have no king but Jesus.’’

At this shout, which was caught and repeated beyond the four gates of the Temple, the priests cried aloud that the people were rising in revolt.

Pilate, who was, with his guard, just leaving the Court of the Gentiles, hearing this, turned to ask what it meant. One of the priests, desirous to have Jesus slain, quickly answered that the people had proclaimed Jesus, the Nazarene king, and that He was placing Himself at the head of the people.

Hearing this, Pilate sent off messengers to the Castle of David for soldiers, and with his body-guard turned back to the Temple gate, rushing upon the people sword in hand.

The tumult was now dreadful, and the bloodshed would have been great, but that Jesus suddenly appeared before Pilate—none saw how he had come hither—and said -

“O Roman! I seek no kingdom but such as my Father hath given me. Neither thy power, nor thy master’s, is now in peril. My kingdom is not of this world.”

Pilate was seen to bend his proud head humbly before the Prophet, and said graciously -

“I have no wish to imprision thee. Thy word, O Prophet, is sufficient for me. Of thee I have hitherto heard much. Wilt thou come with me to my palace, and let me hear thee, and see some miracle?”

“Thou shalt see me in thy palace, but not to-day; and thou shalt behold a miracle, but not now.”

When Jesus had thus said, He withdrew Himself from Pilate’s presence; and those who would have sought Him to make Him a king could not find Him.

The result of this attempt of the people to make the Prophet their king, and under His direction to overthrow the Roman power, is that the Roman authorities, moved thereunto by Annas and the priests, begin to look upon Jesus with eyes of envy; and Pilate this morning told a concourse of priests, who sought him to pray that he would arrest and imprison the Prophet, that on the first proof they could bring him of His emnity to Caesar, he would send his soldiers to take Him:

To-day Jesus was resting in our house, when several Scribes and Pharisees came in.

I saw by their dark looks they meditated evil; and secretly sent Elec with a message to Aemilius (now called Eleazer), asking him to be on hand to protect Jesus; for Aemilius is devoted to Him as we are, and Jesus takes delight in teaching him the things of the kingdom of God.

Jesus, knowing the hearts of these wicked men, said to them, after they had seated themselves, and remained some minutes in silence:

“Wherefore are ye come?’’

“Master,” said Jehoram, one of the chief Scribes, ‘‘we know that thou art a teacher come from God, and fearest no man, nor regardest the person of any man.’’

“Yes,” added Zadoc, a Levite of great fame among the people; ‘‘we have heard how boldly thou speakest at all times; and that thou withdrawest thyself from no man’s power—not even Pilate, nor Herod, nor Caesar himself, could make thee refrain from what thou choosest to utter.

Is it lawful for us Jews, the peculiar nation of God, to pay tribute to Caesar, who is an idolater? Is it lawful for us to obey the laws of Pilate, rather than the laws of Moses? We ask this as Jews talking with a Jew. Tell us boldly; for thou fearest not the face of any man.”

‘‘Let the question be wholly concerning the tribute to the Romans,’’ answered Jehoram. ‘‘Master, is it lawful for us, the holy nation, to give tribute to Caesar?”

Jesus looked fixedly upon them, as though He read their wicked thoughts, and said - “Show me the tribute-money.”

Zadoc gave Him a penny, the Roman coin sent into Judea by Caesar, the Emperor, and which we return to Rome in tribute.

When Jesus had taken the money, he looked on the head of Augustus stamped upon one side, and then turning to them, as they waited breathlessly for His answer, said -

“Whose image and whose superscription is this?’’ ‘‘Caesar’s,’’ eagerly answered the whole party.

“Then render unto Caesar the things that be Caesar’s, and unto God the things that be God’s,” was His calm and wise answer.

I breathed again; for I feared He would answer openly that tribute ought not to be paid, and indeed they hoped He would answer, that they might immediately accuse Him to Pilate as teaching that we ought not to pay tribute to Rome, and so stirring up rebellion.

But the divine wisdom of his answer satisfied all our minds; while the Scribes and Levites, His enemies, heard Him with amazement, looked upon each other as men ashamed, and departed.

So great is His wisdom, dear father, that His enemies cannot triumph over Him.

Your loving daughter, Adina

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LADY DONNA PROGRAM

The new Lady Donna Immersion in Spirituality, Academics and Citizenship @ the "I AM" School will study abridged excerpts of the Letters from Adina taken from Reverend Ingraham's original edited version of 'The Prince of the House of David', published by Cassell & Co. Ltd (1903), that reveal remarkable insights into the Living Etheric Record left by Beloved Jesus's Ministry in the Holy Land.