Leo Tolstoy Archive
Written: 1908
Source: From RevoltLib.com
Transcription/Markup: Andy Carloff
Online Source: RevoltLib.com; 2021
After that, Jesus went to Galilee and lived there with his family. And at the day of the Jewish holiday of Tabernacles, Jesus’ brothers prepared to go to the celebration and began to call Jesus with them. They did not believe in his teaching and told him: “So, you’re saying that Jewish service to God is wrong and that you know the real service to God by deeds. If you really think that you know something that nobody else knows except you, so come with us to the celebration, a lot of people will be there, declare your teaching in front of all the people. If everybody will believe you, then your students will see that you are right. Because why to hide. You are saying that our service to God is false, that you know the true one, so, show it to everybody.” And Jesus said to them: “There is time for everything. I’ll go when the time is right.” And his brothers have left, but he stayed. And there were a lot of people at the celebration, and people argued about the teaching of Jesus. Some told that his teaching is true, and others told that he only confuses people. In the middle of celebration Jesus himself came to Jerusalem and entered the temple. In the hallway of the temple were cattle - cows, bulls, rams, and nets with pigeons, and behind benches – money changers sat with money. All of that was used by people to bring sacrifices to God. And Jesus, having entered the temple and seen a lot of people, first drove cattle away from the temple, and let all the pigeons go, and scattered the money of the changers. And then he told everyone: “Prophet Isaiah said: "The house of God is not the temple in Jerusalem, but the world of all people of God". And the prophet Jeremiah also said: "Do not believe false speeches that this is the house of the Eternal, do not believe that, but change your lives and do not judge falsely, don’t oppress a stranger, widow, orphan, don’t spill innocent blood, and don’t come into the house of God, saying: ‘Now we peacefully can do evil.’ Don’t make a den of robbers out of my house. I, God, do not rejoice in your sacrifices, but I rejoice in your love toward each other.” Understand what these words of the prophet mean: ‘a living temple is a world of all people, when they love each other.’ You need to serve God not in a temple, but by life in the spirit and good deeds.”
Everyone listened, and marveled at his speeches, and asked each other where he, without studying, knows all this from. And Jesus, having heard that everybody marveled at his speeches, said: “My teaching is not mine, but of the One who sent me, because he who makes things up by himself, seeks glory among men, but who is looking for what He, who sent him, wants, he is just, and there is no unrighteousness in him. I teach you only the fulfillment of the will of the Father. If you'll start fulfilling this will, then you’ll learn that I haven’t I made up what I say, and that this teaching is from God.” And many people said: "They say that he is a false prophet, but he says everything clearly, and nobody says anything against him. Only we cannot believe that he is the Messiah, the Messenger of God, because it is said: ‘When the messenger of God will come, no one will know where he came from,’ but we know him and all his relatives.” Then Jesus said to them: “You know where I am from by flesh, but you do not know where I am from by spirit. You don't know whose I am in spirit, and it is only Him that you need to know. If someone would tell you that I am the Messiah, you would have believed me, a man; yet you don’t believe the Father who is in me and in you. And you must believe only the Father. (John 7: 1-29; 2: 13-16; Matthew 21: 13; 12: 7)
Questions:
1) That did the Jesus’ brothers say?
2) What did he answer?
3) What did people speak at the celebration about the teaching of Jesus?
4) What has he done in the temple?
5) What was he saying?
6) What were the people saying?
7) What did Jesus answer them?