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My Dear Father:—I have received your last letter by
the Cairo merchant, Heber, the son of Malchial, and
having read it to Rabbi Amos, he said, after careful reflection
thereupon, that he could not agree with you in your
opinion touching the undimmed glory of Messiah, viz:
“that he is to come as a King, and Mighty Leader of
Hosts, and reign and prosper, and rule the earth, King of
the kings of the earth.” He desires me to ask you what
is meant by “Messias being a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief,” as prophesied of him; and how
you interpret, dear father, other than as referring to a violent
end, the words of the wise Daniel, “And after three-score
and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself?” Uncle also desires me to ask you to examine
into the time named by Daniel, when Messiah the Prince
is to come, and take note that we live in the day of the
close of the threescore and two weeks, whereof the prophet
writeth and saith, “Know, therefore, and understand, that
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince, shall be seven
weeks and threescore and two weeks.” Rabbi Amos says,
the time for the appearing of Christ is come, as all must
confess who read the Prophets; and the only reason that

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Jesus is not believed to be he, is that he comes in poverty
and humility, fasting and suffering. But, my dear father,
may it not be ordained that He shall come in lowliness and
end in power? Oh, that you could have the faith in
Jesus of Nazareth, that He is Messias, that I have, dearest
and most honored father! Since I last wrote you, my
faith has been confirmed by the testimony which in one of
your letters you demanded. You said, “let me hear that
he has done an authentic miracle in attestation of the
divinity of his mission, such a miracle as was prophesied
Messias shall do, as healing the sick by a word, restoring
the blind to sight, and raising the dead, and I will prepare
to believe in him.”

A miracle He has performed, dear father, and one the
genuineness of which is not disputed by any one. I can
give you the particulars best by extracting from a letter
written by John to Mary, a few days after his departure to
join Jesus at Nazareth; for John has joined himself to
him, and become his disciple.

“Upon reaching Nazareth,” says the letter, “I was
guided to the humble dwelling occupied by the mother of
Jesus, by a large concourse of people gathered about it,
of whom inquiring, I learned that it was to see the new
Prophet they had assembled. `What new prophet?' I
asked, wishing to know what the multitude thought of
Jesus.

“`The One John of the wilderness foretold,' answered
one.

“`They say he is Messias,' replied another.

“`He is the Christ,' boldly asserted a third.

“Hereupon, a Levite standing by said scornfully, `Does

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Christ come out of Galilee? You read the prophets to
little purpose, if you see therein any Christ prophesied to
come out of Nazareth of Galilee.' Hereupon, seeing the
faith of many staggered, I said, `Brethren, Christ is truly
of Bethlehem; and verily Jesus, though He dwelleth in
this place, was born in Bethlehem.' `Thou canst not
prove it, man,' said the Levite, angrily. `The stranger
speaketh truly,' spoke up both an old man and a grayhaired
woman in the crowd; `we know that he was not
born here, and that when his parents moved here, when
he was an infant, they then said he was born in Bethlehem.
We all remember this well.'

“Hereupon, the Levite, seeing that he had not the
people with him, passed on his way, while I went to the
door of the house where Jesus dwelt with his mother.
There were two doors, one of which led into a work-shop,
where I noticed the bench and tools of the occupation at
which he had toiled to support himself and his mother.
This sight made me half question whether he who was an
humble artisan, whose tools and shop I saw before me,
could in truth be the Christ of God, the Prince Messias
whom all the patriarchs and prophets looked forward to
with the eye of faith, desiring to see his day! and it
required the recalling of the wonderful scenes of his baptism,
the holy dove and voice of God, and his miraculous
preservation in the wilderness, to revive my assurance;
but when, as I entered the dwelling, I saw him standing,
teaching those who hung on his lips, and listened to his
calm voice, and heard the sublime wisdom of his instructions,
beheld the dignity of his aspect, and the heavenly
benignity of his manner, I forgot the carpenter, I forgot

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the man, and seemed to behold in Him only Messiah the
Prince, the Son of God.

“Upon beholding me, he extended his hand, and received
me graciously, and said, pointing to five men who stood
near him, regarding him with mingled love and reverence,
`These are thy brethren, who have also come out of the
world to follow me.'

“Of these, one was Andrew, who was, as well as myself,
John's disciple, and we were talking with him when
Jesus came forth out of the wilderness. Another was
Andrew's brother, whose name is Simon, who hearing his
brother speak of Jesus as the Christ, had gone with him
to see him; and had no sooner beheld him than he joined
himself to him; and Jesus, from the firmness and immovable
zeal of his character, which He seemed to understand,
called him also Peter, or Stone. The fourth disciple was
of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. His name
was Philip, and he followed Jesus from having been prepared
by John the Baptist to receive him. He was, however,
so overjoyed at finding the Christ, that he ran to the
house of his brother Nathaniel, and finding him in his garden,
beneath a fig-tree, at prayer, exclaimed, `We have
found Him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets
did write, the Messias of God!' `Where is He, that I
may behold Him?' asked his brother, rising. `It is Jesus
of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,' Philip answered. Upon
hearing this answer, the countenance of Nathaniel fell,
and he replied, “Can there any good thing come out of
Nazareth?' `Come thou and see for thyself,' answered
Philip. Nathaniel then went with him where Jesus was.
When Jesus saw him approaching, He said to those about

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him, `Behold an Israelite, indeed, in whom there is no
guile!' `Whence knowest thou me?' asked Nathaniel,
with surprise, for he had heard the words which were
spoken. Jesus answered, and said, `Before Philip called
thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee.'
Upon hearing this, Nathaniel, who knew that he was all
alone in his garden, and unseen at prayer, when his
brother came, regarded the serene face of Jesus steadfastly,
and then, as if he beheld therein the expression of divinity,
he cried before all the people, `Rabbi, Thou art the Son
of God! Thou art the King of Israel!' Jesus looked
upon him as if pleased at his confession, and said,
`Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree,
believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than
these. Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall
see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending upon the Son of Man.'

“These four, Andrew and Peter, Philip and Nathaniel,
were then present in the house with him; and, to my
surprise and joy, with them stood my own brother James,
whom Jesus had seen on the lake in his boat, and called
him, when James left all and followed him. Thus we
were six disciples in all, bound to him by ties of
confidence and love. The mother of Jesus, a noble
and matronly woman, still beautiful, and with a face
of the holiest serenity, was present, and gazed with love
and tenderness upon her Son, listening to his words, as if
she also would learn of him that wisdom which hath
descended upon him from above. The next day James
and I went to the sea of Tiberias, but two hours distant,
to see our father Zebedee, and transfer our interests

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to him; and, during the afternoon, Jesus passed near
the shore on his way to Cana, when, calling us, we left
our ships with our father and joined him. His mother,
and many of her kinsfolk were of the company, all
going to a marriage of the cousin of the family. Upon
our arrival at Cana, we were ushered into the guestchamber,
and Jesus, in particular, was received with
marked respect by the Hebrew master of the house,
though he was an officer in the service of the Romans.
We here met Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptizer,
who is a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The
meeting between them was very touching.

“`Ah,' said the mother of the prophet, as she looked
upon Jesus, who was talking with the governor of the
feast, `How blessed art thou, O, Mary, to have thy son
ever with thee! while I am a mother, and yet no mother.
The son whom God gave me He hath taken from me to be
his prophet, and he is to me as if he were dead! Since
his twelfth year he has been in the wilderness, knowing
no man, until six months ago he came forth to proclaim
the advent of thy holy Son!'

“The marriage feast at length commenced. The
wine which should have come from Damascus, had not
arrived, the caravan having been delayed by the insurrection
near Cesarea. The guests had therefore but
little wine, and the chief ruler of the town presiding at
the feast, seeing that the wine had given out, bade
the servants to place more upon the board. The mother
of Jesus, who knew that the wine was out, turning to
him, said, `They have no wine!' for it seems that she
knew the power that was within him, though he had not

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yet manifested it openly. I sat next to him, and heard
her when she whispered to Jesus. He looked grave, and
said with a slight tone of respectful reproof, and applying
to her that title which we in Judea believe most honorable
of all others, `Woman,' he said, `what have I to do with
thy private requests for the exercise of my power? You
wish me to perform a miracle before this noble company,
that they may behold and believe on me. Mine hour for
manifesting my glory to men is not yet come, nevertheless,
in obedience to thy wish, my honored mother, I will do
what thou desirest me to do.'

“She then thanked him with deep emotion, and turned
to the servants and beckoned to them, while her cheek
borrowed a rich color from her hidden joy, and her eyes
kindled with the feelings of a mother about to see her son
display powers such as only come by the gift of God, and
which were to seal Him as a Prophet, before the eyes of
Jew and Gentile. For myself, Mary, not anticipating, or
suspecting what was to take place, I regarded the nervous
emotions of the joyful mother with marvel. When two or
three of the servants approached, she said to them:

“`Whatsoever He saith to you, do it.'

“They then fixed their regards upon him, awaiting his
commands, as little suspecting what they would be as I
did. The face of Jesus, ever calm and dignified, now
seemed to express a certain consciousness of power within,
that awed me. Casting his eyes upon several stone vases,
which stood by the door empty, he said to them:

“`Fill the water-pots with water.'

“In the court, in full sight from the table, was a well,
to which the servants went with jars, which I saw them

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fill with water, bear in upon their heads, and pour it out
into the water-pots, until they had filled them all, six in
number. While this was going on, the governor of the
feast was relating to the guests, and fixing their attention,
as well as his own, how Herod and Pontius Pilate had
recently become enemies, because the latter, on his way
from Cesarea Philippi to Jerusalem, to be present with
his forces during the weeks of the Passover, having come
to a caravanserai, at night, which was occupied by Herod
and his body-guard, turned them out to make room for his
own, saying that a Roman Procurator was more honorable
than a Jewish King of Galilee. `It will be long,' added
the governor, as the last water-pot was filled, `before this
quarrel will be made up between them. But we talk, my
friends, and forget our wine.'

“`Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the
feast,' said Jesus to the servants.

“They obeyed, and pouring rich, blood-red wine from
the jars which I and others had seen filled up with water
from the well, the amazed servants bore it to the chief of
the feast. He had no sooner filled his goblet and tasted it,
than he called to the bridegroom, who sat in the middle of
the table, and said:

“`Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine,
and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse,
but thou hast kept the good wine until now.'

“`Who hath brought this wine?' asked the bridegroom,
drinking of the water that was made wine. `Whence it
came, sir, I know not.'

“Then the servants and others told that they had filled
the six water-pots with water to the brim, at the

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command of Jesus, and that when they drew out, behold it
flowed forth wine instead of water. Upon this there was
a general exclamation of surprise; and the governor of the
feast crying out, `A Prophet hath been among us, and we
knew it not,' rose to approach and do honor to Jesus; but
he had already conveyed himself away, rising and passing
out through the door, and sought the solitude of the garden.
Thither I followed him, and worshiping him, sat at his
feet and listened to him, while he unfolded to me wonderful
things concerning himself, showing that he is truly
the Son of God, and the very Christ. But these things I
cannot speak to thee of now, for I do not clearly understand
all that he is to be, save that I know he is destined to
suffer, and to be exalted. Doubt not,” concludes the
letter to Mary, “doubt not that Jesus is the Christ. His
miracle at Cana, of turning water into wine, is a public
display of his divine power. All men at the feast have
believed on Him, and his fame is spreading abroad throughout
Galilee and Samaria. He has told me privately that
he must soon visit Jerusalem, and he will there openly
proclaim his mission as the Christ of God.”

In this manner, my dear father, writes the betrothed
husband of my cousin Mary; and I have given you the
extract from his letter in order that you may see that Jesus
is already attracting great attention, that he has disciples,
and that he is by no means poor who has the power to
convert wells of water into wine. From this letter you
must perceive that Jesus is at least a Prophet, equal to
Elijah, who kept the cruse of the widow of Zarephath.
If, therefore, you acknowledge this much, you must confess
that he is a good man. Now, a good man will not lie.

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Yet Jesus hath said to John, that He is the Christ! How,
then, my dear father, can any one deny, who believes him
to be a prophet, that he is more than a prophet, even Messias?
Pardon your daughter for thus presuming to reason
with you, but I am so earnest that you should believe,
that I sometimes forget the daughter in the disciple of
Jesus. As for my uncle, the good and learned Rabbi
Amos, he is more than half his disciple; and I have no
doubt that when Jesus shall present himself in Jerusalem,
and he can see him and hear his divine teachings, he will
cast off all prejudice and become his follower.

The rumor of the miracle at Cana has reached Jerusalem
since I began this letter, and I hear that it has produced
no little excitement in the market-places and courts
of the Temple. Rabbi Amos, on his return from sacrifice,
a few minutes ago, said that he saw more than thirty
priests with rolls of the Prophets in their hands, engaged in
looking up the prophecies of Christ. So, my dear father,
you see that the young man “who came,” as you
remarked, “no one knew whence, and went, no one knew
whither,” is already taking hold of the attention of Israel,
and stirring up the minds of all men to investigate his
claims to be the Christ.

p612-185

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