‘We too have to make this choice.’ Photo: by PxHere
Problem child? Jenny Webb’s Thought for the week
‘This story captured my imagination.’
In the canonical Gospels we only read about Jesus’ life from the age of twelve, when he is visiting the temple. But we can learn more about his childhood from texts known as the Infancy Gospels. The Infancy Gospel of St Thomas, for example, thought to be written in the second century CE, tells the story of Jesus aged five, playing with his friends by a stream and fashioning birds out of clay. But it was the Sabbath, when such activity was forbidden: ‘So Joseph went there, and as soon as he spotted him he shouted, “Why are you doing what’s not permitted on the Sabbath?” But Jesus simply clapped his hands and shouted to the sparrows, “Be off, fly away, and remember me, you who are now alive!” And the sparrows took off and flew away noisily.’
This story, which is also referenced in the Qu’ran, captured my imagination – or you could say it spoke to my condition. I imagined Jesus lovingly fashioning a bird, cradling it in his little hands, throwing it into the sky, and then watching in delight as it flew freely away.
The story has echoes of Genesis: ‘And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.’ This gets to the heart of the miracle of life, given to us when we breathe, and taken away when breathing is no longer possible. Jesus is acting out the power of God, and in doing so he embodies the spirit of the loving creator.
Most accounts of this story finish here. We never learn what happens to the young Jesus after he has demonstrated his supernatural power in this way. The reason for this probably lies in the paragraph that follows: ‘The son of Annas the scholar, standing there with Jesus, took a willow branch and drained the water Jesus had collected. Jesus, however, saw what had happened and became angry, saying to him, “Damn you, you irreverent fool! What harm did the ponds of water do to you? From this moment you, too, will dry up like a tree, and you’ll never produce leaves or root or bear fruit”. In an instant the boy had completely withered away.’
This shocking account is only one of a series of incidents in which the infant Jesus exerts his power maliciously. I suspect that this is why the Gospel of St Thomas was condemned as heretical, and only rediscovered hundreds of years later. It suggests that Jesus had the power to be both compassionate and cruel. He had to learn to use his power for good.
We too have to make this choice. I am reminded of the Edwin Hatch hymn:
Breathe on me, breath of God, fill me with life anew
That I may love what thou dost love
And do what thou wouldst do!
Perhaps we should also remind ourselves of those other reported words of the infant Jesus: ‘Remember me, you who are now alive!’
Comments
V moving and stilling.
By hilary southall on 2024 03 14
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