On the kingdoms of the world - Kahlil Gibran

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ON THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD

 

Upon a day in the spring of the year Jesus stood in the market-place

of Jerusalem and He spoke to the multitudes of the kingdom of heaven.

 

And He accused the scribes and the Pharisees of setting snares and

digging pitfalls in the path of those who long after the kingdom; and

He denounced them.

 

Now amongst the crowd was a company of men who defended the Pharisees

and the scribes, and they sought to lay hands upon Jesus and upon us

also.

 

But He avoided them and turned aside from them, and walkked towards

the north gate of the city.

 

And He said to us, " My hour has not yet come. Many are the things I

have still to say unto you, and many are the deeds I shall yet

perform ere I deliver myself up to the world. "

 

Then He said, and there was joy and laughter in His voice, " Let us go

into the North Country and meet the spring. Come with me to the

hills, for winter is past and the snows of Lebanon are descending to

the valleys to sing with the brooks.

 

" The fields and the vineyards have banished sleep and are awake to

greet the sun with their green figs and tender grapes. "

 

And He walked before us and we followed Him, that day and the next.

 

And upon the afternoon of the third day we reached the summit of

Mount Hermon, and there He stood looking down upon the cities of the

plains.

 

And His face shone like molten gold, and He outsretched His arms and

He said to us, " Behold the earth in her green raiment, and see how

the streams have hemmed the edges of her garments with silver.

 

" In truth the earth is fair and all that is upon her is fair.

 

" But there is a kingdom beyond all that you behold, and therein I

shall rule. And if it is your choice, and if it is indeed your

desire, you too shall come and rule with me.

 

" My face and your faces shall not be masked; our hand shall hold

neither sword nor sceptre, and our subjects shall love us in peace

and shall not be in fear of us. "

 

Thus spoke Jesus, and unto all the kingdoms of the earth I was

blinded, and unto all the cities of walls and towers; and it was in

my heart to follow the Master to His kingdom.

 

Then just at that moment Judas of Iscariot stepped forth. And he

walked up to Jesus, and spoke and said, " Behold, the kingdoms of the

world are vast, and behold the cities of David and Solomon shall

prevail against the Romans. If you will be the king of the Jews we

shall stand beside you with sword and shield and we shall ovecome the

alien. "

 

But when Jesus heard this He turned upon Judas, and His face was

filled with wrath. And He spoke in a voice terrible as the thunder of

the sky and He said, " Get you behind me, Satan. Think you that I came

down the years to rule an ant-hill for a day?

 

" My throne is a throne beyond your vision. Shall he whose wings

encircle the earth seek shelter in a nest abandoned and forgotten?

 

" Shall the living be honored and exalted by the wearer of shrouds? "

 

" My kingdom is not of this earth, and my seat is not builded upon the

skulls of yor ancestors.

 

" If you seek naught save the kingdom of the spirit then it were

better for you to leave me here, and go down to the caves of your

dead, where the crowned heads of yore hold court in their tombs and

may still be bestowing honors upon the bones of your forefathers.

 

" Dare you tempt me with a crown of dross, when my forehead seeks the

Pleiades, or else your thorns?

 

" Were it not for a dream dreamed by a forgotten race I would not

suffer your sun to rise upon my patience, nor your moon to throw my

shadow across your path.

 

" Were it not for a mother's desire I would have stripped me of the

swaddling-clothes and escaped back to space.

 

" And were it not for sorrow in all of you I would not have stayed to

weep.

 

" Who are you and what are you, Judas Iscariot? And why do you tempt

me?

 

" Your priest and your emperor would have my blood. They shall be

satisfied ere I go hence. I would not change the course of the law.

And I would not govern folly.

 

" Let ignorance reproduce itself until it is weary of its own

offspring.

 

" Let the blind lead the blind to the pitfall.

 

" And let the dead bury the dead till the earth be choked with its own

bitter fruit.

 

" My kingdom is not of the earth. My kingdom shall be where two or

three of you shall meet in love, and in wonder at the loveliness of

life, and in good cheer, and in remembrance of me. "

 

Then of a sudden He turned to Judas, and He said, " Get you behind me,

man. Your kingdoms shall never be in my kingdom. "

 

And now it was twilight, and He turned to us and said, " Let us go

down. The night is upon us. Let us walk in light while the light is

with us. "

 

Then He went down from the hills and we followed Him. And Judas

followed afar off.

 

And when we reached the lowland it was night.

 

And Thomas, the son of Diophanes, said unto Him, " Master, it is dark

now, and we can no longer see the way. If it is in your will, lead us

to the lights of yonder village where we may find meat and shelter. "

 

And Jesus answered Thomas, and He said, " I have led you to the

heights when you were hungry, and I have brought you down to the

plains with a greater hunger. But I cannot stay with you this night.

I would be alone. "

 

Then Simon Peter stepped forth, and said:

 

" Master, suffer us not to go alone in the dark. Grant that we may

stay with you even here on this byway. The night and the shadows of

the night will not linger, and the morning shall soon find us if you

will but stay with us. "

 

And Jesus answered, " This night the foxes shall have their holes, and

the birds of the air their nests, but the Son of Man has not where on

earth to lay His head. And indeed I would now be alone. Should you

desire me you will find me again by the lake where I found you. "

 

Then we walked away from Him with heavy hearts, for it was not in our

will to leave Him.

 

Many times did we stop and turn our faces towards Him, and we saw him

in lonely majesty, moving westward.

 

The only man among us who did not turn to behold Him in His aloneness

was Judas Iscariot.

 

And from that day Judas became sullen and distant. And methought

there was danger in the sockets of his eyes.

 

 

Kahlil Gibran - On the kingdoms of the world