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I wanted the scriptures to speak to him. He did not retaliate, no matter what I read. Among
other texts, I cited Isaiah 7:14, where God says, "Behold a virgin and also Isaiah 9:6. Never once
did he question the validity of these scriptures as having to do with the Messiah. Never once did
he argue with me. He sat in the chair before me with his knees spread apart, his arms, hands and
head hanging low between his knees, much as did the Old Testament prophets, according to what
we read. Never once did he raise his head to question. He was listening.
Then I started reading Isaiah 53, that beautiful chapter, to the rabbi. I was reading, of
course, in English, but finished with words I did not understand. It did not puzzle me, however.
Neither did I stop. It all seemed most natural. Still the rabbi did not raise his head. I continued
reading in English, but finished with words that were strange to me.
It was then the rabbi jumped to his feet and began screaming. He looked at Mrs. Brown.
She had her hands lifted in the air, praising the Lord. The presence of God was wonderfully real.
We felt the Shekinah glory in our midst. I looked at Rev. Allen. He seemed to be lost in the Spirit.
Jim was on his knees.
The rabbi again jumped to his feet screaming. "This woman, this woman!" he cried. "She
has just driven a knife into my heart! I'm bleeding inside. This woman has empathy. She knows
what I'm thinking. She knows what's in my heart and in my mind!"
I said, "No, Rabbi, it wasn't I It was the Word of God that pierced to the very marrow of
your bones. Tell me, Rabbi, did you understand everything I was saying?"
"Why, of course! You read beautiful Hebrew."
It still did not fully occur to me what had happened, as it did not puzzle me at all while I
was reading. Then I said, "But Rabbi, I don't read Hebrew."
"Don't tell me;" he said, "you read it beautifully, without an accent. But you've driven a
knife into my heart. What'll I do? I'm bleeding. I'm naked before God."
Verily, before our eyes was the scripture fulfilled that says, "For the Word of God is . . .
sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of
the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The Holy Spirit
had anointed it and it had struck right to his heart.
He began pacing up and down the floor and said, "I must have this! I must have this!"
"You can, Rabbi. You can have the same experience that Jim had and that Paul had if you
are willing to suffer as Paul suffered, if you're willing to be excommunicated, if you're willing to
be ground to nothing, if you're willing to be counted as nothing, if you're willing to humble
yourself, if you're willing to pay the price."