It must be remembered that underlying the Jewish ecclesiastical teachings and formalism, which were all that the mass of the people knew, there was a great store of Jewish occultism and Mysticism known to the few elect.  The Kaballah or Jewish occult writings were closely studied by the learned Jews, and this work with other similar teachings were transmitted verbally from teacher to student, and constituted the Secret Doctrine of the Hebrew religion.  And it was toward the learned teachers of this Secret Doctrine that Jesus directed His mind and steps, although His parents knew it not.

Four or five days were consumed in the journey, and at last the Holy City—­Jerusalem—­came into full view, the wonderful Temple of Israel showing plainly above the other buildings.  The bands of pilgrims, of which the family of Joseph formed a part, formed into orderly array and led by flute-players they solemnly marched into the streets of the Holy City, singing and chanting the Sacred Songs used by the faithful upon this solemn occasion.  And the boy walked with the rest, with bowed head, and eyes that seemed to see things far removed from the scene around them.

The Passover rites were carried out—­the duties were performed—­the ceremonies were observed.  The Passover Feast extended over a full week, of which the first two days were the most important, and during which two days the obligatory ceremonies were performed.  Each family made the offering of the sacrificial lamb—­each family baked and ate the unleavened bread.  The beautiful idea of the Passover had degenerated into a horrible feast of blood, for it is related that upon these occasions over a quarter-million of poor innocent lambs were slaughtered and offered up as a sacrifice pleasing to Jehovah, who was supposed to delight in this flood of the blood of innocents.  In pursuance of this barbarous idea, the altars and courts of the Temple of the Living God ran red with the life-blood of these poor creatures, and the hands and garments of the anointed priests of Jehovah were stained like those of butchers, that the vanity of a barbarous conception of Deity might be fed.

All this for “the Glory of God!” Think of it!  And think of the feeling that must have been aroused in the mystic mind of Jesus at this horrible sight.  How His soul must have been outraged at this prostitution of the sacred rite!  And what would have been His thoughts had He known that centuries after, a great religion would stand, bearing His name, the followers of which would be carried away with this same false idea of sacrificial blood, which would be voiced in hymns about “A fountain filled with blood, flowing from Immanuel’s veins,” and about “sinners plunged beneath that bloody flood losing all their guilty stains?” Alas, for the prostitution of sacred truths and teachings.  No wonder that a people so saturated with the abominable ideas of a Deity delighting in this flow of blood should have afterward put to death the greatest man of their race—­a Being who came to bring them the highest mystic and occult truths.  And their prototypes have survived through the centuries, even unto today, insisting upon this idea of blood sacrifice and death atonement, unworthy of any people except the worshipers of some heathen devil-god in the remote sections of darkest Africa.