“On one occasion when Jesus was a five-year-old child, he was playing at a ford across a fast-flowing stream after it had been raining. He stirred up the dirty water, collected it together into pools and made them clear and pure — by the simple expedient of a word: he exerted no force on the water. He then took some soft clay out of the mud and from it made twelve model sparrows. It was the Sabbath when he did these things, and a number of other children were with him. Now a Jew had seen Jesus doing all this with the other children, and went to Joseph, Jesus’ father. He accused the child Jesus of making clay and moulding the twelve sparrows on the Sabbath, actions which were not lawful.

“So Joseph went to him and reprimanded him. ‘Why are you doing this when it’s the Sabbath?’

“Jesus clapped his hands, and the birds flew up in front of everyone. ‘Go and take flight like real birds!’ he shouted. Then the sparrows, flying away, went off with a squawk. The Pharisee saw this and was amazed, and told all his associates about it.”