The Great Gospel of John
Volume 2
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second Journey of the Lord: Nazareth - Cave at Bethabara (First Feeding of the People) - Mountain of Prayer - Walking on the Sea of Galilee (Peter's test of faith) - By ship to Genneseret in the bay with the same name
- Chapter 121 -
The Centurion discussing the Templers' maliciousness with the Lord.
1
(The Lord) "The Pharisees who travelled here from Jerusalem on My account and in whom our friend put the wind up in a truly wise fashion, shall give Me a hard time tomorrow, once they have recognized Me. But I shall for the first time serve them up pure wine, i.e. I shall tell them the full truth to their faces frankly.
2
The sick that are here and those still to come shall do no more than touch the hem for My raiment, - and they shall get well. Thereafter My disciples shall eat their morning meal unwashed hand, and this shall suffice to get these true arch-philistines of Pharisees and Scribes' heckles up. Thereupon they shall at once come up with their notorious snare questioning, and I shall give them answer that shall savour them more sour and bitter than vinegar and gall, a notorious drink with which they are want to slake the poor sinners' thirst. - But now we shall spend the two hours to day-break in silence.
3
Also My disciples together with their two Essenes and the group of pharisees went to take some rest and have accomplished some good work; for they won them all for Me. Two young pharisees, however, Pilah and Ahab, the first from Kis and the latter from Jesaira, both main speakers and at the same time clever, sober people, have already been for some time My disciples. Only arriving yesterday morning, they immediately joined up with My disciples and have supported My disciples during their conversion work quite advantageously; for My disciples all fishermen except for three, still have insufficiently skilled tongues, and therefore the two young pharisees supported them well.
4
You Ebahl however go over and tell the disciples that tomorrow morning they are to eat their bread with unwashed hands, whilst the other, converted Pharisees and Scribes together with the two Essenes are to remain hidden until the Jerusalemites will have departed; only then they should emerge, and I will bless them. It is up to them whether they want to change into other clothing, or in the eyes of men remain what they were till now. Go and say that unto the disciples and the others, - you will know whom!" - Ebahl leaves and does exactly as I advised him. And all are happy about this news, promising to strictly keep to everything I have communicated to them.
5
Ebahl returns, telling us the good response his errand had received. Everyone is happy, and the Centurion says: "I am looking forward to tomorrow with exceeding pleasure; but this I also say that, particularly stirred thus in relation to the peculiar dream of beloved Jarah, I shall not be playing jokes with these fellows. As soon as they start playing up with me I shall have them flogged, that their wicked blood shall flow off their backs in streams. Because for these brutes rebukes mean nothing and only spurn them to greater revenge; but one flogging to near death shall cool their wicked zeal. I am not sure of doing it yet, but not terribly uncertain either!
6
It could quite easily turn out that with the slighter opportunity these fellows and their henchmen perpetrate against You, dear Lord and friend, in Jerusalem what the maid saw in the first dream! I say, a spark of possibility, and the most effeminate Governor Pontius Pilatus will have nailed You to the cross just like that!
7
Of a truth, if I were Governor of Jerusalem, then anyone should just try to lay his hands on You! Him I would hang on the cross ten times and only then break his legs! But I am unfortunately posted here and could not come to your aid, nor Your friends Cyrenius and Cornelius; wherefore one has to start cooling off these fellows' pernicious pluck in advance, to thoroughly scare them off so that they would not easily anywhere dare to lay their paws on godly men as exalted as Yourself!
8
Oh wait, you rogues, tomorrow shall get that hot that I will make you sweat blood! When the fellows shall have received some thoroughly rough lesson, then I would almost wager half the Roman empire that they will give up their evil deeds, - at least in their excesses; but their evil old hide must first be thoroughly tanned! Dixi ("I have spoken" - the Ed.)
9
Say I: "You can indeed do as You will, and I shall not say unto you 'don't do it'. Because you are one of My wisest friends I've come across. You indeed have the proper tact in all your words and deeds; but I say unto you that it won't make any difference with this wicked brood, but only make them more wicked and mischievous. Because they who are once of Satan are so fully yet and only through an every so now and then rebuke can they be turned to something better, as our disciples have done now, and as was the case at Nazareth, where the Chief together with the Pharisees and Scribes were converted to My teaching. But not much can be done on a big scale, and just as little by your method! Because whilst you may drive one devil out with the whip, ten will enter in his place, of whom each shall be worse than the original one.
10
Says the Chief: "As surely as my name is Julius I shall lay neither cane nor scourge on any of these fellows until forced to extremity, whereupon let those fellows beware!"
11
Say I: "There you are quite right again! One has to stretch patience out as long as possible; once the extremist border-line has been reached nevertheless then it is necessary without all further postponement and sparing nothing, to hit with all lightning and thunder, otherwise the sinners begin to think that one is joking and playing with them as with little children!"
12
Says the captain Julius: "These are fully my maxims too! It takes much for me to punish; but if I am forced to it by an incorrigible, then he shall also remember well that he was punished by me! - But now I believe that we should take a little rest for a couple of hours, for it has started to dawn!"
13
Says I: "Yes, let us do so here, each upon his seat.
14
All are quiet, and every eye is laden with a short but honey-sweet sleep. And upon wholesale awakening, each is fortified as if he had slept and dreamt all night, upon a soft resting-place.