The Great Gospel of John
Volume 2
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
First journey of the Lord: Kis - landing place at Sibarah - Nazareth
- Chapter 15 -
Philopold's testimony to Jesus" Deity.
Philopold then went to take a rest, as commended by Me. But his sleep was not of course a salubrious one, because the day's happenings took a toll of his emotions; on top of that the bunk's were in no good shape, as the bailiffs had taken possession of almost everything other than a bit of straw, and we thus found a literally empty house. While Sarah was being re-awakened, Borus, my brethren and many other disciples had indeed been engaged in moving proper bunks, tables, benched, kitchen and tableware into the house; but to do so on short notice along natural lines for some hundred people who partly found accommodation in the open or in other houses was possible only for barest essential.
2
And so I Myself spent the night on a bench with a bit of straw under My head - and Philopold even on the floor and without straw. Hence he also was one of the first on his feet in the morning; and when asked by Jairus, who with his wife and daughter Sarah enjoyed quite a good straw bunk, how he had rested on the hard floor, he replied,
3
Philopold: "As the nature of the floor permits! But it all depends on habit; in the course of a year the body would certainly befriend it more than during a night."
4
Says Jairus: "Had you only mentioned it; we had plenty of straw!"
5
Says Philopold: "Here, behold the Lord! He Whom all heavens and worlds obey, and for whose will all angels watch! His bunk is no better by a hair's breadth than mine!"
6
Says Jairus, in whom Pharisaism still resided to a large extent: "Friend, are you not perhaps overstating the case? It is indeed indisputable that this Jesus is full of the godly spirit, to a greater extent than any prophet ever was filled - because his deeds exceed sky-high all the deeds of Moses, Elijah and all the other great and smaller prophets. But that the fullness of the Godhead should reside in him seems a rather risky assumption to me! The prophets too awoke the dead through the divine Spirit with which they were filled; but they merely not dared ascribing to themselves but to God. For had they ascribed the success to themselves, it would have made them gross sinners against God, and God would have taken the spirit from them. But Jesus does everything as if from Himself and like a Lord - and this indeed favours your speculative assumption, and to a certain extent I am completely of your opinion, but as said with all caution! Because this could also be permission from above to test our faith in the one God! But if all the fullness of the Godhead were to really dwell in Jesus, then indeed we would have accept His testimony as eternally true under all circumstances! What do you say to that?"
7
Says Philopold: "I am fully of the latter view and think His testimony of the fullness of the Godhead in Him completely true. It is Him and no one else!
8
The thing is especially hard to explain in this our miracle-working time, for one can always say: I saw magicians there and there who of a truth performed extraordinary deeds and the prophets of old also awoke the dead, one of them indeed clothing a heap of skeletons with flesh and reviving them. Hence miraculous deeds are by far no proof yet for hailing a worker of miracles as a God!
9
But here with Jesus it is an entirely different thing. With all the prophets, extended prayer and fasting had to precede a miraculous deed, for God to find them worthy of performing a miracle through them; the magicians need a magic wand together with a great many signs and formulas, besides carrying a lot of ointments, oils, waters, metals, stones, herbs and roots with whose hidden powers they are familiar, applying same with their performances; but where has anything like that ever been seen with Jesus, the Lord? No trace of praying or fasting, at least during the short time I had the privilege of knowing Him, not to mention a magic wand or any magical paraphernalia!
10
Besides that, all prophets spoke and wrote in secretive imagery, and none but those coming from their school could understand them. Notwithstanding the fact that I am a Greek, your Scriptures are not unknown to me, and I know Moses and all your prophets! Whoever understand these one and all verily must be of a special extraction!
11
Jesus however, expresses the most hidden things with such clarity, that not seldom a child must understand them! He explained the Creation and I nearly believed myself capable of creating a world! Where is the prophet, or the master of all magicians who speaks like Jesus?
12
Who has ever understood a syllable of what the magician says at his performances? Deepest night reigns in their talks, and in the speeches of the prophets it indeed dawns here and there; yet their dawn does not help anyone to make out an object thirty paces ahead. Here however it is all sunshine on the brightest midday. Whatever He says is deepest divine wisdom, yet bright and clear for every man's intellect. And whether He will happens instantly!
13
If things are like with Jesus to a hair's breadth, then I fail to see for what reason I should still hesitate to acknowledge Him as the indisputable Lord of heaven and earth, loving Him beyond all measure and giving Him alone all honour?
14
Look here on the table! This fresh fig branch with a great many fully ripe fruits is a live explanation He gave me yesterday, when asking Him, after you all slept already, how it was possible for Him to awaken the fully dead. He asked for a completely decayed, therefore completely dead branch., I brought whatever my hands got hold of in the night. He did not even touch the dead wood, but just commanded it, and the dead wood began to sprout, to bloom, and here you have the ripe fruit. Take and give them to the most beloved Sarah - who will feast herself thereon."