The Great Gospel of John
Volume 2
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the Vicinity of Caesara Philippi (Matthew 16)
- Chapter 188 -
The Lord and Simon Juda.
Says John who just listened attentively to Simon Juda: "By looking at this matter with purely worldly senses, I cannot contradict you; however for the sight of the heart everything has a completely different face! Since divine wisdom will of course never ever comply with even the most wise person!
2
Do you know why on this earth there exist so countless many plants and flora which are not carrying any fruit? And if they carry such, they are according to our understanding useless, and nobody knows for what they are actually good! A similar diversity can be observed among animals. Form the smallest mite to the sea ruling Leviathan, say, wherefor they are there accept for our few domestic animals? What purpose could the wild, tearing beasts have? To what use are bears, lions, tigers, hyenas to mankind and still many to us still unknown tearing beasts? Who, good friend, can give the reason for such diversity of animals? Why the many stars in the sky? Why does the moon not always give light at night? Why its changing light? Why is the moon there in the first place? Behold, all this and still thousands of other things we do not understand, and it appears to our mind as foolish if we really critically think about it! However, with God for all this there is certainly a very wise reason, and therefor since we are given the extraordinary opportunity to personally see the Lord in action before us, we should not be surprised if we cannot understand everything He does and still will do in future; because for everything He apparently will have in and for Himself the most wise reason! - Are you not in agreement with me?"
3
Says Simon Juda: "Yes, of course, you are completely right, and one cannot argue against it! But it still is a little true, that for the thinking person some of the arrangements of God appear, as if in all seriousness someone wants to state that two fish and again two fish are together seven fish!"
4
Say I: "Yes, yes, Simon, thus it appears; but what for the human mind appears as impossible, can be still possible with God! Take the small net at your feet and throw it out into the sea! (Simon does this.) - Now pull it back and say how many fish are therein!"
5
Says Simon: "Lord, precisely four pieces!"
6
Say I: "Behold and count them; since there are seven!"
7
Simon looks and counts and finds precisely seven fish in the net. About this he is highly surprised and says: "Yes, yes, with God all things are possible!"
8
And I say to him: "Therefore, in future do not twaddle pointless things; it is better to keep quiet than to twaddle pointlessly! Do you understand such, - otherwise you are nothing better than a blind pharisee!"
9
Says Simon Juda: "Lord, You know it how much I love You, and still You reprimand me in quite a hurtful manner about something I said out of myself, so that I now hardly have the courage anymore to ever ask You about anything again! I accept everything from You with the greatest love and patience; however, I cannot ward off an inner little secret grief, since precisely I have become the target of Your sharpness!" - Hereupon he turns towards the sea and stares at it with a somewhat wistful look.
10
But John goes to him and says: "Behold, Brother, you feel somewhat heavy now because of the gentle reprehension from the Lord; however see, the Lord's love and wisdom knows it best why such has been done to you, and if you look very deeply into your own heart, you would find the reason for it quite easily yourself soon!"
11
Says Simon: "Now, what will it be? - Just tell me!"
12
Says Johannes: "Behold, Brother, with regard to recognition and the living, most steadfast faith, you are obviously the strongest among us and according to the testimony of the Lord truly a rock; however, at the same time there are still hours, when a kind of arrogance comes over you and behold such arrogance is quite closely related to what one calls haughtiness! And it is this what the Lord wants to free you from by some humiliations coming your way! I have noticed this already at various occasions before and would have told you long ago out of true brotherly love, however there never was the right opportunity for it. Since now such opportunity has come up, I thought about it and told you about it, how I felt it for quite some time most vividly in me. You surely will accept it in the good loving sense in which I have told you about this and will not be cross with me!?"
13
Says Simon Juda: "Yes, yes, also in this you will be completely right; however, I only do not understand why He doesn't at least once draws ones attention to it, since He is not taciturn otherwise! One would then much easier direct oneself to what is perfectly right according to His pure divine sense!"
14
Says John: "He could do that; but He still doesn't do it and behold, this also must have its good reason!"
15
It appears to me as if He wants it that every person must first find himself completely, before the Lord finally puts His all life perfect hand on to him and takes residence in this person's heart.
16
Out of this to me fully true reason, the Lord does not tell anyone his mistakes of life directly, only indirectly by certain jogglers by which He forces the soul to look more closely at itself, to recognize in His light its mistakes, to ban them from herself and as such enter the order of the Lord. This, Brother, is my unauthoritative opinion, and I am all for it that this is the case. - What do you think about it?"
17
Says Simon, somewhat in thought: "Yes, you also will be completely right in this; because among us all you truly recognizes the Lord's sense in the deepest and sharpest manner! Your word should subsequently become very authoritative for me!"
18
At this point Simon again turns to Me and utters a thankful look for having such revealed to his heart through brother John; however I indicate to Simon that he now should assist the sons of Marcus to the put the large net into the sea according to his good knowledge on this subject.
19
And Simon does this with the greatest joy of the world; since a loving look from Me means to Simon more than the whole world, and it should be same with all people who truly want to follow Me and thereby want to reach the true everlasting life.