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 47 -
Suggestions for Jairus. About outward sacraments.
Says Jairus: "Lord, speak, and I will listen and act in accordance with Your Word."
2
Say I: "Very well then; if you act accordingly then you shall be happy temporally and eternally. And so hear Me: You are now a Pharisees' Chief and their schools of this entire district of Nazareth, Capernaum and Chorazim, of Cana in Galilee and many other spots, villages and hamlets. Hence your standing in Galilee is high and not much below that of the High Priest in Jerusalem.
3
But behold, none of this stature could save your daughter's two deaths and even less re-awaken from death after she had truly died.
4
From that you see that such an office of high standing is good for little other than to heighten the arrogance of the high official still further, making this rising living standard into a necessity but becoming weaker and more helpless in his use and true help towards mankind and hence confronting the needy as himself helpless -- in helping. Because whoever is not capable or willing to help someone in need is as helpless as the needy himself.
5
Hence a high office, especially yours is of very little consequence. How about putting it back in the hands of the Jerusalemite High Priest and afterwards go to your son-in-law by whom you surely shall be better provided and with higher standing than you currently are so by bat-blind Jerusalem? You could enlighten Borus gradually in the Scriptures in which you are well-versed which would be of inestimable advantage to him, whilst he would instruct you diversely in the art of healing. But I burden you with no command over it but put it to your volition. Should you follow this My advice you shall fare well, but if not then you shall commit no sin therewith."
6
Says Jairus: "Lord, here You have truly anticipated my own wishes! It has been not just now my desire, but for a long time hence to lay down my tiresome office; but now that all circumstances have turned so favourably for me, I shall tomorrow already dispatch a messenger with a letter of resignation to Jerusalem with a request to confer the office upon another. There are always plenty of candidates for the office in Jerusalem who can pay the Temple tenfold fees for the bestowal of such office and such application therefore shall be sure to welcome the lords of the temple shall find such application most desirable, for they even make offers to high-ranking officials to step down, which could give some competitor the opportunity to make the Temple richer by a few hundred pounds of silver and gold. Quite profitable barter takes place for such positions in Jerusalem!"
7
Say I: "Oh, none know better than I the goings on in Jerusalem! One looks only to the weight of silver and gold and the pearls and precious stones but never to man's spirit. If you came to the Temple as a prophet greater than Moses and Elijah and started preaching as such they would soon show you the cursed stones with which most prophets were stoned; but were you to come with 10,000 pounds of gold then they would render you the highest honour. Just have two fat oxen driven into the temple and you can be assured that they would be far preferable to them than Moses and Elijah. - But lets now leave that. The time is not far off which shall give the templers and all of Jerusalem the well-deserved reward; for these abominations shall not be tolerated much longer. But now to another matter!
8
What has been heard of John? Is he still in Herod's custody?"
9
Says Jairus: "I have heard nothing about him being released yet. But I shall have insistent inquiries made about it through the messenger I shall dispatch to Jerusalem tomorrow about the former matter, if it will please You, Lord."
10
Say I: "Let it be, for Herod is a cunning fox, and your messenger may strike problems as a Galilean. But in My spirit I see how things are with John anyway. The day after tomorrow we shall receive sad news which none shall rejoice in, Myself not excluded."
11
Following these words Cyrenius and Cornelius ask Me whether this means that they too should lay down their high offices.
12
Say I: "Not at all. Your offices are of an entirely different order and exceedingly necessary and of great importance. But always administer your high offices justly and fairly, making everyone equal before the law. But, as you have heard of My mouth - let love always precede the law, remembering that a sinner against the wide-ranging state laws, being completely ignorant of these many laws and easily prone to act contrary to them, also is a human destined like yourselves for everlasting life in God's kingdom! If you always administer your laws thus, you shall be akin to the angels who are servants of God the way you are servants of the emperor."
13
Says Cyrenius: "This we want to and intend doing! But now we still have an extremely important question, and it is, as You are well aware, we are Romans and hence, as you say, heathens, should we remain by appearance what we are, namely heathens, or should we officially renounce heathendom and be circumcised?"
14
Say I: "Neither the one nor the other! Because he who like yourselves is circumcised in the heart through faith and love towards God needs nothing further for this completely suffices for gaining eternal life. But in a few years My disciples, filled with God's spirit, shall come to you anyway and baptise you with God's spirit and shall therewith receive everything you still lack. Now you know everything! Evening is not far off, and on account of the Jews we shall on this pre-Sabbath take our rest a little earlier than on another day. After the evening meal we shall then deal with nothing further."
15
Here the two angels come to Me in deepest reverence and ask Me to be allowed to stay for another few days visibly here in My physical presence, for this was for them the greatest bliss they had ever experienced.
16
And I say aloud: "You always possess the greatest freedom, and so do what is of benefit to you, but do not forget the service you have to render. The central suns require a lot of care, and you know how many there are in God's endless space."
17
Say the two angels: "Lord, this has all been taken care of and will be done also in future."
18
Say I: "Yes, yes, I know, and therefore you may remain here according to your wish, for the least of all these people around me is more than countless central, secondary and planetary suns. The suns, however, were created for the sake of men and must, therefore, be at all times tended with the greatest care." - The angels bow, supremely happy, and return to My disciples for further discussions, giving them extremely important explanations about many a thing in the world.
19
Here Borus rushes into the house to organise a good and abundant supper.