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 50 -
The Elders" comments on the state of Jewry.
Say the Elders in furious astonishment at the speaker: "Infidel! Blasphemer! Do you realise that your supremely blasphemous talk deserves immediate stoning in the Synagogue, in strict accordance with Moses? How can you dare to shake other people's firm faith, making them doubt God and Moses just because you have no faith?
2
Are you really so deficient in reason as to not see that no man's age in itself, even with thousands of years of experience, can bring sufficient insight for believing only ones" own experience? Whence God has taught men lettering through which to record their experiences, which their descendants are not likely to experience, and for the benefit of those very descendants, so that the latter may gain beneficial knowledge of what they could hardly experience in their own time, because every period brings forth something different. This manifestly our few days that we have to live through on earth teaches us, in that no year, month, week or even day completely resembles the other in what happens! Look up the Chronicles, and we give you everything we have if you can show us a time in which that very thing took place which is taking place before our eyes and ears.
3
If things are undisputably thus on earth and not otherwise, what will you have with your loose and crude casting of suspicion upon Scripture which is a holy legacy from our forefathers to us, their descendants teaching is in clear sketches what they as pious, God-fearing men experienced, and what measures were taken for enabling their descendants to more easily live a more ordered and God-pleasing life than was probably their case?!
4
Do you actually think that we are too stupid to evaluate what is now taking place before our eyes? Oh, there you err mightily! But we apply the wisdom of our fathers, who examined everything for many years before accepting it as that which it appeared!
5
Had our ancestors been as impressionable as you, they would not have stoned the prophets! After they saw who unbending a true prophet was under a hail of deadly stones, not departing from his testimony by even a hair's breadth, then his testimony took on a different aspect, and the fathers then accepted same as going forth from God!
6
If our forefathers proceeded so fastidiously with a prophet's" new proclamation of God's will to mankind then is it even moderately reasonable to assume that our divine doctrine is no more than some defamatory writing of some good-natured irresponsible young lads who got some fun out of making fools of all future generations?
7
You called us fools and numbskulls; but isn't it questionable whether you are not the biggest?! Because it does not behove a man from Levi's tribe to judge his brethren so lovelessly.
8
If with your contemptible speech you only wanted to test whether with all the extraordinary events of this time, we still are what we should be as orthodox Jews then you have taken a bad approach and have therewith only exposed the true nature of your heart.
9
Because every man is betrayed most of all by his zeal, testifying of how his feelings, are made up, because therewith he gives free rein to his favourite ideas, attitudes and vices.
10
But a sober listener thinks his part, having the advantage of getting to know his friend from rock bottom.
11
Do you think that we are not aware of how quite huge abuses have crept into our doctrine of God, especially in its practical performance, which unfortunately not seldom hides Moses and the Prophets more than the sun is obscured by the thickest storm clouds? But pure, unadulterated Scripture does not lend itself to such cloud cover, and a true Scribe shall always know where he stands with pure truth.
12
We all can see it as well as you do how the abuses can in the end kill the divine doctrine in people like the nasty woodworm a young tree, but only with people like you; yet the doctrine itself shall remain pure and shall always have its staunch followers.
13
Have you never seen a tree upon whose bough a great many parasite growths have taken root for the destruction of the tree for man, taking their nutrients out of the tree? Does the tree on that account cease to be what it basically is?
14
We men cannot of course with our foolish senses determine the grounds for such aberrations; but that much we can work out, that these could not possibly arise without the almighty and all-wise God's will. Why must there be wolves only for the purpose of destroying peaceful and harmless herds of lambs to sate themselves on their blood and flesh? Why must there be a lion, a bear, a tiger, a hyena and other predators; why next to the gentle dove a mighty, rapacious falcon? Behold, these are imponderable secrets for us shortsighted men, and we are unable to shed light on them!
15
A man of the land cultivates his field and it stands ready fully blessed, and he is already enlarging his granary to accommodate the new blessings. But then in one day there comes an unexpected stormy hour, - and the entire blessing is destroyed. Could one not put the pertinent question: "God, if it had pleased You that this field should bear no fruit for this man of the land due to his being perhaps a sinner then You would have surely had sufficient power to destroy the field's blessing in the germ saving the man of the land cost and effort"! But behold, such occurrences happen quite often before our eyes, and none is able to give a sensible explanation.
16
Likewise we see to a greater or lesser extent deviations both in the Temple and by all followers from Moses" pure doctrine. We see the traveller upon false courses. Upon the old tree of life we see a great many parasitic growths. But what can we do about it and how blamed? We have neither done nor desired it, but have found it so, having to tolerate it even if ever so bitter to the palate.
17
But on that account alone we have not been spiritually restricted by having to buy the parasites into the bargain as equal to the tree of life. The tree itself still remains with us in its original authenticity, and its parasites are regarded for what they are, and no God shall have an objection to such common sense. God would be silly indeed if He said to each one of us individually: "Go and destroy the Temple which has become offensive, for I, God am greatly displeased with its abominations". Could not a weak man say to his God: "Lord, what nonsensical thing are You asking of your poor, weak creature? If my existence troubles You it takes You only a thought and I cease to be. But to ask the impossible of me would be like commanding a fly with its unaided strength to put an elephant on its back to carry away."
18
We however think that God is too wise not to see that man cannot swim against a raging stream.
19
Tell us now whether you see the truth of our talk, and we shall forgive what you threw at us blindly and foolishly."