THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the region of Caesarea Philippi. (cont.) Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16
- Chapter 118 -
Golden rules for the spreading of the gospel.
1
(The Lord) "It is true humanity now lies buried in the deepest night and sleeps the sleep of the dead; all their knowledge is a vain dream, and no-one knows how to advise the other. There is truly a large number of teachers and leaders of all sorts "but of what use are they?! "For they are all just as blind as their followers; if they come to a ditch, leader and followers fall in, and no-one finds the way out of the destructive ditch.
2
But one must not think that the people do not willingly would trust a correct leader! What can be more desirable to a blind man than a seeing guide, and then all the more so if the guide can say to the blind man with a good and really true conscience: Friend, it is true that you are still blind; but if you follow me loyally and faithfully, you shall soon be able to see yourself! And if then the blind man sadly walks with the seeing guide and in a short time his eyes begin to perceive a not insignificant shimmer of daylight "how will his heart begin to swell up in all joy!
3
Oh, I tell you, it is not as difficult at all as you think to become a correct guide to a blind man who truly needs the light! This business only becomes difficult when the blind man who is to be led is possessed by a madness which causes ghost light, so that he thinks himself to be a guide. Such blind people are our Pharisees and scribes; nor are the various priests of the heathens left out. But what can be done here? A short example should describe this relationship, and what is to be done, in more detail!
4
A general went into battle with his army against a very annoying, evil neighboring prince, who had equipped and strengthened his kingdom with many fortresses and strong castles very well and filled them all with warriors and all sorts of weapons of war. When the general began to near the borders of the enemy lands with his army, his subaltern-generals and leaders said to him: Lord, we will all achieve nothing or only very little there; for the enemy has fortified himself very intriguingly, armed to the teeth, and we will not achieve anything against him with all our great army and will be destroyed to the last man in his land! Therefore it would indeed be more sensible to completely give up this campaign and wait for a more opportune time!
5
At this the great general answered: With him the time will never be more advantageous, and all the many warnings have always fallen on his deaf ears and on his heart. So it is necessary to show him with an armed hand that he is not alone the person who can take all the goods of the Earth into his own possession. He has indeed built a large number of fortresses and castles in his land and armed them to the teeth; alone they do not concern us at all! We will penetrate into the land where there are no fortresses or castles, turn his people who are highly unsatisfied with him with little effort to support us, give them light and wise laws, and he shall then see what use all his fortresses and castles are to him. But if he attacks us, we, who are armed in the best way from head to the little toe and know very well how to use a sword, lance, arrow or spear, will annihilate him down to the last warrior with our great superiority and through our courage and through our acknowledged great skill in using weapons!
6
When the subaltern-generals learned of such a wise plan of attack from their general, they did not only understand the very praise-worthy insight that things would certainly go the best for them, but instead also gained the courage for war and the full conviction of certain success of their war plan. They came to the border of their enemy's lands, where there were no fortresses or castles, and thus penetrated into the land without a blow of the sword. The people streamed out towards them with white flags in piles and greeted them as their saviors of their lives.
7
When the warriors of the tyrant saw this from their castles, how all the people constantly began more and more to gather around the foreign army, they began to consult very seriously about what was now to be done. The tyrant ordered them to sacrifice everything in order to drive the enemy out of the land; but his generals said to him: It is too late! What use are our fortresses and castles?! The enemy has taken over all the people and therefore already has an enormous power. Our battle against them would be like one man against a thousand. We have been totally vanquished, and our fortresses and castles are of no use to us any longer; for the strongest castle is the people, and this is in the hands of the enemy. Therefore there is nothing left for us to do than to surrender quite respectfully! The tyrant certainly wrinkled his nose quite appallingly; but what could he do?! In the end he had to follow the advice of his generals.
8
You see, you all also do the same thing as clever spreaders of My religion! Let the temples stand and the many priests' houses; only concentrate on the people! Once they are on your side, which requires little effort, then the old temples of idols will soon lose all their attraction and collapse of their own accord. And their servants will cross over to you, from their own initiative and forced, and accept the new teaching and begin to act and work with it.
9
And you, Mathael, will also hopefully have become clever enough from this to be able to see that the spread of this teaching of Mine is not really as difficult if one only begin to spread it cleverly enough; but if one seizes it somewhat ungracefully, then the effect will resemble the seizing! Have you, and all of you, understood and comprehended that now?"