THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the house of Simon Peter. Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 18
- Chapter 244 -
On the greatest in heaven. On annoyances.
But as we were eating and drinking and in the end were filled with good things, which lasted almost an hour, several disciples rose from their seats, came up to Me and asked Me, "Lord, You have now told us a lot about the actual form of the kingdom of heaven, and how there are various levels of eternal bliss, of which some close to God and others further and once again some stand in a way the furthest from the Sun of Grace. We found that quite right and according to all reason; for there must also be differences in heaven, both in form as well as in the various levels of bliss and the blessed. We however would like to hear from You now who will be the first in Your heavens and who, as one says, will be the greatest according to God." (Matt. 18:1)
2
But in Simon Peter's house there were several children of the neighbors; I called one of them to Me and made him stand right away in the midst of the inquiring disciples (Matt. 18:2) and said to them, "Truly, unless you are converted from such worldly arrogant thoughts and become just as humble as these children, then even you yourselves, although you are now My disciples, will not enter the kingdom of heaven! (Matt. 18:3)
3
Whoever then humbles himself like this child and feels no trace of any arrogance in himself, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven; for only true humility of a pure heart alone determines the degree of blessing in heaven. (Matt. 18:4)
4
But who ever receives one such child in My name, receives Me! (Matt. 18:5) But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matt. 18:6) Truly I say to you: Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks; for those who cause the stumbling blocks will find the most merciless judge!"
5
At this a disciple turned to Me and said, "Lord, at this speech of Yours and according to its meaning the kingdom of heaven will look very empty; for where on Earth lives the man who, without wanting to, has not annoyed one or another child? And I suggest the case that such a child would never be annoyed by anyone. Nonetheless in his adult age he will be very instinctively annoyed by his own awakened drive and partly through the necessary knowledge of the Laws of Moses. Nonetheless tell us clearly what You wanted to say to us with such a speech, which is very hard!"
6
I spoke further and said, "Do not be foolish in your thoughts! What only somewhat wise person will count it as your sin if you, without knowing and wanting it, have annoyed someone?! Indeed certain stumbling blocks must come into the world, but they are permitted from above; But I only say now: Woe to him through whom it comes evilly und intentionally!" (Matt. 18:7)
7
Here another disciple took up the word again and said, "But what will happen then if my own nature annoys me? Who will be held responsible? Obviously he who gave me such an irritable nature will be guilty!"
8
At this somewhat too free and quite cheeky question on the part of the somewhat excited disciple, I also became somewhat excited then and said, "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of heaven crippled or lame than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire!" (Matt. 18:8) And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you; for it is better to enter the kingdom of heaven with one eye than, having two eyes, be cast into the hell of fire!" (Matt. 18:9)
9
At this Peter, who did not really like this lesson, rose and said, "But Lord, do You no longer remember the words that You said among the poor fishermen about the essence of hell, about judgment and about the eternal punishments of the lost souls? Yes, those were lessons which every healthy human reason must greet with the highest joy! But what You have now taught in a sort of excitement wipes away everything previous, and the old hell with its eternal punishments and its Satans and devils and fires stands again as before in the fully unchanged form before us, and we also have a very angriest God before us again! I knew that we would come back to the old things and the Indians with their terrible atoning mutilations have thus the only true and correct religion for life!
10
You see, I present the example that exactly this left hand of mine annoys me! So that it cannot possibly further annoy me, I take an axe at Your command and cut the annoying hand off, which would obviously give me death without a fast help from a doctor. But I present the valuable case that I am healed and then go on very cheerfully. But it happens that the right hand begins to annoy me then. According to this lesson of Yours, I should cut it off too for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, which is however completely impossible now. So it now begs the question what I have to do in this case in order not to lose the kingdom of heaven!
11
My dear Lord and Master! With this teaching it will not be as You have now said! But whether there is another meaning behind it, that is a question which would be very difficult for any man, however wise, to answer. Before he thus accepts it naked as true and legally serious as You have just said, he will take his time and certainly remain with his old religion. I myself, as valuable as Your kingdom of heaven is and can be, indeed want to earn it through all possible self-denial, but never through cutting of my hands and feet and plucking out my eyes! Instead of that one would rather take his whole life, and then one is quite safe from all stumbling blocks!"