THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Beyond the Jordan at the Sea of Galilee. Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 19
- Chapter 270 -
The salt rock. The wonderful and blessed evening meal.
When we stood once again in the valley in front of the crevice in the wall, everyone laid signs from there to the nearest houses, so that they would be able to find this way again for future times. We now went to the far-off neighbor in quite the opposite direction, who had his house on a very high hill and was about half an hour walk from the other houses.
2
Having arrived there, I said to the owner of the house, "Behold, exactly in the direction where the sun will soon go down, you can see at a short distance from here a white cliff of a significant size; behold, that is pure salt, and you can all use it without any previous purification! You must only put a little less into your meals; for this salt is more powerful than that of Nahim, although Nahim's salt "certainly taken already very deep down "is from this dome. Whoever of you wants to go there should go, and bring us over some!"
3
The owner of the house immediately offered to hurry over there, since it needed hardly a quarter of an hour to get there with swift feet. He took a shovel and a bin with him, easily freed several pieces from the wall, fills the bin with it and immediately brought it over to us. Everyone tried the salt and found it extremely excellent. Then I was thanked once again. I blessed this high-lying house and we all then set off on our return journey; the far neighbor also came with us and even took his wife and some grown-up children with him.
4
When we arrived back at Barnabe' s house again, the whole community was already waiting for us and loudly expressed their desire for the luck to see Me again and have Me among them.
5
And the neighbor whom I had healed in the morning from the bite of an adder called out loudly, "Hosanna in the highest to Him who has come to us! This is now the true, new Jerusalem, of which a prophet prophesied; the old and bad one however will soon perish!"
6
Everyone copied this speech, and indeed with such enthusiasm and power of voice that it reverberated from the many wide and high cliff walls in a thousand echoes. The inhabitants, for whom such a game of nature was still foreign, thought that I must therefore be a highest spiritual person, because now even the spirits of the air and the mountains had joined in with their praise.
7
Yet I Myself explained to them such a phenomenon, and they accepted My explanation gratefully, but tested their powerful voices once more and received the same effect even without the hosanna.
8
And they all believed then and said, "You are alone the true one; for the templars would already have stoned us now if we had not believed that this very truly was spirits of the mountain and air!"
9
But I said to the host that he should now look around at how all these many guests, about two hundred in number, should be cared for with a meal.
10
But the host said, "Lord, what and how much I have, shall be brought out and given out; only I fear that it will hardly be enough for everyone!"
11
But I said, "So go inside and have a look!"
12
And the host went inside and looked and found all his larders full of bread, wine, milk, honey and fresh fish and another large number of the finest flour for rolls and other dishes.
13
Then he came back again, beat himself on the breast and said, "Oh, that is now more than ever! I know exactly what was in my larders before; they were only filled sparingly for my household, and now they beam with the highest abundance! That was You again, oh Lord! Yes, now a thousand can be cooked for, not only for two hundred! But where to find so many cooks? The dear neighbors must today put their hands to work already; for my people would not be finished before morning!"
14
When the wives and children of the neighbor heard this, they hurried into the large kitchen and got to work, and so a great meal was ready in an hour.
15
The meal was indeed ready now; but then a very different problem arose. The host now had far too few tables and benches, and his rooms were also too small for two hundred guests. To be brief, everything was too little for such an event. Therefore he came up to Me and asked Me for advice as to what he should do.
16
I said, "Yes, My friend Barnabe, in natural ways there would not be much that can be done! If it were not so cool here on this height, then we could sit down here in the open air; but the evenings now become very cold and dark, and so in the open air it is no longer wise. Many peaceful sheep indeed have place in a sheepfold; but since you are lacking tables and benches, things are nevertheless somewhat difficult. Also the lighting will be somewhat sparse in your house! I know all that. But nonetheless we will find enough means through which we can all be very well accommodated. Look in your house to see how the tables and benches are, and then come and tell Me!"
17
Then the host went into the house, looked at everything and came back full of amazement. I asked him how it all looked.
18
And Barnabe answered again full of amazement, "Oh Lord, You All-merciful, only now I see very clearly that nothing is impossible for You! The rooms have been extended backwards by more than half, and there are tables and benches in abundance, and also there is no lack of the most beautiful lights. The meals already stand ready on all the tables and are waiting for us, and so I, a poor sinner, think that we should now go into the rooms and take the wonderful evening meal!"
19
I said, "Yes, we shall do that now, and so follow Me everyone; for I have made a good harvest in you all!"
20
At this I went forwards and everyone followed Me. In a few moments everyone was sitting in the best order at the tables.
21
But before anyone put a bite into their mouths, the host rose and spoke: "Listen to me, all my dear neighbors! This meal is a true meal from God in paradise, which was lost through the fault of man. The great, holy God and Lord has brought it Himself. He sits, oh wonder of wonders, now physically in our midst and has prepared this true paradise meal Himself for us! This meal is therefore a highest blessed and holy one. But we are sinful people "and would now like to enjoy this meal as unworthy. Let us therefore all ask the Lord to forgive us our sins and then to consider us a little more worthy to enjoy this holy meal with Him! Rise and say with me: Oh Lord, You wonderful One! Forgive us our sins, so that we will be more worthy to sit with you at table!"
22
At this I said, "I am a doctor and I come to heal the sick. But a sinner is also sick, and so you were also sick in soul and body. And I therefore sought you out and healed you fully, and you are therefore now no longer sinners; therefore sit down at the table very cheered, and eat and drink as your heart desires! Your words, My Barnabe, have given Me great joy, and you shall all have even more than now the magnificence of God! And now eat!"
23
At this they all sat, thanked Me and began to eat and to drink with a true heart's desire; and I and the disciples did the same. During the eating and drinking however little was spoken; only at the end of the meal all the neighboring guests rose, laid their hands on their chests and thanked Me loudly for this heavenly good meal. But when they had come to the end of their thanks, they wanted to go home; but I insisted to them that they stay another while and discuss a little the events of this Sabbath that had just passed.