The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and his adversary. Gospel of John, Chapter 9
- Chapter 194 -
The Pharisees ask for God's Kingdom.
One of the two said: "What kind of blasphemous nonsense are You uttering. Are we then not the builders who were appointed by Moses and Aaron in order to build God's house on Earth, just like it is written?"
2
I said: "Yes, yes, this is indeed written, but there is however also written something else, and because you have started about the builders, I will tell you what that is. What is written and what is surely also known to you - because you also have read it in the Scriptures - sounds as follows: 'The stone that the builders have rejected has become the cornerstone. To the Lord this is accomplished and is now wonderfully visible before your eyes.' Therefore, I say to you: God's Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to the gentiles, and they will bear its fruits."
3
Then the two said: "Then what will further on happen with the cornerstone for who You seem to take Yourself?"
4
I said: "With the by you rejected stone - that nevertheless has now become a cornerstone - it will happen like this: whoever will fall upon the cornerstone, like you now, will crash. However, on who the cornerstone will fall - what you can expect - will be crushed. Did you understand this now?"
5
After I had given this explanation, also the other high priests and Pharisees who were present came to understand that they were the ones who would be crushed by the cornerstone which should fall upon them. They were then very upset and deliberated among themselves how maybe they still could trick Me and bring Me to ruin.
6
But the more temperate ones advised them against it and pointed out that all people were taking Me for a great prophet, and that for this reason I already had sufficiently made it clear what the high priests and the Pharisees had always done with the prophets. Therefore, they found it more advisable to trick Me first in My own words, to declare Me thereby before the people to be a liar and imposter and only then to catch Me and deliver Me to court, since the people could then have no more objections. But as long I could not be tricked with words it would be extremely risky to take Me into captivity, especially now when the people was still too excited by the nocturnal signs.
7
The high priest and Pharisees were realizing that, stifled their anger and decided to catch Me with cunning words.
8
After they had taken this decision, they turned again to Me, in a kind of kind-heartedness, because they were very afraid of the people, and were asking Me (the Pharisees): "From a Master who is so well versed in the Scripture, we also would like to hear wherein the Kingdom of God will consist, which will be taken away from us and given to the gentiles, with whom it will bear the desired fruit. What is in fact the Kingdom of God? What do You mean by that? Is it Heaven, where all believers hope to come after the death of their body, or does it already exist somewhere on this Earth, what according to Your words seems to be the case, because otherwise it could not be given to the gentiles. It can certainly not be a true spiritual Heaven, because nowhere it is written that also the dark gentiles would ever be received into God's Heaven. These words coming out of Your prophetic mouth were a bit puzzling to us, for which reason we are also inviting You to explain this further to us."
9
Here they were already rejoicing, because they thought that with these words I already had entrapped Myself and that on such a clever question I could have no answer. Also here and there the people were looking seriously and were anxiously waiting how I would save Myself from this trap.
10
But I stood up as a hero and no embarrassment could be seen on My face, and I started once again to speak with them in parables: "Because you are full of laziness, full of sensuality and selfish pride, it is therefore also impossible to understand the secret and the truth of the Kingdom of God. You are imagining Heaven to be one or the other exquisite space above the stars, where the pious souls are accepted or - according to a still more foolish and absurd idea which some of you have - only after many thousands of years on the by you never understood youngest day, after which they then will revel forever in the most pleasurable life. And from such a heaven that exists nowhere except in your more than foolish fantasy and highest selfish belief, the gentiles are to be excluded. Yes, I say to you, from such a heaven as you are imagining yourselves, they also will be excluded forever, since it is impossible to be accepted into a heaven that in reality exists nowhere.
11
But, so that no one can ever find an excuse by claiming that he did not know wherein true Heaven consist, I will now, for the sake of the people, show in images wherein the true Heaven consist, everywhere in the whole of infinity and here on this Earth, in and above all stars, everywhere in the same manner. So listen to Me.