The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
From the Lord's years of youth
- Chapter 222 -
The apparent value of outer cultural development.
We continued to eat and drink, but of course with measure. At this occasion Cyrenius spoke to us about all kinds of practical things, and about things that were in relation with architecture, and the other guests listened to us and agreed with Me and Joseph in everything.
2
Finally, a general who did not speak a word until then had the following opinion: 'In relation to architecture it also should be considered if ever the sea ships could not be constructed in such a way that firstly we could resist better the storms than it was the case until now. And secondly it seems good to me that with the bigger ships the oars would not be necessary, because if the oars are attached too high above the board, then too long handles are needed that are difficult to manipulate. A great number of strong rowers are needed while the oars are exerting only little strength in the water and can easily break during a storm. And if the oars - as is the case with smaller ships - are attached lower, then the water will come in when the waves are only a little higher, and nothing else can be done except to continuously scoop the water to prevent sinking. And thirdly our bigger ships have the deficiency that because of the many rowers they have too little space to take a considerable number of passengers, while despite the many rowers we cannot move, even with a little adverse wind.
3
Look, my best, young, extremely wise and wonderful mighty Man, You also could give to us Romans, a good and true advice concerning this. The old Phoenicians seemed to have had vessels with which they even could sail fast and safely quite far into the great ocean. We Romans must limit ourselves to sail along the shore and only dare to sail into the open sea during quiet days. What do You think about this?'
4
I said: 'Yes, My friend, it is not so easy to give you a real good advice on this. Because what use would it be to you when you finally could not carry it out?
5
For a good and safe navigation you need above all an accurate knowledge of the stars in the sky. Moreover, knowledge of the Earth and especially of the situation of the sea, the greatness and depth. But you are still far away from having this knowledge, and you also cannot have it because your foolish priests would resist it with all force. Therefore, better-constructed ships would also be of no use to you because you would not be able to use them anyway.
6
The ships of the Phoenicians were a little more usable but not much. When the wind was favorable they could handle their sails better than you can, but they also avoided the open sea and sailed also only along the shores.
7
But if you want to improve your navigation you must learn it from the Indians who live by the sea, because they know how to handle their sails, even if this is by far still not perfect.
8
However, do take care, all of you, that you will reach the unification of your soul with the godly Spirit, then the spirit will show you how you greatly can improve your navigation.
9
Besides, your ships are for this time very good and very useful. Later your descendants will build even more wonderful ingenious ships on which they will be able to sail as fast as birds in all directions across the seas. However, this will not add to the happiness of men, not physically and certainly not spiritually, but on the contrary it will diminish it enormously. Therefore, remain for a long time by that what you have now, because a too great improvement in earthly matters is always a true and lasting worsening with regard to the spiritual, which is the only thing that man should cultivate with all his power of life.
10
What is the use if man would be able to obtain all the treasures of the world for himself but by that, would suffer great harm to his soul? Do you still not know the short duration of life and the final destiny of the flesh? Whether you die as an emperor or as a beggar does not matter in the beyond. The one who has much here, will have to lack a lot in the beyond, but he who had here little or nothing, will lack little or nothing in the beyond and will all the more easily and sooner acquire the inner and only true living treasures of the spirit.
11
That is why the first fathers of this Earth were such happy men, because they provided as simple as possible for their earthly needs of life. But when especially the people who lived in the lower valleys started to build cities, pride came also into them. They became effeminate, became lazy and soon they fell into all kinds of evil and by that in all kinds of misery. What good was that to them? They lost God from the sight of their soul, and all inner power of life of their spirit left them, so that, like many of you, could no more believe in a life after the death of the body.
12
Was that not a terrible exchange to lose almost completely the spiritual for a greater comfort of material life?
13
Consequently, whoever of you who is wise will try to exchange again the useless exaggerated good and comfortable material life for the pure, true, spiritual. This will be infinitely much better for him instead of inventing how one can safely and as fast as a bird sail across all the seas. Once he will have to die anyway. To what benefit will his great inventions be for his soul?
14
Therefore, remain by what you have. Do not attach any importance to it, and look above all how you can walk more and more on the way of the spirit. Then, with that you will have made the greatest and best invention for the great navigation from this earthly to the other kingdom on the other side, the spiritual.
15
Strive fully with all your strength and means to reach that which lasts forever, but take only care of your body as far as this is reasonably necessary for the earthly things. The fact that man has to eat and drink and must protect his body against the cold and great heat, is very natural, but he who cares more for the body than for the soul who is meant to live forever, and finally cares only for the body alone, is truly a blind and extremely stupid fool.
16
Yes, when someone, against God's will, is capable to procure for his body an eternal life - which is impossible - then he only must take care of the well being of his body. But otherwise, he only has to take care of that which will and must last forever, because God has determined it that way.
17
If you all have well understood this now, then do not ask me anymore how much you can improve useless, earthly things, for I only have come into this world to show you the ways to eternal life and to prepare it well, so that you will be able to progress safely and easily on it.