The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the house of Matthew, the tax collector
- Chapter 126 -
A food and wine miracle. Those whom angels serve and where. About God's faithfulness and constancy and blessing.
Here the kitchen-maid comes breathlessly, saying to Matthew, 'Lord, lord, come and see! Lots of young men just came and brought all kinds of foodstuffs in such amounts that we would hardly consume them in a year! And everything appears so fresh and good! The granaries also are filled from top to bottom and the skins in the cellars filled with the best wine. Lord, lord, where did this come from today, on a Sabbath for the Jews?'
2
Matthew and everyone in the room are quite beside themselves and John's disciples, of whom two had previously convinced themselves that the larders were empty, at once asked Matthew whether he had ordered such foodstuffs.
3
Says Matthew, 'Not me, since I would have to be the first to know about it! And not my wife either, because she was the one who notified me through this maid that our small stock had been as good as consumed. Because apart from a garden and a few rented fields, I have no ground for the planting of much fruit and would also have very little time for it, being firstly busy with the toll and having to secondly host my guests in this guest-house. Hence I stocked this my guest-house week by week with rations, having them usually purchased and delivered for my own money from Capernaum, whilst having the fish supplied by yourselves. The wine and grain however I usually bought off my own co-religionists, the Greeks. This in short is the way I usually kept my house stocked with necessities, but I and my house know not a thing about this order.
4
Some great unknown friend therefore would have to have done this for me, otherwise it obviously is a great miracle! Where and who this great friend should be however I know no more than yourselves. But I shall summon all my people in here and question them in your presence as to whether they recognised any of the delivery men!'
5
His wife and all the maids and servants are called in and asked, but they all deny with one voice ever having remotely recognised anyone; 'The men looked like delicate youths, as none of them was bearded, but all had beautifully curled long hair and their garb was more Roman than that of the Jews. There were many of them, in the larder as well as in the loft and cellar. They laid down the deliveries quickly and said: 'This is a gift for the tax-collector Matthew, who was called of the great Master this day.' They then departed in haste and we did not see which way they turned.'
6
Says one Pharisee, 'This thing sounds exceptionally rare and yet is true?! In that case we should be most inclined to get to the bottom of it.'
7
Turning to Matthew, the same Pharisee says, 'You host, let them bring us samples of wines and we shall tell you where they come from, for we can tell you by the flavour and colour where it was grown.'
8
They send to the cellars and bring all the drinking vessels filled. And as the Pharisees and scribes sample the wines, they say full of astonishment, 'No! Such wine as this we never tasted before. It is indescribably good and delightful. Have we not drunk of all the wines grown upon the known earth, among these very good and flavoursome ones indeed, but they would have to be hardly lukewarm water by comparison to these. Hence it is and remains a riddle.
9
But since you now have a great stock of these unsurpassably superb wines, how would you like to let us have some skinfuls for money and a bit of persuading? It would be worth sending a consignment to the High Priest at Jerusalem.'
10
Says Matthew, 'Free it came my way and thus will I give it, but not one drop to the High Priest in Jerusalem! Unless he were to come here by chance as a guest, then he shall be served like everyone else, but understood, only as a human equal to all others, but never as a Jewish High Priest, who is an abomination of the desolation to me and a murderer of the spirits of those men who are of his faith.'
11
Says one scribe, 'Friend, here you quite misjudged the High Priest of Jerusalem, having no knowledge of his nature and office.'
12
Says Matthew, 'Let's leave this subject, for it gets me into a just heat under the collar. You are his eyes and hence see least of all what is nearest to you, namely your own nose, brow and whole face; we who are situated opposite you see it only too well and truly. But no more about it, or I could get heated and be obliged to offend you, my guests of equality.'
13
Says a more sedate Pharisee, 'Now, let us indeed give the matter a rest and instead consult with the Master Jesus; He shall be the one most likely to clear this matter up for us, because he loftily exceeds us all in knowledge and wisdom.' Turning to Me; 'what do you actually say to this story? Because you seem to have some hint about it, as your foregoing conversation with John's disciples almost pointed to it. Because this was occurring almost in the same moment you were telling John's disciples how God provides for those who truly love Him and animatedly trust Him, and after your properly flogging the ugliness and reprehensibleness of selfishness; and it seems to steal upon me that you had somehow drawn upon advice, or even secretly were the instigator of it.'
14
Say I; 'Good! If you suppose that about Me, then apply it also to what I said to John's disciples and admit it in your hearts that I spoke the fullest truth.'
15
He who among you shall act accordingly from the bottom of his heart, shall experience with God what our friend and brother Matthew has just experienced.
16
For of a truth, believe Me: God in His heart steadily remains the Self-Same! As He was when no sun, moon or stars were shining yet for a long time upon the firmament, just so is He still this moment and shall be into all eternity.
17
He who seeks Him along the right path also shall find Him and be blessed into all eternity of eternities!'
18
These words stir their hearts and John's disciples began to ponder deeply, saying, 'He must be a far greater prophet than John was. For we were around him a full ten years, yet never felt like this. The Pharisee is right in saying this Nazarene knows about it! - I would maintain that all this originates from Him, along paths unknown to us and the whole thing is blatant proof of our blindness, including our great master John.'