The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Again in Kis
- Chapter 198 -
Continuation of the clarification of the parable of the tares. Not keeping a promise is most reprehensible. 'Let you be loving and righteous!' Parable of the treasure in the field. The disciples' comprehension.
1
'Do not ever promise a person something you then cannot or - even worse - do not wish to keep for whatever reasons, if you truly want to become children of God. In truth, I tell you, the worst thing is a promise that is not kept.
2
For the one who is angry sins within himself and harms first himself; who practices unchastity buries his soul in the judgement of the flesh and again harms himself, but the evil of evils is the lie.
3
If you have promised to do something for a person and circumstances arise that make it impossible for you to keep your promise, do go to him without delay and tell him honestly what has happened to you, so that he can help himself at the proper time in some other way to overcome some difficulty.
4
But woe betide everyone who makes promises and does not keep them, even if he could do so, for thereby he causes far-reaching trouble. The one who expected his help cannot fulfill his duty, and the hands of those who relied on him are tied, and thus such a broken promise can cause greatest embarrassment and distress to thousands. Hence, a promise that is not kept is the thing most opposed to the love of one's neighbour and, therefore, the greatest of evils.
5
It is better to have a hard heart because that will not raise any deceptive hopes with anyone. One knows that nothing can be expected of a hard-hearted person and, therefore, other means are sought for the preservation of the necessary order. But if someone expects something that was promised to him, he abstains from seeking other ways and means, and when the time comes that the business of the one expecting help has to be attended to and the promiser lets him down and does not tell him in advance that for some reason, which must of course be absolutely true, he will not be able to keep his promise, such a promiser is like Satan who from the very beginning made mankind brilliant promises through his prophets none of which he has ever kept, thereby plunging numerous people into misery.
6
Therefore, beware above all of such promises which you cannot keep and, even worse, for whatever reasons do not want to keep, for that is the attitude of the chief of devils.
7
Be loving and righteous in all things, for in the Father's Kingdom the righteous once shall shine as the sun at noon.
8
He who has ears, let him hear! (Matt. 13:43) For I want to give you another two parables about the Kingdom of Heaven.
9
The Kingdom of Heaven also is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found; and as it was too big and heavy for him to carry home, since he was still too far away, he went and buried it in the adjacent field at night, then went home happily, sold everything at home and bought the field at any price (Matt. 13:44); for the treasure in the field was worth thousands of times more than what he paid for the field. And since the field was now his, he could safely take the treasure out of the field since no one could dispute its ownership. Now he could easily move the treasure to his new house, which he had bought with the field, and no longer had to earn his living by the sweat of his brow, for he now enjoyed vast excess for life. - Do you understand this parable?'
10
Said the disciples; 'This is an easy parable; for the finders of the treasure are those who hear Your Word, and the field is men's worldly heart, which they first must spiritually buy for themselves through acting upon Your Word, so that Your Word becomes their possession in their hearts and they then can work all good therewith for self and their brethren!'
11
Say I, 'You have understood the parable well; for thus it is with the true Kingdom of Heaven. But hear another.