The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
In Cana in the valley
- Chapter 221 -
About the curse of lethargy and the blessing of activity. Lukewarm and severe rulers. Mary and Thomas. Recording of this teaching about activity, called "the night sermon" by Matthew. Why this record got lost.
The Lord, 'If someone has walked a long distance and finally reaches a shelter he will, if he does not go to bed immediately, but continues with small movements and on the following day is on his feet already before sunrise, not feel any tiredness all day, and the longer he will thus continue his journey the less tired it will make him.
2
If, however, someone after a day's march arrives quire as tired at a shelter, immediately throws himself on a bed and maybe leaves it only at noon on the following day, he will be continuing his journey on completely stiff feet and with a totally benumbed head. After having covered a certain distance, he will from utter exhaustion long for a rest, and it can even happen that he collapses on the road and if no one comes to his aid, - which can easily happen - perishes there and then.
3
And what has caused it? His own too great desire for rest and the delusion that rest strengthens a person.
4
If someone wished to achieve a great, amazing accomplishment in one or the other art where a high degree of hand - or finger-dexterity is required - question: Will he achieve it if instead of constant diligent practice every day he idly strolls around day by day with his hands in his pockets motivated by a kind of anxious concern not to tire his hands and fingers to prevent them from getting stiff and unfit for the striven-for accomplishment?
5
Truly, even I Myself with all My boundless wisdom could not a make a prophet and determine the time when such a disciple of art will become a virtuoso. Therefore, My dear friends and brothers, I repeat:
6
Only activity upon activity for the common good of people brings you salvation. For all life is the fruit of God's constant, never tiring activity and therefore can only be maintained and preserved for eternity through proper activity whereas nothing but death does and must result from inactivity.
7
Place your hands on your heart and feel how it is constantly active day and night. The life of the body depends solely on such activity. Once the heart stops, that would mean the end of the natural life of the body, I should say.
8
And just as the rest of the physical heart obviously constitutes the total death of the body, this same rest of the soul's heart is the death of the soul.
9
The heart of the soul, however, is called love, and its pulsating expresses itself in true and full love-activity.
10
Thus constant love-activity is the never wearying pulsebeat of the soul's heart. The more actively the heart of the soul pulsates, the more life is generated in the soul and once thereby a sufficiently high degree of life, this awakens therein the life of the divine spirit.
11
This - as the very life, because the untiring supreme activity itself - then flows into the soul that has become equal to it through love activity, and everlasting imperishable life has fully commenced within the soul.
12
And look, all this arises from activity, but never from idle rest.
13
Therefore, shun rest and seek full activity, and eternal life will be your reward.
14
Do not imagine that I have come to bring peace to mankind on this earth. Oh no, only the sword and war instead.
15
For, men must be impelled to all kinds of activity through distress and hardships or they would become lazy, fatted oxen that fatten themselves for eternal death.
16
Distress and hardship bring about fermentation upon fermentation in man from which in the end something spiritual could develop.
17
One could, of course, say: "Through distress and hardship also anger, vengeance, murder and manslaughter arise, also envy, hardheartedness and persecution. That is indeed true, but bad as all that is, the result is nevertheless better than from idle rest which is dead and brings neither good nor bad results."
18
Therefore I tell you: Let a person be really warm or completely cold where I am concerned; but a lukewarm one I will spit out from My mouth.
19
I prefer an energetic enemy to a lukewarm friend, for the energetic enemy will challenge Me to full activity, so that I may either win him over or make provision to prevent him from harming Me. Beside a lukewarm friend, however, I become lukewarm Myself and if I should get into difficulties, will the lukewarm friend be of any use to Me?
20
Therefore, also a lukewarm ruler is a pest for his people, for then the nation's spirit decays and the people all turn into voracious oxen and beasts of burden. But a severe and even tyrannical ruler causes the people to be alive and there is activity everywhere so as not to incur punishment. And if a tyrant goes too far the people will rise in great numbers and rid themselves of their tormentor.
21
I think I have now said enough about the value of activity and am convinced that all of you have understood this lesson. Therefore, if someone wants it and feels a need for a sleeping rest for his body, let him seek a bed; but who wants to sit up with Me through the night, let him remain here.' There they all said, 'Lord, how could we sleep when You are sitting up? Only the mother Mary seems to need a rest for her body, and so You could send her to bed.'
22
But Mary, although she had dozed a little in an armchair behind Me, heard these words, sat up and said with great friendliness to the speaker, 'Friend, you who usually speak for your fellow-disciples, I tell you that your concern for me is rather futile. For, behold, for the sake of my Lord I have sat up for probably hundreds of sleepless nights and am still alive - and I shall still be sitting up foe ever so many and not lose my life if it is His will. Therefore, do not concern yourselves about me all of you, it is sufficient that One looks after me.'
23
These words had been addressed to Thomas and he came to Mary and asked her not to regard his good intention unkindly. But Mary comforted him and was very kind about his concern for her, and Thomas felt easier in his mind and soon, quite relieved, resumed his seat.
24
For a while there was now silence. No one spoke, for they all pondered on what had been said and found the truth of it shining ever brighter.
25
Only Matthew said after a while to himself, 'Tomorrow at daybreak this teaching about activity and rest will be recorded as best as possible on a special tablet, for this so extremely important lesson must on no account be lost to the world.' And when soon it began to dawn, Matthew kept his word, and this lesson was preserved for a long time and through Jonael and Jairuth reached also Samaria, but in the course of time was considerably distorted and, therefore, also got lost. But while it was still around the people knew it under the name of "the night-sermon."