The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second day in Sychar
- Chapter 62 -
At Sychar. The heavenly meal in the hall of the angels. The merchant's praiseworthy resolution. Jairuth's pessimistic but only too true after-dinner speech about conditions in those days. The Lord's graphic speech about the kingdom of God and the Messiah's ministry. The whereabouts of departed human souls before the Lord's ascension.
Now the merchant is saying no more, thanking the Father with Me and then sitting down at a big table in the centre of the hall. I and all My disciples, Jonael and his wife and daughters, Irhael with her husband Joram, with the mother of My body between them, sit down at the same table.
2
This makes the merchant exceedingly happy, so that he says, 'Lord, for deeming me worthy with Your sitting at the table I set down at, I want to in future give the poor a tenth of all that my lands produce, and pay their taxation to the Romans for ten years in advance! After this time however I hope to God Your and our Father that He shall rid us of this plague through You oh Lord, to which end I have outside already offered You my fullest help with all my resources.
3
Oh Lord, only rid us of this plague, and make that the Jews of Jerusalem would once again associate with us; they have distanced themselves sky high from the old Truth! With them reign only selfishness, domination and glitter; they no longer think of God and there is no trace of love for fellow man! They scorn Gerizim even whilst converting Jehovah's temple into a den of money-changers and hawkers! And if accused of despoiling God's holiest of holies they curse and revile him who dares to call them by their proper name; Lord, this must change, - it cannot stay like that, and if it does then another Sinflood can be expected soon! All around the world nothing but heathens upon heathens, yet in Jerusalem and Judea there are Jews, priests, Levites, scribes and Pharisees and money-changers ten times worse than all heathens! In short, the world is worse now than in the days of Noah! If no help arrives, with the Messiah taking up a flaming sword, then we shall evidently get to building a new ark! Lord, do therefore whatever is in Your power! I shall always support You!'
4
Say I thereto: 'Dear Jairuth! Behold My youths! I say unto you, I have such numbers of them that they should not have room on a thousand times a thousand earths! Yet just one of them suffices to destroy the whole Roman Empire in three moments. But although you are better than the Jews, you yet share their total misconception about the Messiah and His kingdom.
5
The Messiah shall indeed found a new kingdom on this earth, but - mark it well! - not a material one under crown and scepter, but a kingdom of the spirit, Truth and the right liberty therefrom, and the exclusive dominion of love!
6
The world however shall be called upon to enter upon this kingdom. If it responds then everlasting life shall be its reward; if it does not respond however then, although remaining as it is it nevertheless ultimately shall inherit everlasting death!
7
The Messiah, a Son of Man right now, has not come to judge this world but to only appoint to the kingdom of love, light and truth all those now walking in darkness and death!
8
He did not come into this world to win back for you what your fathers and kings lost to the heathens, but to only bring you back that which Adam lost for all men who ever lived or shall live upon this earth!
9
Up to the present, no soul leaving the body has yet been removed from the earth; countless numbers, starting with Adam right up to this hour are languishing in the night of the earth. But only from now on shall they be liberated! After I shall have ascended on high I shall open the way from earth to heaven to them all, - along this way all shall enter upon everlasting life!
10
Behold, this is the task to be fulfilled by the Messiah, and nothing other whatsoever! And you do not have to call your Far-Eastern warriors, since I shall never need them. But spiritual labourers for My kingdom I shall need many, and these I shall drill Myself. Some are seated at this table already; but quite a few more of them shall be prepared in all love and truth.
11
Behold, to accomplish this it is My task! Consider it now and tell Me what you think of such a Messiah!'
12
Says the merchant Jairuth: 'Lord, this I must think over thoroughly! Because no man has yet heard about this sort of Messiah! But I think such Messiah would be of little use to the world! Because for as long as the world is left as it is it shall remain an offensive foe to everything spiritual! But I shall now mull it over further.'