The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second day in Sychar
- Chapter 81 -
At Sychar. The Lord's instructions regarding the treatment of criminals. The death penalty and its effect. A hint for judges. The main reason for God's Incarnation. The erection of a bridge between here and the beyond. Guides for the ignorant in the beyond. Commendable request.
Say I, 'Friend, if you interpret and understand My teaching in that way, then you are still very short-sighted! Jonael also already told you that in the case of combat initiated by God, or for unavoidable self-defence, the souls of people killed in those circumstances are immediately placed under severe judgment, preventing them from causing any effects upon either their rightful conquerors, or upon the earth itself. But if this is incontrovertibly the truth, from which you can clearly see where this matter stands, how can you counter My teaching with such misgivings?!
2
Who told you that real criminals, who often are worse than wild jungle beasts, should not be apprehended and secured?! This is already gainsaid by true love of neighbour, because if you are certain to kill a hyena with a sharp weapon if it attacks a human, so also you would leap to the aid of a just person if attacked by a robber-murderer in the open street, or in a house.
3
Since however such human hyenas, if proliferating, can endanger not only individual wanderers but entire districts, it is even the unavoidable duty for the powers that be to initiate hunts after such dangerous people, and securely imprison them.
4
Capital punishment shall be inflicted only upon those with whom during a period of ten years every means to achieve any true betterment has failed. If the criminal promises betterment on the scaffold for execution, he shall be allowed another year. But if also then there is no improvement, the execution is to take place, for in that case the betterment on earth of such a man cannot be expected and it is preferable to remove him from this earth.
5
If, however, the lawful authority in power wishes, in agreement with the community, to change such a criminal's well-deserved death-penalty to life-imprisonment and continue their efforts at betterment, they have the right to do so and I will not call them to account for it.
6
These types of enemies of those men living in accordance with My teaching have no retroactive power after their physical death. This is a recourse open only to spirits who, whilst striving for higher aims on earth, nevertheless were killed in a most cruel fashion by tyrannising, exceedingly arrogant and self-seeking and domineering and hence illegitimate rulers!
7
Where such executions, bereft of all finer feelings, make enemies through such judicially most unjust proceedings, then such enemies shall as spirits take revenge on these executioners, because I grant retroaction to such spirits, but never to basically evil spirits! I trust that your doubts are now cleared up!?'
8
Says the chief, 'Yes, the Scylla together with Charybdis have now been removed, and I am now in the clear on this.
9
But how Your truly holy teaching is to move along a path free of obstacles, through the night in which mankind now lies buried, is to me as unclear as ever. According to Your own statements, a supernatural passage on the one hand would not be much help to men, because it would only create machines out of a mankind that should and is due for liberation; along a natural path however it shall cost much blood and require an exceedingly long time! Indeed, I would assert that, although not imbued with the gift of prophesying, the way I know the human race quite extensively in Asia, Africa And Europe, that in two thousand years from now, not even half by far of earth-dwellers shall bask in the light of Your teaching! - Am I right or not?'
10
Say I, 'There, fundamentally, you are by no means wrong. But there is not as much to this as you think, because it is not so much the most widespread acceptance of My teaching on this earth but rather the erection, at long last, through My present advent and My Word and teaching, of a bridge between this material and yonder spiritual world, whose everlasting realm lies beyond the grave!
11
Whoever in this world shall accept My teaching in all earnest, shall cross this bridge in the carnate state already; but whoever shall receive this teaching either lukewarmly, incompletely or not at all, shall arrive in yonder world in great darkness and have much trouble finding this bridge!
12
But those men who may never be in a position to find out anything about My teaching shall in the beyond be given leaders who will lead them to this bridge. If these spirits, still ignorant of My teaching, shall follow these leaders, they shall also cross this bridge into true eternal life. But if stubbornly clinging to their doctrine, they shall be judged as mere creatures and not attain to the childhood of God! - Behold, that's how things stand! Think it over and tell Me how you like it, - only soon; because verily, My time in this place is nearing its end!'
13
Says the chief commander after a while, 'Lord, now everything is clear and lucid for me, and for any potential further problems, You have awoken a man for us here who can instruct us all about everything! Hence let Your name be glorified and praised above all measure by myself and us all, always! - Only one more humble request accept, that when You now depart from us, You would return to us soon, as it shall be my main concern here that, should You return here, You will find hearts more worthy of You than is now the case!'