The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second day in Sychar
- Chapter 91 -
Comments on the Gospels of Matthew and John and evidence concerning the new revelation.
The following day in Cana I told John, who had recorded the first sign at the wedding, to record also this second sign performed in the same place. And this John also did with few words in eight verses as it is written.
2
Also Matthew asked Me whether he, too, was to record this event, but I say to him, 'Leave it. When tomorrow we come to Capernaum where I shall again teach and perform signs, those you shall then record. But add to My Sermon on the Mount also the healing of the leper at Sychar, whom I healed as I was descending from the mountain.'
3
Says Matthew, 'Lord, as far as I know two lepers were healed by You at Sychar. Which one should I record?'
4
Say I, 'Actually more than two were healed, but it is sufficient to mention the one I healed at the foot of the mountain and whom I bade show himself to the priest Jonael, whose name you need not give, and offer the sacrifice Moses has laid down for a witness. For who does not believe Me because of the one sign will not believe if I worked a hundred signs. Therefore, record from the many signs only the one I now told you about.'
5
Says Matthew, 'Oh yes, Lord, now I know which sign You mean. I did make a note of it, but did not write it down in detail. This I will now do and start a new chapter with it. For I divided the Sermon on the Mount into three chapters and this will now be the fourth.'
6
Say I, 'For the time being this arrangement of yours is good, but after I shall have been lifted up from this earth into My eternal Kingdom, you will have to write another four chapters preceding these. Therefore, you can already now give the three chapters on the Sermon on the Mount the numbers: V, VI and VII instead of I, II, III, and the new one the numbers VIII.'
7
So Matthew immediately arranged his notes in this way, and thus nowadays the Sermon on the Mount, although the first thing recorded by Matthew, is not contained in the first chapter, but only in the fifth, sixth and seventh chapters.
8
To be acquainted with this fact is also needed for the better understanding of the Gospels of John and Matthew, for both of them were written under My personal supervision. The object here is mainly to bring the two outwardly apparently so different records into proper harmony, because it has almost always been the case that even good interpreters of the Scripture have regarded the miracles which appear similar in Matthew and John as the same, but have nevertheless been wondering, 'How come that Matthew says this and John that although the fact seems to be one and the same?'
9
Many errors resulted from this and not seldom a complete turning away from My teaching as it is written in the Gospels.
10
Here once could say indeed, 'But why, O Lord, did You allow this to happen through so many centuries without enlightening anyone?' There I say:
11
Not a century passed in which I did not, wherever My teaching is more or less accepted, choose and awaken men to give people the facts and necessary interpretation of the Gospels. The chosen have always done that and also historically supplemented in the records what had got lost, partly through human negligence, partly through the obstinacy and not seldom evil intent of the various sectarian churchwardens and priests of the Gospel where My teaching was concerned, and only very few accepted that.
12
The churches, which in the course of time had systematically developed naturally, rejected it declaring it to be "heresy" and "devilry" because it did not suit their greedy and tyrannical purpose.
13
Scientists and artists on the other hand described such phenomena as "fancies" and "dreamy drivel" of a poor wretch who wants to be something too, but without having acquired the necessary qualities through effort, diligence, and profound study.
14
In the place, however, where the chosen and awakened prophet lived and was known he was accepted least of all and, therefore, did not have much success. For according to people's notions, as they generally are, a prophet should actually not live on earth at all, should not have a human shape, eat and drink and wear clothes, but should at least drive around in the air in a fiery chariot like Elias and from there announce to each person only what he in his self-love likes to hear and what flatters him. That would then be a proper prophet at whom all eyes and ears would be directed, particularly if during his air travels he would miraculously throw great quantities of gold and silver coins to the rich, but small copper coins to the proletarians, at the same time praising the great, rich and mighty, but frequently severely disciplining the poor devils (proletarians), especially if they dared to grumble at the rich, great and mighty. Such a prophet would, of course, not be very popular with the poor, and they would not praise him.
15
However, if the prophet is a man like any other man, if he eats and drinks, has even a home and besides maybe follows some worldly trade, oh, that is already the end where his prophesying is concerned. He is pronounced either a simpleton or a hypocrite and has not much chance of achieving anything in his homeland.
16
Thus I have during the almost 2,000 years always made up what was missing. But who accepted it? I tell you: Always only very few and these seldom actively enough. Notice of it was taken, but that someone should have changed his way of life accordingly and then in his spirit convinced himself that the otherwise natural man was really chosen by Me to bring a new light from the heavens to men in the world that had gradually become so dark, that was never done for all kinds of idle reasons.
17
One has bought himself a team of new oxen which he has now to break in for ploughing, so he has, of course, no time. Another must cultivate a new field and cannot come because of that. A third has taken a wife and, therefore, has no longer any time or opportunity. A fourth must build a large house and has so many worries now, he cannot possibly have time. And thus everyone has some excuse and a new light from the heavens then again burns in vain during a whole century in some hidden corner of the earth. And if in the next century I again send a new light for illuminating the ancient records, it will have the same fate.
18
If this is certainly so, judging by the experience at all times, the question arises whether I can be blamed if the ancient records show to this day the same deficiencies that were already a thousand years ago discovered by idle rationalistic researchers and over-subtle reasoners as a result of which always many doubters and, finally, rejecters of My teaching and its - and My - fullest divinity have gone forth like mushrooms from the ground.
19
The reason why I am now giving a full light in this matter is so that in the end no one may be able to excuse himself as if since My bodily presence on earth I had bothered neither about the purity and completeness of My teaching nor the people who accepted it.
20
When I shall come again to earth I shall undertake a thorough sifting and not accept anyone who will come to Me with whatever excuses, for everyone who seeks in all earnest can and must find what he seeks. However, the sick sheep and asses feeding at the crib shall be administered medicine after which they are sure to become greedy for the feed from the heavens, but then they will as convalescents be fed homeopathically for a long time. But now once more to the Gospel.'