The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second day in Sychar
- Chapter 93 -
The Lord and Roban, the host, at Cana. About self-determination. Example in art. 'He who has, to him shall be given!' The life proper comes from the heart. Free of everything, the pilgrim's travel is easy.
We are ready to go, but the young host once again comes to ask Me to stay with him for the evening.
2
But I say, 'I shall come again soon, because before going to the next feast at Jerusalem, I have to visit Nazareth, and shall stop off on the way there and back.'
3
Replies the host, 'Lord, this shall be my greatest pleasure! But as You intend not staying any longer today, be so good and allow me to accompany You again!'
4
Say I, 'This is up to you, because no one shall on My part be coerced into anything! Whoever receives Me, let him do so, and whoever wants to follow Me and My teaching, let him do likewise! Because I and My kingdom are voluntary and hence need to be gained in all freedom.
5
Only the freest self-determination counts with Me. Whatever is over or under that is without worth before Me and My Father, Who is in Me, as I am within Him.
6
Every compulsion other than from the very own heart is foreign and cannot possibly be of any value for a person's very own life according to My eternal and, thus, freest order.
7
Of what use would it actually be to you if you claimed some work of art, which was created by another hand, to be your work? If then someone came and asked you to reproduce this work for a high reward, you would be ruined and have to put up with being called before all the world by the one who ordered the work, a liar, cheat and boaster with another person's success.
8
Thus also the full cultivation of his own life has been put into every person's very own hands.
9
That which before God's eyes will once at every individual person's great life-trial be recognised as foreign to him, will be of no value to him and will be taken away. Then it will be said: Who has, will keep what he has and will be given even much more, but who does not have his own, will forfeit what he has, since it is not his own, but only something foreign.
10
I tell you that it is now not even necessary that you go with Me, but if following an inner prompting you want to do so out of love for Me, you will thereby not only lose nothing, but gain tenfold in everything. For whoever does something out of true love for Me will here be rewarded tenfold, but one in My Kingdom a hundredfold, also a thousandfold and endlessly.'
11
Says the innkeeper, 'Lord, if this is so I shall definitely go with You, for my own heart prompts me to do so and, therefore, I will strictly follow my heart.'
12
Say I, 'Very well, do that and you will be living according to your heart which is the sole proper life, for every other kind of life that does not stem from the heart is not life, but a death of every man's own life. I as the sole Lord over all life, am telling you this.'
13
The innkeeper is very happy with this, takes immediately his knapsack and some money and is getting ready for the journey.
14
But I say to him, 'Free yourself from everything and you will travel much lighter, for thieves fall only upon those whom they know to be carrying something with them. If you do not have anything, they can also not take anything away.'
15
Thereupon the innkeeper hands his knapsack and money to his wife and follows Me without money and knapsack.