The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Aphek
- Chapter 102 -
The request and the promise of the priests.
While I was talking about this with the captain, the priests were already with us and they kindly greeted us.
2
On this, the one who was already taught by Me, said to his companions: "Look, here is the great and exalted miraculous Man, to whose will everything has to comply in all submissiveness, and in whose words are the deepest truth and wisdom. Therefore, we give Him all honor, all praise and all glory."
3
I said: "Friends, I did not come into this world to let Myself be honored, praised or glorified by men, but with the intention that all men would, by Me and in Me, find back and recognize the One whom they lost by their own fault and whom they entirely failed to recognize, and that they will know His will, and act and live accordingly. The one who really wants to honor, praise and glorify Me, must accept My teaching, and act and live by it.
4
But as long as you will honor your iron, stone and wooden gods, you will not attain to the true light of life from God, will not recognize Him in Me and therefore you also will have no part in His Kingdom which has come now in Me from the Heavens on this Earth."
5
On this, one of them, who was still much attached to the worship of many gods, said: "It will all be correct what You say, and as far as we are concerned we also would soon have abandoned our gods, but then what will the people do, and what will they say to us since we were the ones who convinced them with much persuasion and also with many signs that the gods really exist and we recommended them and urged them to honor these? The people are still very much attached to what they have accepted from their childhood, and it will be difficult to completely take away what they had and to give them something better instead."
6
I said: "All this depends on your will. Even a child understands the truth sooner than something which is false and thus a lie. Therefore, a grown-up person will surely understand the truth all the sooner and will make it his own with love. So now it only depends on your will, and then it will be My will that will help you to accomplish a good work in My name.
7
But do not expect any coercion from Me, because for Me every human being has a completely free will and he can do what he wants. But woe later to the one who despite that he recognized the truth has nevertheless banned it out of him for the sake of worldly advantages, who did not act according to its fundamental principles but who finally even persecuted it with fire and sword. Truly, for him it would be better if a millstone would be hanged around his neck and be drowned into the sea where it is deepest.
8
For it is clear that your gods and their images, made by human hands, mean nothing, and the manner on which you look upon it even a thousand times less, because that which still had some inner, spiritual, living meaning according to the old teaching of correspondences has been changed for already a long time into the most dense and darkest nonsense, and with that, also into the coarsest lie.
9
When I now again bring you the full truth about the existence of the one, only true God, and make His will known to you, then give up also the completely meaningless gods and remove their images - accept the truth.
10
And when you have accepted it, give it then also to those who hunger and thirst for it for already a long time. Then by that, they will not become your enemies but only your true friends, for if they did not persecute you when you solely taught them evil things, they will all the less persecute you when in My name you will give them good things for this earthly live, and even more for their life in the beyond.
11
But what My name is and who I actually am, you will all soon come to know."
12
On this, one of the gentile priests said: "Listen, miraculous Master in the power of Your will and word, yesterday, shortly after Your arrival in our inn, You healed all the sick people of the innkeeper, of which deed we soon were completely informed and of which we now also believe that this is only possible with the sure help of a true divine Being. That You always can expect such help is easy to imagine and finally also to understand, and since that is certainly the case with You, we gladly would like that You also here would show us a sign of the power of Your word and will. If we also will have proof of that, we will even today destroy all our gods, and in the temple of Zeus we will bring an offering to the one, only true God of the Jews in the manner of Moses and Aaron."
13
I said: "Such offering is truly never needed for the one, only true God, not only of the Jews but of all men, creatures and things. In all those offerings, in the inner, purely spiritual meaning, it was only I Myself who was represented and the Kingdom of God that I am now establishing, not for the flesh and blood but for the souls and the spirit of men on this Earth.
14
But if I Myself am now walking here around before everyone's eyes among you men, then the Scripture is fulfilled, and nothing is needed anymore that would have to represent Me in a manner that corresponds to Me.
15
The new offering that is pleasing to Me is valid for the whole future and consists solely of that you people would believe in Me, love God in Me above all and your fellowmen as yourself by keeping My commandments.
16
You should not build for Me any temples of wood, stone and of gold and silver to worship Me in it with all kinds of vain, meaningless ceremonies which were never pleasing to Me and will never please Me. The real temple in which you should honor Me should be your heart that loves Me. Only the gift of the one who gives Me in his heart by doing works of love for Me and for his fellowman will be valuable to Me, and I will reward him with the eternal and blissful life in My Heavens.
17
You therefore should also not establish any feast day or workless holiday to honor Me, for every day is Mine, and you should think about Me every day and do good works in My name.
18
And if you ask Me something, withdraw yourself in a little room and pray hidden, then I will answer your prayer - this is how the Lord God Zebaoth speaks to you men.
19
Away with all temples, idols, with all feast days and with all those meaningless and worthless ceremonies, but instead of that, erect temples for Me in your hearts and bring offerings to Me of pure, unselfish love. Make up for the damage that was done by you to the poor, blind people who were for the greatest part lied to and cheated by you, then you will have part of the Mercy of God."