God's New Bible

The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10

Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the way to Bethsaida

- Chapter 120 -

The Lord's words to the men of the caravan.

I said: "You surely will come to know more about the changing of this former desert into fertile land when you arrive in Aphek. We all know very well how it happened and we know the mighty cause of this changing, but the day comes to an end for us and for you, and there is no more time to explain it here to you.
2
But let this be said to you: if the pharaoh would have repented from his paganism by the warnings of Moses in the same way as the Apheks have converted into the pure, true Judaism, the known plagues would not have been imposed on him, and all the deserts of Egypt would have become green.
3
The Apheks converted to the one and only true God of which you soon will be able to convince yourselves in the big inn, and therefore they were like an old dry twig connected to the trunk of Abraham and became completely green and alive again. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is still exactly the same as He was since eternity, and all things are possible to Him.
4
He, who was able to call the whole Earth and all creatures into existence by His will, is also able to provide such little desert with fat soil and plants and all kinds of fruit trees. Since you yourselves are also Jews, you surely will be able to understand the meaning of My words.
5
Although your Judaism also became already for the greatest part a worldly way of living. And also the old events, which you partly know from the Scripture, you banished to the kingdom of fables. Nevertheless, it is not as your worldly reason thinks, but really very different.
6
In your purely worldly matters, with which the inner spirit has no connection, your worldly reason can form an opinion and decide, but in divine matters, only a living faith in God and the pure love for Him, and through that for the fellowman, can form an opinion and decide."
7
The leader said: "Truly, friend, you still are a real Jew of old of whom there still are a few with us, put despite their firm faith it still is mostly very infertile in the neighborhood of our big city, and the good Jehovah seems not to be very concerned about us, inhabitants of Damascus."
8
I said: "He is equally as concerned about you as you are concerned about Him."
9
The leader said: "But every year we send the required offerings to the temple in Jerusalem, and they are satisfied with us."
10
I said: "It is true that you are doing this and you honor God with your lips and cattle, but your hearts are far away from Him."
11
The true love for Him that was proclaimed by Moses and the prophets is not green and alive within you, and it is also very bare and dry in you, just like in the temple in Jerusalem. And so everything around your city is bare and dry, and with all the efforts of your hands you never will completely change the wilderness around Damascus into fertile land. You also do not need that because by doing business with everyone you are well providing your city with bread and all kinds of worldly treasures, but you are also withdrawing more and more from God while instead of that, as true Jews, you should come more and more close to Him in your heart.
12
But if you yourselves became already sufficiently intelligent, wise and mighty in order to take care of your provisions, then God the Lord does also not have to be especially concerned about you.
13
But travel now to Aphek. There you also may become somewhat greener in your heart than up to now. Then a desert that is flourishing will no more make you believe that you have lost your way.
14
He who is not on the right way in himself, is also nowhere in this world on the right way."
15
When the leader heard these words from My mouth, he said: "Forgive me to have halted you for so long. However, I and the whole big caravan have gained much by it. You are a great and rare scribe of the good old style. If You would come to us in Damascus, it soon would become green and flourish in and around the city. But with us the knowledge of the scribes is in a real bad shape and that is why also the faith is lukewarm, for where there are no good teachers, there can be no good disciples. But I thank You now in the name of the whole caravan for Your patience and the effort you made for me. Come sometime to us in Damascus, then You will be very well received by us."
16
I said: "I Myself in this person who is now speaking to you and as I now am will hardly go to Damascus, but you can be assured that I soon will send there a true disciple of Mine."
17
When I had said that to the leader, he thanked Me once more for the friendliness that I showed to him. The whole caravan moved then further on, and I also quickly moved on with My disciples.

Footnotes