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 138 -
The confession of the eldest.
When they became very joyful, the eldest turned to Me again and said: "Lord and Master from the highest heights of the Heavens, You certainly must have visited also Jerusalem? Did they also recognize You in the temple, just as we did here? What did they say about Your coming into this world?"
2
I said: "The great, extremely selfish blindness of the Jews in Jerusalem will not recognize the divine light and will also have no part in it, for the light of the Jews will be taken away and given to the gentiles.
3
I already taught several times in the temple and performed miracles, and of all those who think highly about themselves, letting themselves highly be praised by everyone, no one believed in Me. And so it will come as a witness over them, that My light will be taken away from them and will abundantly be given to the gentiles, regardless of what has been written about them.
4
Look at these gentiles, and talk also with the many gentiles of other villages and cities, and ask them what they think about Me. Truly, you will receive much light from them.
5
Go to Jerusalem and many other Jewish cities and villages, then you will be very surprised about the most insulting sayings about Me. And nevertheless, I always taught the same pure truth of life everywhere and performed great signs. Now what should I do with this kind of wicked Jews?"
6
The eldest said: "Lord and Master, do with them what You have done with the inhabitants of Sodom."
7
I said: "Not yet, for there are still a few righteous ones in those cities and villages. But it will not take long anymore, because those few righteous ones, for the sake of My name and My teaching, will be persecuted by the blind and haughty, proud worldly people. So much so that finally not 1 righteous one in My light will be able to stay in such city. Then their measure will be full, and what will happen to them will be worse than what once happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. But let us leave this alone now and talk about something else.
8
Tell Me, did you not hear anything about Me and My appearance? Because 2 years ago I also came near Gadara and there I set the 2 very possessed men free of their many evil spirits who then took possession of a herd of pigs and jumped with them into the lake. And did you not hear that once near Bethsaida I fed several thousands of people in a desert with only a few breads and fishes, so that after the feeding, several baskets were left over with what they could not finish?"
9
The elder said: "Yes, Lord and Master, we all heard many things about it, and we thought that the Man of Wonders was a magician who probably learned His wonders with the famous Essenes and whose name was Jesus, and they said that He was a Nazarene and actually the son of Joseph the carpenter whom I personally knew well.
10
This was the opinion of the blind people at that time, and we also could not imagine anything else. For what else could we think of the son of a carpenter from Nazareth except that He was a very handy magician who knew the old teaching of the Jews and who presented Himself to the credulous people as a prophet in order to draw them to Himself with the purpose that was only known to Him?
11
If we ourselves would have witnessed those deeds of Yours, we certainly would have had another opinion, even if You had been ten times the son of Joseph.
12
But now we are witnesses ourselves of Your deed which no Essene can accomplish but only God. And even if You are now, as a human being, the son of Joseph - the carpenter from Nazareth - which You also must be, this will not in the least confuse our belief in You, and according to us You are and will remain the promised Messiah.
13
Let this confession of ours not be displeasing to You, and do not withhold us Your blessing."