The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Der Herr in der Stadt am Nebo
- Chapter 165 -
The discussion about the wine miracle.
While the innkeeper was making his clever Roman remarks, our Dismas came already with the supreme judicial city officer, brought him to Me and said to him: "This is the Lord who wants to see you and speak with you."
2
I said to the innkeeper: "Put another 2 chairs and 2 cups, for I actually came to this city to especially give these 2 people a complete valid proof of My glory."
3
The innkeeper did this immediately, and I poured out from the stone jar and filled the 2 cups and told them to drink.
4
They both took the cups to their mouth and said: "O innkeeper, from where did you get this wine? It is very exceptional to receive wine from you, and actually the best emperor wine of the island of Cyprus. Tell us, from where did you bring it?"
5
Somewhat shyly, the innkeeper said: "My lords, believe it or believe it not, but I honestly speak the truth and say: from the cistern of my house. These gentlemen guests asked for water instead of milk. I brought it from my cistern and put it with my own hands on the table, and no one touched the jar before I poured out this jar into my cup. But when I put the cup to my mouth, its content was no water, but, as you tasted yourself, the very best and most expensive wine from Cyprus. You know that I am not a believer of miracles, but this I consider to be a perfect miracle."
6
On this, the supreme judicial city officer said: "Let us go together with the jar to the cistern and taste the water immediately after taking from it, then it will appear immediately if you possess such miracle cistern."
7
Then the innkeeper took the jar that had become empty anyway and rushed outside with the supreme judicial city officer to the cistern that was located in the inner court of the inn.
8
The supreme judicial city officer scooped the water with his own hands, tasted it immediately at the cistern and discovered that it became wine again.
9
He joyfully brought the jar with his own hands to the spacious guest room, put it on the table and said aloud (the supreme judicial city officer): "This is truly a clear miracle as men on this Earth have never experienced. Such miracle can be done by God, but never by a human being."
10
Dismas, who had already emptied the second cup of wine and became by that very joyful and cheerful, agreed with the innkeeper and the supreme judicial city officer and said: "To what use is it for the other stubborn temple fools to have treated this real Lord of God's glory with dark, rude brutality? Outside before the gate and watched by 14 lions they probably will begin to sweat blood from fear and fright while we are here joyfully and cheerfully drinking the best of wine from Cyprus from the vineyards of the emperor and of which I drank a little only once, and here I can drink it with cups.
11
Therefore, I also say and I confess that He, who was able to make appear by His willpower those 14 lions at the city gate in a flash of lightning, and was now with the same speed capable to change the water from the cistern into the best emperor wine from Cyprus, is not a simple human being, but in Him lives really the fullness of the divine Spirit. And this testimony, which I have now spoken out, will follow me into the grave. And now I also understand all Your other miracles, which You, o Lord, have done in Jerusalem and also in other places.
12
But those outside the gate will hardly ever understand this. Maybe during the night those 14 lions will chase out the devils that possess them, and then they will be more accessible for the divine truth than today. But You are the Lord and can do what You want."