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 194 -
The admonition of the Lord to love and to be patient to spread His teaching.
On this, the Apollo priest said: "O Lord and Master, how have we pagans been indescribably blind and foolish up to now. The matter stands now so clear before me as if I myself had lived during the first times of the Egyptians and participated in it and contributed to it. But it is now also clear to me that much effort and work will be necessary to raise the many pagans to the sphere of the light of truth.
2
I will make every effort within my small group, and I hope that I soon will have my little people ready. But the pagan countries and peoples are widely spread over the Earth. So a much longer time and a lot of courageous teachers will be needed before they will have destroyed the many idol temples.
3
But trusting in Your help, that matter will be all right after a long time, because the best in our pagan religion is that the government does not force it upon the people, and every real Roman is free to believe what he wants or also not to believe and to live and act according to the teaching of the philosophers of which the Greeks and Romans have many.
4
For the government it is enough to be a loyal citizen and accept its wise state laws. And the government is little or not interested whether you believe in this or that god and let everyone choose freely.
5
No matter if I am a cynic, a follower of Pythagoras, Plato or Aristotle, or an epicure and act accordingly, I am free in all this. And also the teaching of Moses was never a forbidden doctrine of the state for us Romans. And therefore I believe that Your teaching, o Lord and Master, will be sooner accepted by the better pagans than by many Jews who do not understand their own teaching and who also do not have any knowledge about the active powers in nature, and what they do know they adopted from the gentiles.
6
Therefore, I think that it will be more fruitful to proclaim Your gospel to a scientist than to those people who still do not know why the water from above flows always to the lowest region by the sea and why a stone falls down from above and not the way around. We Romans know this, although not thoroughly but nevertheless the most important part of it. I thank You, o Lord and Master, for Your wise lesson."
7
On this, the supreme judicial city officer said: "O Lord and Master, on this opportunity I also gained a lot, and I know what I have to do to convert the pagans in the right manner."
8
I said to him: "What you will do in My name, do it with all love and patience, for you should not proclaim My gospel with the sword in the hand. And I think that it will be very welcome to a lot of people when they are led from their long-lasting, deep darkness into the very clear light of life.
9
Take an example on Me, for I also am among you with full of love and patience, I did not say one hard word to anyone and I forced no one to believe in Me, except by a few miracles that I performed out of love in your presence. You also will be able to perform such signs in My name, but if you can do that, be as sparse as possible with them.
10
The old Greek, Egyptian and Roman wise men did not perform any sign and they nevertheless acquired a great number of followers. So it is better for everyone to accept My teaching by the power of the truth that is abundantly present in it, instead of only accepting the teaching after being compelled by several miracles. For I say to you: the letter, as well as any other sign of a letter, will not bring the spirit of man to life, but it is only the spirit of truth in the word that makes everything alive.
11
I still could perform a great number of exceptional signs before your eyes, but it is better for you to stay with the word that I spoke to you.
12
In short, My whole teaching consists of the following: recognize in Me the Spirit of the one and only true God, and love Him above all, and you, as brothers among each other, love also one another in My name as each one of you loves himself. More you do not need, for from this you will be raised by My Spirit into all truth and wisdom out of Me.
13
I will soon leave this world for what concerns My body, but I will nevertheless stay with you in the power of My Spirit till the end of the times of the world. And what you will ask the Father - this is the eternal love in Me - in My name, will be given to you.
14
But you should not be much concerned or worried about the things of this world, for I know what you need for what your body is concerned.
15
Thus, before anything else seek My Kingdom in the love to Me and to yourselves among each other. All the rest will freely be given to you."