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 213 -
Proclaiming the gospel to all creatures.
I said: "Now My Spirit becomes finally active in you. For if you would have a better memory, you also would remember that later at a good opportunity I explained this image in such a way to you that at the spreading of My teaching you will not act like the unwise sower who also strew the wheat on roads, stones and bushes, but like the wise sower who sowed his wheat in good soil. Look, I already told you once that you should go into the whole world and proclaim My gospel to all creatures. Tell Me, Simon Judah, how did you actually understand that?"
2
Simon Judah said: "O Lord and Master, with this Your holy question, You moved away a very big stone from my chest, because with Your appeal to us, came, at least in me, the ridiculous thought that You seriously wanted that later we not only had to proclaim Your gospel to the appropriate people who actually represent a good field, but also to the mountains, forests, lakes and rivers, to all the birds and all the animals that live in the air, all animals on Earth and even to all the fishes in the water. Because the creatures are all the things that are created by You, and if we had to proclaim Your gospel in the whole world to all creatures, my mind could impossibly think anything different than to literally accomplish what You assigned to us.
3
It is not sure that in doing this work we could completely save our skin, especially with the devouring beasts of the desert. Your will is of course Lord over everything, and if we also would do it literally, we probably would have to fear less the fierceness and anger of those animals than the pride and selfishness of the worldly people. But it obviously would be very difficult for us to use a language that is also understandable to such creatures.
4
They say that in the big India there are truly people who can talk to the animals, but I never saw anything like that, and therefore one cannot believe such fable. So the latter is according to me the wisest."
5
I said: "Look, Simon Judah, if we view the image of the sower in relation to you and to you all, it will be clearer to you than before regarding his foolishness, for if you understood My symbolic call to proclaim My gospel to all creatures as you just said, you gave already testimony to yourself that your intellect as sower is still not so profound yet.
6
And still, with this image I made a right and truthful call to you all. Look, if you proclaim My gospel to the right people, they will become by that wise and mighty in all things by My Spirit in them, and then, with My power, they will also win the less suitable people for My teaching.
7
I placed man on this Earth to be ruler and lord over all creatures - which however he is no more for already a long time, and he must on the contrary let himself be dominated by the creatures of this Earth. But if, by My Spirit, he will become again what he should be, he will be again lord and ruler over all creatures and be capable to let them serve him and be useful to him.
8
Now if man will be able to accomplish that, is that not the same as to say: My gospel is proclaimed to all creatures? For if you, with My might in you, can order a lion, a tiger or a bear to go away to where his place is - as you saw Me doing already several times - it will be also clear to you that My word and will is understood by all creatures.
9
Did I not tell you already several times that you all, if you would have faith without doubting, you could even say to a mountain: 'Lift yourself up and throw yourself into the sea', and it will happen as you said? And if My word in you is already understood by the mountains, then all the other creatures will certainly understand it also. But of course, for this, first the real wisdom of a sower is needed.
10
And so My dear Simon Judah, now you certainly will understand the image of the sower more clearly than up to now. If there is still something else that you understood in the same manner as My call to proclaim My gospel to all creatures, come forward with it."