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 214 -
The images of pulling out the eyes, cutting off the hands and the eating and drinking of the flesh and blood of the Lord.
Simon Judah said: "Lord and Master, I still have something. Actually from the time of Your famous sermon on the mount, and honestly, I am ashamed to bring it forward because my foolishness will become clearer by that."
2
I said: "Well then, what did I say in that sermon on the mount that is still not well digested in your mind?"
3
Then Simon Judah said with a little voice: "O, there was that speech about the pulling out of eyes and the cutting off of hands if one or the other should irritate us, for it would be better to be accepted into Heaven with one eye and with one hand than to descend in Hell with two eyes and two hands.
4
I surely know, o Lord and Master, that You only meant this spiritually, but despite the explanation that You gave us, we still could not thoroughly grasp the spiritual and we still hung on for certainly three quarters to the always still somewhat strange sounding literal meaning, and we did really not understand how we should handle it to just pull out the eye in case an eye should irritate us. Making one eye blind would be easier in every respect but to cut off a hand would in most cases be much more difficult, for firstly one does not always carry a sharp axe, and secondly cutting off a hand would be especially very difficult if in case I should have to cut off my right hand, because I am really clumsy with my left hand in this activity.
5
I know, o Lord and Master, that I brought forward something very stupid and worth to be laughed at, but what is the use to say those things in Your sermon on the mount if I was not able to understand its true spiritual meaning, just like I did not well understand Your sermon in Capernaum in which You also explicitly ordered to eat Your flesh and drink Your blood because otherwise one could not receive eternal life and enter Your Kingdom?
6
That parable was clarified to us by the clever innkeeper, which clarification was confirmed by Yourself to be good and true. And we were all completely satisfied with that, but we still did not succeed to understand the mentioned mutilation of the body. And when we will spread Your sermon on the mount further among the people, there really could be here and there weak people who could literally execute that teaching. The wiser part of the people would then call that teaching cruel and unwise and we will not reap many good fruits by that.
7
It finally could happen that by that a completely weak congregation will become one-eyed and one-handed , and that very blind pious parents would perhaps out of precaution execute such mutilation on their children to prevent them later from being irritated by that one eye or that one hand."
8
On this I said to Simon Judah: "Regarding this, you should go to My dear John who, already immediately after the sermon on the mount, was able to explain the spiritual truth of that image. And then you also will clearly realize that I did not command any physical mutilation with that but only to seriously watch over the always free will of man and his mind. Do you understand that?"
9
Now Simon Judah said: "O Lord and Master, with Your last two words You have clarified the matter to me, and so I can leave brother John alone because it stands now clear before my eyes that the mind of man is the eye of the soul and the will the active hand.
10
But man has two eyes and two hands and thus also two minds and two wills, namely a good and a bad mind and therefore also a good and a bad will.
11
If the bad mind irritates the good one, one should recognize it and forever give up the bad mind, and so also one should do the same with the will. And it is of course also better to enter the Kingdom of Heaven with your good mind and will than go to Hell with two minds and two wills. For I believe now that if someone, according to the condition of his love for the world, will let himself be tempted to all kinds of actions, one time by his bad mind and his bad will and another time by his good mind and good will, is already an arch devil on this world. For if some other person, as a result of his early education, has only a bad mind and a bad will and who can therefore also not act any differently than badly, is basically not an actual evil devil but rather a foolish devil for whom can still be prayed to You: 'Lord, forgive him and make him better, for he did not know up to now what he did.' O Lord and Master, be so merciful to tell me if this perception of mine is now good and correct."
12
I said to Simon Judah: "Now your perception is good and correct, but you also will have noticed that it was not your flesh who inspired you to this but only My Spirit in you. Therefore, you also should try to completely get rid of your worldly mind and worldly will, then the heavenly understanding of the spirit and the power of the heavenly will, will be completely your own.
13
If you still have something in connection with the teaching that I gave to the people, let it hear, for today I am disposed to make all things straight that seem uneven to you."