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 223 -
Judas Iscariot.
Everyone was early on his feet in the morning, also I with My disciples. And the innkeeper set his wife and his kitchen personnel early to work to prepare a morning meal for us.
2
But I went directly outside with John, Peter and James, more specifically to the already known mountain Nebo. The other disciples were still dressing and washing themselves. Also their hair was still untidy and they had to fix that.
3
Soon the innkeeper and his son came after Me, as well as the supreme judicial city officer, this time with his wife and children who were still not very big or very old. It also did not take long before the 3 Apollo priests came. A short time after that came also the other disciples except Judas Iscariot. He preferred to walk around in the city where he really commended to the citizens the good deed of My miracles and for which they gave him more or less money. He put that money in his purse after which he went to the inn, and immediately, more than an hour before the morning meal, he ordered bread and wine.
4
On the mountain the innkeeper asked Me what happened to that one disciple, since he was not present this time.
5
I said to the innkeeper: "Just let him be absent, for I prefer his absence more than of his presence, and it is not necessary to tell you more."
6
Now the supreme judicial city officer asked Me: "O Lord and Master, how was that man accepted among Your disciples? Because look, I do not ask You this with no purpose. I immediately noticed that man with my sharp eye of a judge, for he could never look someone straight in the face, and also during Your very great divine words and speeches he looked completely absent and gloomy in front of him, and with not any expression on his face he did not show any amazement or any approving. He also did not say a word from which one could have noticed his talent as an orator while all the other disciples were talking on both sides, partly with You Yourself, partly also among each other. In short, I must tell You that I really do not like that disciple of Yours. If I had someone like him among my many servants, I would have dismissed him a long time ago. From which city does he actually come from?"
7
I said: "He is a Galilean and he is a potter by profession. Of all My disciples he knows the Scriptures best and he is a talented orator as a teacher. But besides that he is also very greedy for money, and this is the actual devil in him which he will not get rid off, for all kinds of devils and evil spirits are - once they took possession of the heart of man - easier to remove from man than the devil of miserliness.
8
In every other bad spirit, sparks of some neighborly love can still be found, but not in the devil of miserliness. Therefore he is also the most stubborn one and penetrates the whole person till he becomes completely similar to him, and then he can better use that person for the most scandalous deeds. So let everyone beware of especially miserliness, for every sinner will more easily and sooner enter Gods Kingdom than a miser."
9
The supreme judicial city officer said: "If Your disciple is of that kind and You are almighty, then put him away from You. For to what use is such person in Your company?"
10
I said: "Precisely because I am the Lord and almighty I must - especially on this Earth which is a nursing school for My children - equally tolerate the devils as the angels. For no one can become My child without a completely free will, and even for the devil the way to conversion is not completely blocked. So you will realize that I will tolerate a disciple, in whom for the rest I am not pleased, as long as he himself wants to stay. But if he wants to leave Me today, none of My company will stand him in the way.
11
Besides, if he will not change he will soon receive his reward. But let us stop talking about that absent disciple, for there are other things that we have to discuss.
12
Because after the morning meal I will immediately travel further and go to the region from where the brook Arnon springs which is well known of old, because the ways to the valley of the Jordan are from here very bad and difficult, but there is still a rather good way that runs through the valley of the Arnon, which is however further up also very difficult.
13
I still have a lot of things to do in the Jordan valley, and the time is short before I go to Jerusalem."