The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Der Herr im Jordantal
- Chapter 229 -
The Lord with His followers in the Jordan Valley.
I quickly moved on with My disciples and arrived around noontime in a little village that was exclusively inhabited by poor Arab shepherds.
2
There was no inn in that village but there was a certain chief shepherd whose hut was somehow better equipped compared to those of the other, smaller subordinate shepherds.
3
This chief shepherd asked us in his language where we were going, and he also said that there was no more village up to quite a long distance away from here and if we wanted to strengthen ourselves we could do that at his place since we probably would not be able to reach another village where we could receive some food and drink.
4
I said to him: "You did well to remember us in your heart, and I accept your good will as a done work but we must reach the Jordan Valley today and so we cannot stay longer here."
5
On that, the chief shepherd said: "If you want to go down to the Jordan Valley, then here from my hut is the best path to go down to the valley, because here you can find the first spring of the brook Arnon and it is not going down very steep. Therefore the path is very well passable while the other springs that form together the Arnon flow down very steep and the very narrow paths are very difficult for a traveler."
6
I said: "You will also be rewarded for that advice, but not with gold, silver or noble stones, but with something else which will be more useful to you than the dead, shiny stuff that men covet so much. Look, this piece of land on which you and your neighbors live will become fertile, and your flocks will become bigger, so that you will see that I, who am saying this to you, am more than an ordinary person.
7
On occasion you can travel to the city at the Nebo, then the inhabitants will tell you who I was, am now and will be forever."
8
Being surprised, the chief shepherd looked at Me and asked for My permission to escort Me to the Jordan Valley since he very well knew the way.
9
I said: "You do not have to escort us for that reason since I Myself perfectly know all the ways on the whole Earth, but because of your friendliness you can escort Me for some time."
10
Then we continued our trip, and the chief shepherd of this village walked in front and guided us over a very good way till almost into the Jordan Valley where we said goodbye, and with a quick pace I went with My disciples to the north into the Jordan Valley.
11
Only 3 hours after sunset we reached a small village where there was also an inn, and when we arrived at the inn we knocked on the front door.
12
Then the innkeeper went to an open window and asked us a little grumpy what we wanted so late in the evening.
13
I said: "A master of an inn is lawfully compelled to receive travelers and to take care of them at every hour, also at night."
14
When the innkeeper heard that from Me, he thought that I might be a Roman judge, unlocked the door, made light and we entered the inn.
15
When we took place in the rather big inn, the innkeeper asked us if we wanted to eat and drink something.
16
I said: "We did not eat or drink anything since this morning, so you will understand that we need to take some food. You have bread and wine, and that is sufficient."
17
The innkeeper said: "I also have meat and fish. If you want something of that, I can let it be prepared because the maids that take care of the kitchen did not go to sleep yet."
18
I said to the innkeeper: "Since you are a Greek, your meat is not suitable for us Jews, for we do not eat the flesh of pigs and donkeys, and your fish from the Jordan is almost 5 days old and dead, and we also do not eat such fish. So bring us a big quantity of wine and bread."
19
Then the innkeeper took his carafe and went for the wine, and his wife served us the bread. I took the loaf of bread that was not very big, broke it into pieces, divided them among the disciples and kept also a piece for Myself.
20
Now also the innkeeper came with the wine, put a cup before each of us and filled them with wine which was however not of the best quality.
21
And I said to him: "You still have a better wine. Why did you give us your worst wine?"
22
The innkeeper said: "I keep the better wine for the Romans and the Greeks. But for you Jews this one is more than enough because all Jews are bad payers. Therefore, as innkeeper you have to see how you can get even with them."
23
Then I said to the innkeeper: "Then take another carafe, fill it with water and serve that to us."
24
The innkeeper said: "That I can do."
25
The innkeeper left, brought us a big carafe full of water and put also a sufficient number of cups before us on the table and said a little grumpy: "If my wine is not tasteful to you, then you can drink water in the name of Neptune."
26
But I blessed the water and changed it into wine as I had done oftentimes. Then everyone's second cup was filled with it and we drank and strengthen us.
27
The innkeeper noticed however that the water was very tasteful to us, and he said: "It is strange that you seem to like my bad water better than my wine, because our water is not good since we do not have a spring but have to be satisfied with the water from the Jordan that has no more good water for a thirsty person because it is close to the Dead Sea."