The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the region of Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 31 -
The doubts of the Lord's followers.
As it was said in the former writing, I still stayed half day in Gennesaret, from the early morning until more than 1 hour after noon.
2
At that time I especially blessed My friends who were still present here, the old Marcus, Kisjona, Philopold and also Mary. She first went to Kis with Kisjona and Philopold, stayed there for some time and went also again to Nazareth. There she told My brothers everything that she had heard and personally seen and experienced of My teaching and works about which My brothers were very surprised, as were also some other old acquaintances and friends of Josef, of Mary and of the 3 brothers who were carpenters at home and who took care of the house.
3
But despite the fact they believed in Me, several of them shrugged their shoulders and said: 'He really performs great things, and His teaching is completely true, pure and good, but if He will resist the temple servants too much and witness against them, and act with all His divine might and power against them, He will go to ruin, for their attitude towards Him and His followers, who are certainly already widespread, is, as we have heard, relentless and malicious everywhere.
4
Although He has many good friends and followers among the gentiles who completely believe in Him, but among the Jews there are still very few, and even those take Him mostly for a great prophet and do not want to hear or know much about a Son of God, even when to Him and with Him everything has been fulfilled that the prophets prophesied about Him.
5
Now it easily could turn out that He will have to share the bad lot of John the Baptist, and then the few Jews who still believe in Him up to now will immediately turn around and will turn again to the Pharisees out of great fear for the temple, and help them to persecute those who are His followers up till now.
6
Although, up to now He still was able to stand firm everywhere and could powerfully resist all those who persecuted Him, and we also hope and firmly believe that He, by means of His divine nature and being, and according to the power of the divine wisdom that fills Him, He very well and without further disturbance will complete the work that was started. But the world is false and evil, and its children are dark and very malicious. And up to now they always knew, and certainly still know, the art of turning around all that which God has revealed by the prophets for the sake of the people - no matter how true, good and wise it was - and to change it into their own evilness. And this they do in such a way that even the from nature better and more enlightened people in the many false and evil things, were no more able to see what was ancient, purely divine, true and good, and thus they had to stay in the false and evil of the world.
7
Well now, our divine Brother Jesus has already begun to let a mighty light shine through the terrible darkness and maliciousness of the Pharisees and their loyal followers, in such a way that also the gentiles with many hundreds are sunning and warming themselves in His light. But in this world the possibility is still imaginable and present for our Brother that His justified zeal will come to a sad end."
8
Many agreed on these words, but not Mary and a few of her male and female friends.
9
And one of them said: "Listen, if He Himself wants it and will allow it, it surely can happen that the evil ones will be able to assault His body. However, certainly not to their supposed advantage, but to their downfall, which is very clearly shown by the old and more recent prophets about the Messiah. So let us not unnecessary and needlessly worry about Him, for He knows best and most clearly what He has to do for the true well being of all men. We want, will always, and under all circumstances believe in Him and deeply honor Him as the Son of God."
10
Everyone was satisfied with this, and after that, they still talked a lot about My teachings and deeds by which then many in Nazareth believed in Me, more truthfully and firmer than before. For even My 3 brothers who stayed at home did not take Me for that which I was, while they could have known it. And because of that unbelief I did not visit Nazareth so often. And when the citizens of Nazareth asked Me - their well known son of Josef the carpenter - from where I could have received that wisdom and power, I told them: a prophet is nowhere least respected than in his homeland. Then I left from there with My disciples and did also not personally come back to Nazareth.
11
But after that discussion with Mary about Me, their faith in Me was strengthened, and many glorified and praised Me in My personality as the prophesied Messiah who came into the world and as the son of David.