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 32 -
The prayer of the Lord.
As already mentioned, I did not stay long anymore in Gennesaret after I blessed My friends, whom I named before, and had taken leave from them, but I stood up with My disciples and went further down the road, accompanied by Ebal, Jarah and the 3 known Romans to the 10 or actually 60 cities that were partly spread in the valley of Jordan itself and partly on the mountains and hills close by and further up.
2
When I had reached a first, rather high and separate hill outside of Gennesaret with all those who were with Me, I turned to those who accompanied Me and said: "You have accompanied Me until now out of great love, because you well know and believe who was in Me with you and whom you have accompanied. Stay from now on in My love in this way, then from now on I also will stay in that love in you, with you and in your midst. And whatever, in this world, you will ask the Father in Me, will be given to you. But do not ask for the idol things of this world but for the eternal treasures of the Kingdom of God, because all the rest that you need to live in this world will be given to you anyway."
3
On this, the captain said: "Lord and Master, how should we pray in a for You well pleasing manner and thus that we also should not ask in vain for something which is justified? For man can come into many different kinds of needy situations in this world and can then only turn to You with a real request for help. But then how should he ask and pray?"
4
I said: "Pray in every need and adversity with natural words in your heart to Me, then you will not pray in vain.
5
But when you ask Me something, then do not use many words, and absolutely no ceremonies, but pray very quietly in the secret love chamber of your heart:
6
'Our loving Father who lives in Heaven, Your name be sanctified always and forever. May Your Kingdom of Life, Light and Truth come to us and stay with us. May Your only holy and righteous will be done on this Earth among us people, in the same manner as in Your Heavens among Your perfected angels. But on this Earth, give us our daily bread. Forgive us our sins and weaknesses, as we will always forgive those who sinned against us. Let no temptations come over us that we cannot resist, and free us in this way from all evil in which man can fall as a result of too strong enticements of this world and its evil spirit. For to You, o Father in Heaven, belongs all might, all power, all strength and all glory which fills all Heavens from eternity to eternity.'
7
Look My friend, in this way everyone should pray in his heart, then his prayer will be heard if it was meant in all seriousness. But not only with the mouth, but truthfully and lively in his heart, for God is in Himself a purest Spirit, and so He should be worshipped in the spirit and in the full earnest truth.
8
If you do see and understand this, then act accordingly. Then you will live, as well as everyone who will do the same."
9
After this short speech of Mine they all thanked Me. I blessed them once again and let the still visible Raphael go. He shot upwards as a mighty flash of lightning into the infinite space. The Romans were startled and looked up for a long time, so that perhaps they still might see his form, which was however no more possible now.
10
Then I also took leave from those who accompanied Me to this hill, and continued with My disciples upon the hill over the fruitful plain that started there, and went further along the plain. Within a few hours we reached a small, old city in which the citizens were mostly Greeks and Romans. Among the gentiles lived also a few Jews who went completely downhill and were pining away. They had a small inn for themselves which they also had to use as synagogue.