The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the mountain town of Pella
- Chapter 43 -
Veronica's morning meal.
We went to the dining room where the daughter of the captain came to meet Me very kindly and thanked Me for the mercy of being worthy to see Me once again and to put the food before Me that she had prepared for Me.
2
I commended her and went to sit at the table. And the daughter set a golden platter with a few very well prepared fishes before Me, and a white wheat bread and the golden cup full of wine. For the others, a completely roasted calve was set on several platters before the disciples.
3
According to Roman custom, cooked beef with a very seasoned smelling broth was served for the captain, his also present subordinates and his wife and daughter. And the morning meal tasted extremely well to all of them, and the wine and the bread were not spared.
4
Veronica asked Me if the fishes that were prepared by her tasted good.
5
I said: "Just look at the platter and see if I had left anything. Every food that is offered in love by men to Me, tastes good to Me. You prepared these fishes that are of the noblest kind from the Lake of Galilee with the fire of your love, and that is why they tasted extremely good to Me.
6
Although I do not need to receive food for My body from you men, but I nevertheless accept it out of love for them. For they can give Me nothing that I have not given them before, but if, with true love, they give Me back what I gave them before, I also accept it with all love and great joy of heart as if they had given it to Me from their possessions.
7
This is also the case when you give something to a poor person out of love for Me, for when someone gives something out of true love for Me, and from that for his needy fellowman, I accept it completely as if he had done it for Me Myself, and I will reward him here and in the beyond.
8
Remember these words of Mine very well and act accordingly, then you always can expect My full love. But you also liked very much to eat such fishes. Why did you not prepare a few also for yourself today?"
9
Somewhat shy, Veronica said: "Yes, Lord and Master, I would have done that, but there were no more in our fish tanks. And even those 4 that I gave You must have come there by a miracle, for the servant himself, who takes care of our food, told me so when I asked him for fish. He thought that there would be no more fishes left at all, but when he went to see anyway and saw the fishes therein, he said: 'Truly, this is a miracle, for already for a couple of months no fishes could be seen or discovered there.' And I believe that servant, because I never caught him lying. So these fishes are thus really a miracle, and so I truly gave You, o Lord, only what You have given me before."
10
I said: "My dear Veronica, it may have partly happened with your fishes as you think now, for they are My gift anyway, even if it was not such a miracle as you asserted. Your fish tanks are already very old and has many corners in which such fishes can easily hide for a long time to appear then at a certain moment, which was then also the case with your fishes, but that they hid until today and that no one could discover them, that was My will.
11
But if you are very fond of such fishes, then send a servant to your fish tanks, then there certainly will still be a few. And when you will find them, then prepare them for the midday meal for Me, for you and also for the others. We all will have enough."