The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 117 -
Reprimanding glee.
After these and other casual descriptions on Mark"s behalf and by several who had heard old Mark, Helena notices an extraordinarily bright white flame shoot high so that the whole area is brightly lit by it; Cyrenius also notices this flame rise from the centre of the city, and the flame became constantly brighter and larger and higher.
2
Well, by night every light has the deceptive characteristic that it seems always to come closer to people who are not familiar with the tenet of vision, the bigger and brighter it becomes at the very distance it remains. Proof is that little children often reach with their hands for the full moon. They believe it to be very close because of its brightness, and dogs bark at it for the same reason.
3
So it also seemed to Helena here, that the flame becoming ever greater and brighter was coming closer to us, and she therefore asked Me to forbid the evil flame from coming close to us and causing us damage.
4
There I said, "Don't be so childish! The approach of the flames is only a very normal optical illusion; however, the brightness of the flame has the following reason: The fire has penetrated into the pantry of the great palace of the leading Jewish Pharisee. In this were kept around one hundred tithes of the purest and best oil in sealed barrels, also several barrels of the purest naphtha for lighting the palace, and besides there was also a large store of butter, milk and honey. These all caught fire and now burn so beautiful and bright, and at this opportunity, as you, old Mark, secretly wished before, your tithe of fish will also be as beautifully roasted; for in the great food store there was already a great number lying ready for tomorrow. What do you say about that now, Mark?"
5
Mark says, "Lord, You who can see into my heart as purely and well as into the great store room of the high Pharisee, You know that I was neither then nor now a gleeful person. I was very strict in my service as soldier, yet I have never done harm to anyone by my own will except he whom the law had previously damned - about which I could naturally do nothing. Yet I have never felt a certain joy at it, if the harshness of the law swallowed someone up. So also here I have no real heart-felt joy at the accident itself, and that my beautiful and good fish now will just be fried for the spirits of the air, but that now these old tormentors of mankind finally get a lesson from all sides gives me real joy!
6
For the consumption of the treasures through fire is the least; but the total belief in their religion consumed along with it is the actual irreplaceable damage that is done to them, but it is a very great use for the deceived people. For they will now have a very open ear and heart for taking in the pure divine truth and that is what makes me so happy. And perhaps it is possible that the unhappy priesthood, if they are not too nailed in their heads and hearts, will become more accessible for the truth than they were when they were rich. I think that tomorrow"s day will let us experience some thought-provoking tests! Tell me, Lord, whether I am right or whether such a joy of mine is damned before Your eyes!"
7
I say, "Oh, not at all; for if I had not had the same reason to let this happen, at which you really rejoice, you would not have seen the false sun and this scene of fire would not have happened. But first you had a malicious joy in your heart because you were cross towards the Pharisees because of the heartless and unscrupulous tithe. And look, that was actually what I reprimanded you a little beforehand and therefore you will feed several burnt-out priests tomorrow, but it will not do you any harm either!
8
You see, a correct and perfect person must be perfect in all his feeling, thinking and acting, otherwise he is not suitable for God"s Kingdom of Heaven!
9
We see for example a very coarse, mischievous transgressor of the law of good human order, a real scum of all civility, in short, a fellow who can just as well be a brother of Satan. For a long time man has been practicing his very coarsest malice without being punished; for one cannot arrest him, because his genuine satanic cleverness protects him from it. How many people wish nothing more than that the villain would meet the punishing arm of the law soon!
10
Finally the court was able to get hold of the brash sinner, to hold him to account and to condemn him to his long-deserved strictest and most humiliating punishment! Now old and young rejoice, the villain has been sentenced to his long-deserved punishment. Yes, among them are the very worthy, those whom it pains to have no legal authority in this sentencing, those who would themselves serve as executioners of this despised criminal, and smite him mercilessly to their hearts' content!
11
But now let us ask ourselves with a pure heart, but also with an equally pure mind whether such joy is suitable for a perfect person! And a pure heart and a pure mind would surely answer: I am certainly pleased that the people who have been troubled by this villain for years are finally released from this evil and can now live quite peacefully; but I would rejoice even more and greater if the villain recognized his wickedness, regretted it, and then improved himself, changed himself to a valuable person and so according to possibility strive to repair the damage caused!
12
Tell me which pleases you better: the joy over the punishment or the one which is combined with a pure and truly humanitarian wish?"
13
Mark says, "Then there is no other choice; for the second is fitting for people, and the first is in my opinion still very rough, selfish and brutish!"