The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 124 -
Helena on the power of the priests.
Helena says, "What you have just said so truly, I have understood very well; only one thing I don't understand is how you became so wise!"
2
Jarah says, "Don't let that concern you; for that is a thing of the Lord, who gives the people different gifts of favor according to their capabilities and sows among them like a sower the wheat on a tilled field. Where the seed falls on good soil, it soon and easily bears much fruit. I think that your heart is also a good field!?"
3
Helena says, "It should be; but I lived too long in blind paganism that still chimes in me like a badly tuned tone on a wind lyre! I surely know the truth now, and it has now become my life; but considers my great nation at home that still firmly depends on paganism and on its tin gods! What effort will it cost us now to give the nation another light and to take away their superstition! If the Lord's all-powerful will does not support us, we will achieve little or nothing!"
4
Jarah says, "But you along with your father were a heathen, and it did not cost too much effort and work to bring you to the pure truth!"
5
Helena says, "Truly I cannot compete with your wisdom in purely spiritual things; but in this world there are also very different issues, and mostly in conjunction with the diverse religions of the people who are much harder to remove than the mistakes of a heresy.
6
First you have to deal with the priesthood who has set up a teaching about gods where they make the most and at the same time can survive well. But the temple needs a lot of equipment and always employs a number of artists and craftsmen and other servants and laborers. All these people live from the temple and lose their earnings and their bread with the loss of the temple. Can you imagine the trouble they would cause!?
7
If one could give these people some other income, things would go much better and easier. But where in a not too large kingdom can a source for jobs be found for thousands, and from where the food for so many people!? For several years we would probably not be at a loss, but for many years?! Which source to use and still remain fair and honest!?
8
Besides, the priesthood possesses the greatest faith among the people and enjoys the highest reputation; the evil priests must only say to the people that the gods have cursed us and we will then see how we can escape this land with a safe skin. You see, friend, those are things which force us to ponder much! As I said, only miraculous help from the Lord can give us advice!
9
Here in this Jewish kingdom it will be difficult to spread this purest light from the heavens, because the old religion of Moses is already too much peppered with such falsehood and deceit with which the priests have become too rich and now live too well. At the same time the priests know how to deal with the rulers and make themselves indispensable to them in all political considerations.
10
The rulers usually give them then too much freedom and privileges with which the priests then win over the blind people for themselves through all sorts of illusions and the rulers at the end of the evil game must put on a good face if they do not want to be lost. In such circumstances it is difficult to become Lord of a people. One must be very satisfied in the end that one can and may play at being a lord, even if one is no longer such in reality.
11
Believe me, the actual lords of the people and the peoples have been the priesthood for a long time, and the emperors, the kings and princes are simply their secretly very morose dogs-bodies, and many want to make things better and get rid of all the obese and well-fed servants of God, if they could! But they cannot, and least of all in a humane way; and look, if I now think about it, my hair neatly stands on end! Do you see this difficulty?"
12
Jarah says, "In any case, and I also know that not everything that glistens is gold; but in addition the fact also has to be considered that for us people many things are not possible that are very possible for God and with His help!
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Thus just do as much as you can and leave the rest to the Lord, then everything will reach its desired, proper goal!
14
Then you have Mathael who is equipped with much wisdom, strength and power from the Lord, and his almost as wise and powerful companions; they all will in time achieve something, and so you can now relax!
15
And when Mathael begins his teaching in your country, as he has done with you, it will not be difficult for him to win over even the priesthood whom he can then give a new position; and they will know how to bring the rest to the people. But as far as the artists and manual workers are concerned, they will be also of use for other things for the converted priesthood!
16
But if you, dearest friend, now want to throw over on your return everything old, even if mistaken, certainly it would be understandable why such an effort and such work would be badly rewarded.
17
The correct wisdom from God must know how to create the correct means everywhere; if it doesn't know, then it is by no means a correct wisdom from God. What it does with one person, it does with thousands, only naturally more time and patience is demanded than with one person; but everything can happen in time and with the suitable means. Rome was not built in a day, and you cannot empty a well with one bucket. And so it is everywhere; the good will, the time and the correct means can move mountains and dry up a sea!
18
Nothing is impossible for God; where He helps spiritually and naturally, everything is possible! Therefore be comforted, and trust firmly in the Lord, and then it will go much better than you now imagine! Tell me, dear Mathael, whether I am right or not!"