The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 16 -
Of the Ascension of Jesus.
1
(The Lord) "But I say to you that it will nonetheless be constantly difficult to remain with the purest naked truth; for the world wisdom which in several places will become very acute will not understand how I can be the same person spiritually who once gave Moses the Law on Sinai under thunder and lightning and dictated to him the five books and who supports and rules all eternity with His wisdom, power, and strength! Even many of you who are all witnesses of everything that happens here and what has happened in other places do not realize that I am one with the Father in heaven. What will the great wise men of the world say to that when such evidence reaches their ears from a thousand mouths?!
2
Therefore only the simple-minded are informed, and not the wise of the world, for what is great for the world is a horror before God!
3
The plain and simple person who still has as pure a heart as possible has obviously a freer soul and a freer spirit in the soul and understands more easily and quickly what belongs to the spirit; but a worldly wise man whose soul is nailed up with sheer material knowledge and no longer has a divine spirit will certainly not understand what you, for the most part, easily understood and understand in the correct depth. Nonetheless you still do not understand everything, but after My ascension you will understand it completely!"
4
Here Cyrenius immediately asks, "What sort of ascension do you mean? Will you ascend to the king of all kings on Earth and be crowned?"
5
I say, "That"s right, but not to a king of the world and also not with a crown of gold! Don't I have the power to take for Myself a kingdom on Earth which would reach over all the ends of the Earth? Who could stop Me?
6
Is the essence of all things not in the hand of My Father, who is in Me as I am in Him and likewise the life of all people? How many breaths could you take without the will of My spirit, who alone enlivens and maintains everything ?!
7
What was the use to the people in the time of Noah all their power and fine warfare? You see, My spirit let the flood come over all the kings and their people and they were all buried!
8
What good to the powerful Pharaoh was all his great army? My spirit allowed the Israelites to cross the Red Sea without getting wet and the following army of the Pharaoh drowned!
9
So if I wanted to be a king of this Earth, what power could ever stop me?
10
But such a thing is far from Me and from everyone who wants to follow me; quite another ascension and coronation awaits Me, about which you will first find out details when it happens. I have already given you some hints right at the beginning of our meeting; so if you remember you will be able to imagine the rest!"
11
Cyrenius says, "But Lord, I now know who and what You are, and what You can do - but I still don't understand basically why You flee from Herod and from those of the temple when you have so much power?
12
I say, "Friend, you could have saved yourself this question! Firstly, because I already explained it to you more than enough in Nazareth, and secondly you should finally have understood from My speeches that I did not come to this world to make the dead more dead than they already are, but to bring others to life everywhere; thus from now on no-one should be sentenced. For I am now here to take on all the judgment that has been made over this earth, and all people should find salvation from eternal death through My taking of the judgment.
13
So I am not here to beat (lay about one), instead to heal every possible wound of humanity which is beset by a thousand evils, and not to fustigate it even more.
14
Do you think that I flee out of fear of My persecutors? Oh, if that is what you believe, you are greatly mistaken! Look at the many serious criminals! Truly, according to Moses and your Law they have deserved death a thousand times over; and yet I do not allow that to happen now, that they should be killed, instead they should receive the mercy of heaven. If they make use of the mercy then they will also have a place in My kingdom; but if they fall by the wayside with time, they will have themselves to blame if the curse and strength of the law kills them! For look, the Law lasts forever, mercy comes only from time to time to help the people in distress; but when the mercy is not respected, one has to fall back again on the Law."