The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 164 -
Boats with guests in sight.
Mark and both his sons notice from the house that ships are arriving; they hurry to the shore as good sailors and look to see whether there is something wrong with the ships.
2
Cyrenius and all the Romans and Greeks also hurry to the shore to see what the three ships are bringing. But these are still quite far away on the sea and are still about an hour's journey from the shore, and all the observers cannot yet make out what is on the three significantly large ships.
3
Cyrenius therefore asks me about it and I say, "Those who we have been awaiting since this morning! They have had to sail against the wind, and the sea was rough; they had to seek a harbor on the other side in order to let the wind run its course, and that is the reason for their delay. It is already a full hour after midday and they would need another full hour to reach here, since they still have to fight a gentle counter-wind with their oars. But it is now up to us to help them, and that will shorten their path and the time by a lot."
4
Cyrenius says, "Lord! Don't You want to send Raphael to them, as You did yesterday for Ouran?"
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I say, "It is not necessary at all; for there is no danger threatening these people as Ouran was threatened yesterday! Mark and his sons will manage very easily with these three medium-sized vessels, and we will have them here in a short half hour!"
6
Cyrenius says, "But Lord, don't You want to perform any miracle at all today?"
7
I say, "Haven't you read in Moses: And on the seventh day the creating spirit of God rested, and the seventh day therefore became the Sabbath?! If I now keep the Sabbath a little, then I am doing right, since I have worked industriously for a full six days beforehand! In addition I have now all sorts of servants around Me who now are and can be active in My name and in all power!"
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Cyrenius says, "Lord that means something special once again; for I cannot understand the sense of Your teaching at all!"
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I say, "Well, then ask someone and everything will be made clear to you! But I am now taking a short rest not for My sake, but for yours, in order to give you the opportunity to act, and so I am also active in all of you. Don't you understand that then?"
10
Cyrenius says, "Yes, yes, now I understand it! I can also now imagine why!"
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I say, "There you have no difficult task, since I explained it to you all very clearly this morning! Before the midday meal I will do nothing of My own doing, there will be enough opportunity after the meal to be able to do something; but if I speak, then I am nonetheless doing something before the midday meal.
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But now Mark must be told to send both his sons towards the ships, but that he himself should see to it that the tables will be well prepared; for the expected guests will arrive very exhausted and hungry and thirsty, likewise their servants and the poor, tired sailors."
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At this I signal to Mark, and he understood My sign, had both his sons set off powerfully across the sea, and he hurried into the house and put everything into the most active motion.
14
It also became lively in Ouran's tents; for Mathael and his four companions, his young wife Helena and Ouran the king noticed the ships from the tents which they had occupied an hour ago with Herme's family, the familiar messenger from Caesarea Philippi, in order to change their clothes and to dress Mathael in regal clothes so that he would stand before the arrivals as what he is.
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Ouran hurries to Me and asks Me in all humility, "Lord, what will the ships bring? Will it be the expected very high guests?"
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I say, "My friend that was asked very arrogantly! In our presence there are no high and no low guests, but instead only brothers from A to Z. If I can be called your friend and brother, why should there be high and low among you people? I tell you: The Almighty is alone a justified Lord among you, but you are all brothers among each other and servants of the Lord!
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Or do you think that the kings are more highly regarded by Me than their lowest servants just because they are kings? Oh, not at all! Only the heart decides; the king must know in his heart why he is a king and the servant, why he is a servant, otherwise king and lowest servant stand before Me on the same level, down at the bottom.
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So remember this, My dear friend Ouran, that there are no high and no low guests before Me, but only children, brothers and sisters!"
19
Ouran, however, was also quite satisfied with this reprimand bowed deeply and then asked nothing further.