The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 169 -
The big group meal at Mark's.
Cornelius throws himself around My neck again at this speech and says, deeply moved, "Yes, only a God, and never a person, can say such words to the people!"
2
I say, "Yes, quite right and in all order you bear Me a good witness, and it will bring forth the best fruit for you! Your flesh and blood does not give you this, but your spirit, which is of God, just as Mine is, and therefore you are a true friend and brother to Me.
3
But now, since we are in the flesh, under the cover of external need let us follow the call which goes forth from the flesh!"
4
Everyone complies, and we go to the tables on which well-prepared fish of the noblest sort are waiting for us.
5
At the table where I sit down, Cyrenius sits on My right, beside him Cornelius, and opposite us sit Faustus, Kisjonah, Julius and Philopold; on my left sits Jarah, then Raphael, the boy Josoe and then Ebahl. The lower long arm to the left is occupied by My disciples and the upper right arm by the royal family of Ouran with Mathael, Rob, Boz, Micha and Zahr.
6
The fifty Pharisees take another very long table; this runs parallel to My table and is before My eyes, and Stahar and Floran sit right in the middle so that they can see My face.
7
The thirty young Pharisees and Levites occupy a third table, behind Me; their spokesmen Hebram and Risa sit directly behind My back, but with their faces turned towards Me.
8
Beyond the left arm of My table which is beyond My disciples, is a shorter table at right angles with the twelve under their spokesmen Suetal, Ribar and Bael; and at the uppermost arm right behind Ouran there is another small table at which poor Herme, the familiar messenger from Caesarea Philippi, is sitting with his now stately-clothed wife, three daughters of his own and a fourth adopted daughter. So everyone who belongs to Me is now well looked after.
9
But the servants have their tables more outside and were likewise best cared-for, as well as the several hundred soldiers who had to look after their own accommodation in their camp, as was always the tradition among the Romans.
10
Everyone including us is now occupied with the necessary strengthening of the limbs and the intestines, and everyone praises Me for such an extraordinarily strengthening serving.
11
The fish, the bread, all sorts of good and sweet fruit - like figs, pears, apples, plums and even grapes - cover the tables, and there is no lack of the best wine anywhere; there is not even one person at any table who was not possessed by a healthy desire to eat, and old Mark, both his sons and also a couple of his older daughters hurry here and there and leave no-one lacking!
12
Gradually the wine loosens the tongues, and it becomes louder and louder here and there at the tables. Also at My table all sorts of wonderment is expressed about the food and drink, yes, even My Jarah becomes more lively and cannot praise the sweet grapes enough, especially since it was not yet the season for grapes.
13
My disciples also begin to become very talkative, which was seldom the case. Only Judas Iscariot was silent; for he still had a great fish to tackle, and the significant beaker of wine before him also occupied him too much for him to take the time to enter into a conversation with anyone. Thomas had actually nudged him a few times; but Judas had noticed nothing, and that was good, because otherwise he would have soon brought something improper to light.
14
But on My left side Jarah was paying very good attention to whether an opportunity would arise for her to give this disciple whom she very much disliked a very firm blow; but this time Judas Iscariot could not be torn away from his desire to eat and drink at any price.
15
But when he had finally finished his great fish, he made another motion as if to grab another one, no smaller; but Raphael was somewhat faster and got there before Judas Iscariot. Well - that gave call for a little smirking cheerfulness, and My Jarah could only suppress the outbreak of a loud laugh with difficulty.
16
I asked Jarah what was wrong with her then.
17
And the maiden said, "Oh Lord, my love, how can You ask a person whose innermost is more open to You than the exterior form of a beaker is to us?! Did You, oh Lord, not notice then how the disciple Judas Iscariot had sought out the very greatest, certainly ten-pound-heavy fish for himself and also the largest beaker?! A few large pieces of bread went down into his stomach besides!
18
But now he wanted to take the second-largest fish for himself as well, but my Raphael, noticing the justified annoyance of the other disciples, reached forward before the gluttonous Judas Iscariot and so saved the fish from the eating frenzy of Judas Iscariot. Well, that is the actual reason why I could hardly hold back a laugh!
19
I know very well from Genezareth that one should actually never laugh except alone out of love and friendship; but here things were seriously so amusing that I could hardly hold back a laugh. I think that it is not such a great mistake if one laughs at a very gluttonous greed if he fails with a highly selfish matter; for one can also think that such an act would improve him - and it should then be allowed to smirk a little!"
20
I say, "Sin, My very dearest Jarah, it is not exactly; but if one can avoid it, one has done something better. You see, if one observes such a greedy person with a certain seriousness, he admonishes himself and stops his greedy tendency; but if one laughs at him, he becomes angry and then makes a point of carrying out his tendency towards greed twice as much!
21
Judas Iscariot is greedy, and also a thief on occasion; for whoever constantly seeks to betray his neighbor, and actually betrays him, is a thief.
22
If he sees laughing faces at his selfish action, he believes that they take pleasure in his joke-like trickery, and then carries out his villainy even more intensively; but if he is observed, as I said before, with a certain strictness from all sides at his trickery and at even the first attempt, he will drop his bad habit and save it for another time. For there is not easily a hope of totally improving a greedy person! But it is nonetheless good to prevent him as often as possible from carrying out any selfish action; he gradually loses thereby the terrible courage because of the constantly unsuccessful attempts and leaves the bad things, if not out of contempt, then at least out of anger.
23
Look, My very dearest little daughter, for this reason that I have just shown you it is therefore better not to laugh at anyone for having some planned trickery not succeed!"