The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 187 -
The storm.
As the preliminary noise of the fast approaching storm becomes ever stronger and more threatening and almost a complete darkness begins to spread over the sea and over the whole area, the more fearful begin to head into Ouran's tents, and no longer have any joy in remaining outside with Me. The disciples also begin to release all sorts of worries among one another; not one of the fifty Pharisees remains in the open air when they see several pound-weight balls of hail fall on the ground before them.
2
Ebahl commands Jarah to head into one of Ouran's tents with him; but she is not to be moved from the spot, and says, "Who can then be so afraid in the presence of the Lord?! Should such a storm be able to do more than the love, omnipotence and highest power of the Lord?"
3
Ebahl says, "By no means; but at the falling of pound-weight hailstones there is nonetheless a little fear, particularly when the clouds shake them out in very dense masses. Such a ball of ice as just fell beside me could very easily shatter a head!
4
I believe that not one, even at the heaviest fall, will touch or injure me or my little daughter; but nonetheless the old fear comes undesired to a man such as I am. But now I will not fear; for I cannot let myself be put to shame by my Jarah!"
5
Now it really begins to hail somewhat more heavily. Balls the size of two fists fall with great strength on the ground, the sea begins to drive waves as high as a house, one flash of lightning follows the other, and the rain begins to fall in streams along with the dense hail.
6
Here Hebram and Risa and the thirty boys also become flighty and try to save themselves under the table; but Suetal, Ribar and Bael, the first of the twelve former criminals, remain, and My disciples also remain right down to Judas Iscariot. The Roman soldiers seek protection in the house and in the Mark's fishing huts and under the cliffs.
8
But Helena, now Mathael's wife, likewise fled with the wife and the daughters of Herme into the tents; but Herme remained with Me.
9
But when we stood on the shore of the sea, no-one was touched by any hailstones or rain, no matter how close they fell; also the spot where we were standing remained completely dry. Lightning flashed before and behind us in the Earth and bothered nothing but our ears with their loud crash. But now a hurricane began with all force to churn up the sea, and at the same time waves like little mountains rose and created quite a frightening sight for human eyes.
10
Then Mark said, "Lord! I have now become an old man and have seen and enjoyed storms in Calabria and Sicily; but such a genuine Noah's storm has never happened to me before! Lord, this hail is destroying the region for many years! And the terrible streams of water are washing all the good earth into the sea! That will give the poor people quite a business! And this story will not stop, but instead it is becoming heavier and denser! Those over there under the table will drown if they don't stand up! The tables do not protect them any more anyway, since they have been hit many times! Lord, how much longer will the storm last?"
11
I say, "It has not yet even properly begun, and you want to end it already?! When it strikes around, then you will see its strength! In any case, don't worry about this storm! If it was not necessary, it would give way at a sign from Me; but it is necessary for the maintenance of the Earth, as the eyes are necessary for you to see. Therefore let's allow it to storm itself out!
12
But on the other hand the certain friends of the nimbus must really taste something of a true nimbus which happened to me! Look over there at how they peep out from the openings in the tent and cannot understand how we are capable of standing so wellprotected in the open air! But they nonetheless have no courage to come out; oh, how tiny their faith is!"
13
Mark says, "That's all right; but what will the poor people live on? For You see that the never-ending hail is destroying everything and the floods are carrying all the earth into the sea! And thousands of people and animals are being hit, and those that escape with their lives will later succumb to starvation! That is really a little too harsh and too heavy a punishment, carried out with the very heaviest whip in the world!"