The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 75 -
Suetal talks with Ribar about Raphael's behaviour.
But the twelve don't like Raphael"s speech and so they begin to think of means how they could quite secretly recommend returning to Jerusalem, even if empty-handed; "For," says Suetal, "we have not yet undertaken anything punishable against the temple. What violence had to do with us, we can't do anything about that; but all the templars cannot investigate our innermost thoughts eternally, and so we must be taken back into the temple again and we will certainly rise in their favor if we tell them all the extraordinary things that we have encountered on our most dangerous wanderings! The high priests will listen to us with the most open ears in the world and will become benevolent to us and our luck is secured. We will then perhaps be sent out again into foreign lands; but such a thing will no longer embarrass us for we are fine old fellows and we now know exactly what we have to do and for whom we have to work on the nation!
2
But here in this strange society of conjurors or gods it can no longer be withstood! They always speak of love, as such was to be taken from the truly wise speech of the Greek; but if one asks such a miracle-worker about something, he always gives you only an evasive answer and becomes as coarse as a stubble-field! Well, he should begin to talk to me about humility, gentleness and love and then he"ll get one on his head so that he will no longer be capable of answering me anything!
3
Whoever reminds his brother of humility must first be humble himself, otherwise he should first give himself an elbow-long sermon on humility before he reminds his brother of humility! There the person should look once at a young miracle-worker, how rude he became with all of us in the end! How does his miracle act affect us, and what use should it be to us if we cannot imitate him?! Does he need to be so rude to us then?
4
The fact that I have made my totally non insinuating remark about the young girl after what every person here can see with their own eyes cannot offend a person who is even a little wise; for what I noticed is at least for the like of us a quite normal human sight and is devoid of any prophetic stroke. I only touched upon the contrast that has surely occurred to all of us, in that here on the one hand it is obvious from the deeds that miracles are happening; but as far as the decent sphere of life is concerned, no normal human eye can see anything but something quite normal and natural - and my very innocent remark broke the mould of humility and gentleness so much that he firstly scolded us very harshly and secondly turned his back on us so that he avoided any retort on our behalf! Truly, such behavior belongs clearly in a madhouse, but not among people of some education and least of all in the company of sheer preachers of love, humility and gentleness! Therefore I truly do not want to be in this company for long; for there is no more fatal being among men than he of whom one can never see the depths and also cannot know how one should act with him and how far one should trust him! Truly I would not like to give these masters even the most foolish disciple for all the world! Am I right or not? What do you think about that, brother Ribar? What do you think - should we go or still remain since we are now free and from now on can enter the foreign legion or go home?!"
5
At this Ribar answers, saying, "I think that we should nonetheless still remain; for we have basically been a little chided by no old bearded man, but by the yet firmly beardless miracle youth - probably because of your pushiness about the great Master and wanting to see him!
6
My opinion is this: The youth has surely still been forbidden for whatever reason not to betray the Master before the correct time; but now you have been nosing around and he has slipped out of your snare in that he turned his back on us all because you approached him too forcefully. My opinion therefore is this: that we should stay a little longer and see whether we might not still make acquaintance with the great Master!
7
Certainly we feel quite particularly good here, where on the one hand we are really almost among gods, but on the other hand it all seems quite naturally human! There is of course no talk of fasting on the Sabbath; for most of those present are Romans and Greeks. One also sees little praying; but what is said often abounds with wisdom greater than Solomon"s. In short, things are quite strangely mixed here; we are among people who seem to be called by God to bring heaven and Earth closer together, in order to prepare in time another field for the education of the people of this earth in their spirit and with the necessary material strength! Therefore I cannot bear the youth any bad will despite all his rudeness; for such a person who shakes us up is not at all bad, because we reach insight much faster than with a hundred modest lessons."
8
Suetal asks somewhat thoughtfully, "How do you mean and understand that?"
9
Ribar says, "You shall hear that now from me quite openly!"