The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 104 -
Selfishness as the root of matter.
1
(The Lord:) "If you look a little closer at this process, it will truly not be difficult for you, to recognize in all right depth of truth, where the weed on the pure field of life is coming from.
2
Everything which is called world and matter, is something which is wrong and inevitably always opposing the true, spiritual order out of God, since originally it had to be placed as a counter-impulse into the enlivened, well-formed idea, placed outside of God as individual beings, to awaken their free will, and should therefore be seen as the true weed on the only true and spiritual pure field of life.
3
Even if the weed was originally a necessity to establish a complete free, spiritual life, the free created human beings must finally recognize it as such and voluntary remove it, because it is impossible for them to continue to exist together with it. It is a necessary means for a purpose, but can never become one with the purpose itself.
4
The net is also a necessary means to catch fish; but who will submerge it into the water, then pull it up again and instead of the fish, roast it on the fire en enjoy it as food?! Thus the net is only necessary to catch fish; and once you have lifted the fish out of the water and put them into the pantry, one puts the net away and uses the yield achieved by it.
5
Hence the impulse to transgress the commandment must be there; since it is an awakener of the ability to recognize and an awakener of the free will. It fills the soul with desire and joy for as long she quite well recognizes the impulse, but not giving in to it, but keep fighting it with the same free will, which was awaken and enlivened by the very impulse in her, and the free soul uses it then as a means, but not as an in it achieved purpose.
6
The tube is never ever the wine itself, but only the holder to preserve the wine. But who would be so stupid to bite into the tube and damage it because of its attractive smell, since he knows to just open the tube at the right place, to get the pure wine out of the tube?!
7
The weed or the impulse to transgress the law is therefore something subordinated and may never ever become the main objective; whoever makes the subordinated the main objective, resembles a fool, who wants to feed himself with the pots in which the good food is cooked, and throws the food away!
8
But of what does this weed consists and through which decompositioned life should it be fertilized? What name does therefore carry this counter-legal impulse which was placed into the enlivened forms? It is called self-love, selfishness, arrogance and finally lust for power. Indeed, by self-love the enlivened form goes into herself, but with a greed to draw everything into herself and to lock and preserve it forever in herself, to make sure that it cannot be beneficial to anybody else, out of fear not to run into any shortage herself! By such locking-up-in-herself of everything which it continuously draws from the Divine order which feeds and maintains everything, a continuously growing solidification must take place and a certain temporary solidification and superiority and by that a special liking of itself, - and this is in the full-true sense of the word and meaning selfishness, which it feels as something very weighty and tries to elevate with all strength, power and all available means above every other being, and even if it is in the most worst manner.
9
If selfishness has achieved what it wants, it rises above everything which is similar to her and looks so to speak delight-drunkenly and with disdain down on everything; and this is what one calls haughtiness. Therein is already a lot of matter and a complete field full of the most worse weed.
10
But haughtiness is in itself of the biggest discontent, because it still makes the observation, that still not everything serves it, as he wants it. It now examines all his means and other powers and finds in order to make everything serving it, that it must play in a political manner someone easygoing and bounteous. Thought, tested and done! Because there exist always more hungry than saturated, the easygoing haughtiness has an easy task. Soon all the hungry small forces gather around him and allow to be strictly ruled over them, because also they become something to catch from the wealth of haughtiness. They now obey slavishly the haughtiness, thereby increasing his power, and the haughtiness strives immediately to rather make everything serviceable and tributary to itself. And this insatiable striving is that, what one in the most truest sense calls the all-destructible imperiousness, in which no love prevails.
11
In such imperiousness already the most thickest matter expresses itself; by it a planet completely hardens as granite with all possible evil elements in the best manner fully provided. But that imperiousness and with it the real dictatorship is equal to the most dense matter, is proven by the exceedingly firm castles and fortresses, behind which the rulers hide. The walls has to be a few fathoms thick and equipped with strong fighters, so that nobody dares, to penetrate the most coarse matter and to limit the ruler in his most arrogant rest. Woe the weak who dares to touch only one stone of the rulers fortress; he soon will be crushed and destroyed!
12
I do not refer here to the rulers and regents, which were placed as pillars by the order of God to decrease imperiousness of each individual person and to keep upright meekness and modesty of love and patience; since those by God placed regents of the nations must be that what they are, and cannot be different, as they have been driven and guided by the will of the almighty God to improve the nations. Here is only meant the general imperiousness of every individual spirit and person, and is shown what it actually is in itself. Yes, there were in fact rulers, which can be called evil tyrants! They have risen out of the nation, rebelled against the rulers which were placed by God, like once Absalom against his own father David. Such rulers are not placed by God, but by themselves, and are therefore evil and a real weed and corresponding forms of the most thickest matter.
13
But you, My Cyrenius, and your emperor are not like that, but that according to My will, what you are, - although still heathens! But to Me you are as heathens more pleasing than many kings, which as supposed to be guides of the children of God were true bodily and even more spiritual murderers of them, therefore the old thrones and crowns and sceptres are forever taken away from them and the responsibility given to you most wise heathens. - I necessarily make here this addition, that you, My Cyrenius, should not think, as if you and your nephew would be sitting as a usurer on the imperious throne before Me. - And now further with our consideration about the weed on the good field!"