The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6

Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching

At the Sea of Galilee (John 6)

- Chapter 147 -

The Lord in the temple. Failed attack of the temple priests

When I got on to a podium in the temple, I asked for silence and the Jews recognized Me and secretly asked each other, how I suddenly came to the feast, since My disciples who were asked about My whereabouts, did not know anything about Me. However, I firstly started to recite word for word the easy understandable but very meaningful forth and fifth chapter of the Prophet Jesaja and secondly gave a sharply marked and thoroughly understandable explanation, which fitted precisely the present time as well as the stubborn and haughty Jews.

The Jews were surprised by that and said: "How does he know the scriptures so well when he according to our knowledge never studied them? His teaching therefore cannot be false, because it is completely according to the scriptures.

But I answered them and said: "This teaching according to the scriptures which you call My teaching, is not mine but belongs to Him who send Me! If someone wants to follow this teaching and wants to act according to the pronounced will of God therein, he will recognise whether this teaching is from God or whether I speak of Myself therein! Who speaks about himself, most likely searches for his own honour; however, who just like Me, only searches for the honour of him who has send him, is truthful and there is no injustice in him."

Hereupon some of the pharisees started to grumble and said among each other. 'The time would be right to grab this person and kill him and it will then not be necessary anymore to look for him at great expense in all the world where he easily can hide; for he apparently teaches against us and makes all our turpitudes suspicious before the people. Therefore, lets get some courage and down with him!"

But I noticed such their plans and said to them: "Did not Moses gave the law to you? You say indeed: 'Yes', why then, does nobody of you act according to the law anymore?"

And the Jews grumbled and said: "How can you say we are not keeping the laws of Moses?"

Thereupon I said: "Good, - if you follow the laws of Moses, why then do you want to kill Me?"

And the people said: "Are you of the devil? Who tries to kill you?"

Said I very seriously: "Not you, but those who are sitting on the high chairs! See, I have performed a single sign here several month ago, for the person who was ill for thirty-eight years and this annoyingly surprised you all! I was condemned as a Sabbath desecrator.

Moses has instructed you to conduct the task of circumcision - not that it was coming from him, but from the arch fathers -, and you still circumcise the people on a Sabbath today. If you then also circumcise the people on a Sabbath without fear of thereby breaking the law of Moses, - why are you then angry with Me when healing a whole person on a Sabbath?! I say it to you: If you then have to judge, do not judge according to an empty appearance, but judge in a just court according to the full truth!"

Thereupon some distinguished citizens from Jerusalem said: "Is it not him whom the high pharisees tried to kill during Easter? And see, he now speaks totally free and they are sitting there very calmly and do not answer him with one syllable! Does our senior clerics now recognize it with certainty that he is indeed Christ? However, this cannot be; for we all know from where he is coming. If Christ is coming, nobody will know from where he will be coming!"

I then spoke very loudly in the temple and kept on teaching: "Yes, you know My person well and also know from where I am; but what you don't know, is that I as a person did not come by Myself, but someone Truthful has send Me, and him you don't know, and as such you also don't know from where I actually been. But I know Him well who send Me into this world. Because you don't know Him, you also don't know Me! - Have you understood Me?"

This My speech filled the arrogant citizens of Jerusalem with annoyance and they tried to grab and punish Me; however, since My time has not yet come, nobody was able to lay his hands on Me.

But many people believed in Me and said among themselves: "Hey, if Christ is coming, will he do more and greater signs then him?"

Soon the high pharisees heard the murmuring of the people about Me.

And the pharisees shouted: "Look, how he deceives the people!"

Then they immediately send their servants to grab Me and bind Me with ropes.

But I said to them: "Let it be for now! I only will stay with you for a very short time and then I go to Him who send Me into this world."

Then the servants stopped and nobody laid a hand on Me.

But the Jews grumbled among themselves: "To where does he want to go that we will not find him? Does he wants to go to the Greeks who are spread all over and teach the Greeks? What strange speech is this that he says: 'You will search for Me and not find Me!' and 'Where I will be you cannot get there!' Ah, this person speaks completely confused! He most likely fears the high priests and speaks that way, so that they do not arrest him."

Said I: "Before My time nobody will be able to arrest Me!"

Thereupon some of the Jews, scribes and pharisees shouted: "This we will find out immediately if we are not able to arrest you straight away!"

They then pushed their way to Me; but when they tried to grab Me, I suddenly disappeared out of the temple and the Jews and pharisees looked with big eyes at each other and said: "To where has he disappeared so suddenly? This is a most obvious miracle!"

But the pharisees said full of annoyance: "What miracle, what miracle, - didn't you noticed how Beelzebub grabbed him when he was in danger?! Now of course we can look for him for a long time and will not find him, since he hides in some corner of hell!"

Upon this remark an immense grumble arose among many Jews who believed in Me and very strong voices could be heard: "These wretched pharisees truly can't see the forest for all the trees! They themselves are the worst Beelzebubs and are stuck with hair and skin in the middle of hell; but to beautify their coarse depravities before the blind people, they say that this apparent man of God equipped with all divine powers, is the servant of Beelzebub. Oh, just wait, you true Beelzebubs! We will quite befittingly drive out your sanctimoniousness! We will tear down your masks so that you will reveal the truth for what you really are! Just wait you black and grey villains, payday will not have to wait too long!"

When the people made their thoughts known quite loudly, soon no pharisee could be seen in the temple and the servants who were supposed to arrest Me, were suddenly invisible. At home they were of course in a lot of trouble and had to explain to the pharisees why they did not seized Me immediately.

But the servants said: "Oh, why didn't you lay your hands yourselves on him or at least encouraged us when we were hesitating?"

Said one of the pharisees: "Is this becoming for us on a Sabbath?"

But the servants said: "Also we are Jews and must just like you keep the Sabbath holy!"

Said the pharisee: "Now good! If you see him tomorrow or the day after tomorrow when there is no Sabbath but only two cheerful feast days, then grab him immediately and bring him to us!"

Said the servants: "O yes, this we can do; as long the majority of people are not against it!"

Said the pharisee: "Who will care about the people who are condemned long ago?"

Said a servant: "Yes, condemned back and forth, - however if the condemned people most certainly will stone us for it, what then?! Already today it was quite close! If we would not have left the temple in a hurry, we would not be that lucky! The cursed people would surely repay us their curse with usury interest! However, what did not take place today, can easily take place tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. We are of the opinion one should let the man go! If he is a prophet, send by God to us, with all our powers we will not be able to undertake anything against him; however, if he is not a prophet, the matter will pass over by itself."

Said the pharisees: "You don't know anything and speak accordingly! Is it not written that from Galilee, where all the malefactors are exiled, never a prophet will arise?!"

Said one of the servants: "This is true indeed; but what we heard from other people - what is also expressed in out circumcision books - he is not a Galilean but was born in Bethlehem, and this is the old city of David, where he wrote down his prophecies. In addition it is also known, that the Prophet Jesaja often and long times spend in Galilee, just like the Prophet Jeremia, - and still they surely were the greatest prophets!"

Said the pharisee: "Are you also of the devil?! Who told you this?"

Said all servants: "You yourself, not long ago during a speech about the prophets, when you told the people who the prophets were, how and where they were born and where they spend their time and effectuated! Are we then also not allowed to remember what you yourself has preached us?"

Thereupon the pharisee was very embarrassed, didn't say anything further and retreated. The servants also left and secretly had a good laugh about succeeding driving the high and mighty pharisees into a corner.

Footnotes

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