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 162 -
The cause and purpose of diseases and suffering.
Here one of the Jew-Greeks remarked by saying: "Lord, why can the anyway poor, mortal person only come to God through all kinds of pain and suffering? Could this also not happen through a healthy and suffering free life according to the recognized will of God?"
2
Said I: "Like man wants it; it depends mainly on himself. Even most of the life sicknesses are the result of all kinds of sins which a person already commits continuously from his youth until his old age and finally also out of a sort of habit. Some illnesses of a person are an inheritance of the parents and grandparents to their children and grandchildren, because in that case the parents and grandparents have already sinned. One then cannot accuse God if the people inflict all kinds of sicknesses, pain and suffering on themselves. One could say to Me: 'If man is immediately taught by God what he has to do, to live and exist in the right order in the world, and he does not act accordingly, he obviously is guilty himself if he falls into all kind of suffering; if however, man has to learn everything from nature and by all kinds of adverse and often by bad experiences, then man is not guilty of his suffering and is then the most sorry-felt creature on earth!'
3
Yes, I say Myself, man would be like that, if it would be so! However, that this is not the case, is proved by the creation of the first human couple in Paradise, who almost uninterruptedly were taught by God in all kind of things for more than a hundred years. And in addition God awakened during that early time period on earth on and on seers and prophets, who taught and revealed the will of God to the more and more worldly becoming people.
4
Under such circumstances no person could say that he was taught by nobody, how he has to live according to the will of God. But man began to cultivate himself and his earthly dwelling world quite considerable, build cities and erected one work of splendour after another, and in that way fell in love with their world and because of all the world they forgot about God and even became God-deniers. When a seer came, awakened by God, to these people, he was laughed at and nobody paid attention to the sense of his speech.
5
Now, such people had to learn their cleverness of course by all kinds of bitter experiences and labouriously had to determine some rules of life therefrom. These life rules, like for example now among the many heathens, were however to the biggest part already sins against the true, divine order, and from it necessarily all kinds of bodily and soul sicknesses had to become a common occurrence among the people.
6
If God now wants to preserve the soul of such people for the everlasting life, He must help her through all kinds of bodily suffering, namely to such an extend, that such a too much to the world attached soul through some suffering and pain is more and more pulled away from the world, since otherwise she would be totally attracted to and consumed by matter and the world and its death and judgement. And see, this is the reason why now on earth people have to endure a lot of suffering!
7
But also we will have to suffer a lot for the spoilt people through their own fault. However, our suffering will not come over us based thereupon as if we would not have any knowledge about the pure divine order and as if our deeds would be contrary to it, but we will, through our suffering, make the blind seeing again, namely thereby, that they can see from us how little value we place on the life of this world, and what great value the life of the soul must have, if one reject all earthly advantages for the sake of it. And see, only therein will consist the first actual redemption of the people from death to life! - But now enough about all this! Since lunch is ready now, let us go into the house and consume it!"
8
However, the Jew-Greeks were not very happy about it, that they as the future proclaimers of My word had to suffer, yes even risk their lives for it.
9
But I said to them the famous words: "From now on it will be like that, that everyone who loves his life will loose it; however, who despises and flees his life, will keep it for everlasting!"
10
Then the Jew-Greeks said: "What is this? Who can comprehend this?"
11
Said I: "It means this: To what use would it be for man if he with this earthly life would profit the whole world, but suffer harm in his soul? What can such a person give to safe his soul? Therefore man must use this bodily life for the sole purpose to attain the everlasting life of his soul. If a person does not use his bodily life for only that purpose, it is his own fault if he forfeits the life of his soul or at least weakens it to such an extend, that he afterwards in the beyond has for an exceedingly long time to do, to collect himself insofar, that he is able to go over in an only somewhat brighter and better spiritual life. Since for as long a soul clings to its bodily life and its advantages, she cannot be completely reborn in the spirit; a soul however who is not completely reborn in her spirit, cannot enter the true kingdom of God, because no atom of anything material can exist therein. - Now you know enough, therefore lets go into the house!"
12
We now went into the house and consumed the well prepared midday meal, and while eating only little was said.