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 164 -
Lazarus' stance on the temple. Anger and its consequences.
But I went outside with the two sisters of Lazarus. When we came to the large courtyard, the big dogs sensed that foreigners approached the settlement Bethania and with strong barking they ran towards the gate of the large courtyard and Lazarus asked Me what this means.
2
I said to him: "Several Jews and a few old pharisees who did not have anything to do today, wanted to pay you a visit and at that opportunity warn you about Me; but they only have undertaken this, to spy on you if I was not staying with you, or if I possibly have left you and went somewhere. And see, the dogs are sensing this very accurately, that these are no friends of yours and Me and therefore run to the gate, to urge those Jews and pharisees to quickly retreat! Since as these approaching see these animals already from far away, they will abruptly turn around and take to their heels. Thereupon also the dogs will very calmly return home."
3
Thereafter we moved in the same direction in which the dogs had run. We just arrived at the gate when we saw a black club of people. The dogs then left the gate with a terrible barking and ran with a furious speed towards the approaching. However, when they saw the dogs, they turned on their heels and with the speed of an arrow left in a frenzy.
4
When they saw that the dogs did not follow them anymore, they started to walk slower and sulked a lot about Lazarus that he now used tearing beasts to protect himself and to keep himself and his house free from visits of the men from the temple; but he should not drive the patience of the temple to the edge, otherwise he will be served quite badly. From whom might he have gotten these dogs? And thus they sulked until Jerusalem; however, at home they said nothing because they were ashamed to have run away from the dogs.
5
When I told such to Lazarus, he asked Me what he in the worst case had to fear from the temple.
6
And I said to him: "Absolutely nothing; since if they want to do something to you, you have the Roman court and with them you have sufficient world-judicial protection, for this your place is already for fifty years under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Romans. Yes, if this would not be the case, the clerics would have handled you completely differently; but as it stands they have no right. They are just trying to exploit you as a Jew to their advantage and make all kinds of threats; but in reality they can't do anything against you. You constantly follow your obligations conscientiously and thus they cannot really bring anything against you. But this is also their worst wrath towards you.
7
They only know it too well that you are the richest man of the whole of Judea, since your properties alone forming already a small country and falling under the Roman jurisdiction. Thus they have no right to tax you and this horrors them. They want to arrange it in such a way, that you leave the Romans and become a sole subservient to the temple. However, since you do not do this despite their insistent obtrusiveness, they bother you on all places of your property, incite your servants and in secrecy do this and that against you. But from now on you are safe; and as such they can be incensed about you in secrecy for as long as they want to, they still can't harm you, - and thus you can relax completely!"
8
Said Lazarus: "Lord, I thank you for the good clarification! I now have a lot of and great consolation in me and truly, I now breath easier again; however, nonetheless is it for me a pleasant appearance, if I have to tell myself right into the face: 'You are a person, who according to his best knowledge and conscience has done everything possible, what under even an appearance of any form of legality was required, and beyond that out of a free, kindhearted impulse did a lot more good openly and in secrecy what one never could have expected from him, - and for that I am hated by the wretched clerics!' Oh, Lord, this is apparently too much for me!
9
Those wretched creatures want to possess everything for themselves and does not in the least take into consideration, that I, to save the temple its perfunctory maintenance cost for the poor, at least provide for a thousand poor people annually and on top of it make a considerable contribution to the poverty fund. I also have made some large donations to the temple, - and all this means nothing to those wretched! For that they try to run me completely into the ground, - what they even would try to do on a Sabbath like today, if it was possible for them! Yes, Lord, I only know it too well, that they can't do anything to me; but it nevertheless annoys me terribly, that these wretched still hate me, when I did them so many favours!"
10
Said I: "But look at Me! Didn't I created this earth and sun, moon and all the stars? Don't I uninterruptedly provide for the earth that it can produce all kinds of food for all creatures? Don't I maintain everyone's life? I have destined this earth for the development of My children, I Myself have come to this earth according to all known prophecies, to reveal Myself as Lord of heaven and earth in the form of a man through word and deed, to teach them Myself that they are truly My likeness? And what is it that these temple heros are doing? They hate Me, pursue Me and everybody who believes in Me, because I tell them that their deeds are evil? They continuously try to kill Me and soon the time will come, when I Myself will allow it to happen, that they be able to commit this horror deed on Me. And see, I do not have any annoyance for them in Me! However, also in the beyond I will forever be the Lord, and there it will truly not remain unpaid, what they do here!
11
That I as the primordial First and the only biggest Benefactor of man do not get annoyed, you also should not get annoyed about them, while you, compared to Me, have done only very little to them! There, look at this stone, which lies on the in the way before us! Who maintains it as what it is, - except for Me? If I in this very moment withdraw My all maintaining will from it, it will not exist as matter anymore, but it returns to its spiritual-specific state, thus to the realm of My primordial ideas, and the same I could do with the whole earth, if the actions of its inhabitants were to annoy me. However, because they do not annoy Me and never can annoy Me, everything continues to exists and I allow My sun to shine equally over good and bad, righteous and unrighteous. Only in the beyond the large differences will show and everyone carries his own judge in himself.
12
However, if you want to be forever with Me in the beyond, you must in everything be equal to Me, so that you never get annoyed about anyone. Who follows Me, must follow Me entirely, otherwise he is not My perfect disciple.
13
In addition I tell you something else, and this consists therein, that annoyance is absolutely not conducive for the necessary bodily health; since it produces too much gall and this pollutes the blood and puts the human life at risk each moment. Thus also in this respect, beware especially in this regard about too much annoyance, otherwise you soon could loose your bodily life! Think about this quite well, and you will not have to fear any physical evils!"