The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives (John Chapter 8)
- Chapter 181 -
The arrival of the foreign Romans at the inn.
It of course didn't take long and the foreigners were already there. The innkeeper and also Lazarus met them politely and welcomed them. Thereupon the foreigners came into the house and greeted us according to their custom and we responded their greeting. They sat at a table and immediately asked for food and drinks; since they were already very hungry and thirsty, because they couldn't find anything acceptable elsewhere in the city.
2
And the innkeeper said: "Bread and wine you can have immediately; but for a proper evening meal you have to wait a little longer!"
3
With that they were content, and immediately were served with bread and wine in abundance and cheerfully ate and drank, praised the wine and were in a good and joyful mood. Also the free maiden was very cheerful and told them all kinds of amusing things. But we kept quiet and the disciples who mastered the Greek and Roman tongue, listened eagerly what the foreigners had to say.
4
Among them there was a very respectable man. He was a Roman and came for the first time to Jerusalem. He said to the others: "Listen, we now have brought up a lot of joyful things and therefore can for a change speak about some more serious matters, so that the honourable society which we have met here, do not secretly think that we are nothing else than pure clowns. And therefore I want to make a beginning and say:
5
We all come from Rome to this large Jewish city, which is called 'holly' by the Jews. Through the assistance of our beautiful Jewish guide, we came to this mountain inn, which according to the information of our guide is disreputed by the Jewish priests, but nevertheless has proved itself to be the best and cheapest in the whole of Jerusalem for a long time. What our dear guide recommended to us as good in this inn, is now fully confirmed; since we are here ourselves now, the bread, the extremely good wine and the very special friendliness of our host are providing for us the best testimony. Therefore we must show our special gratitude towards our beautiful guide, which should also be the case according to our old Roman custom.
6
But we have been here in this city for already a few days and from yesterday until today we had to keep up with the worst kind of inn and today the good gods have provided us with something better. That we yesterday, because of all the searching for an inn, could not attend to the matter for which we actually have travelled from Rome to here, is easily understood; but now we have found a proper inn and according to my opinion it is now the time to start thinking about, for which we have undertaken this great and dangerous journey. For the journey from Rome to here is truly not a trifle matter! Our dear guide who has shown us the way to this good inn, will perhaps tomorrow also be able to give us some information in this regard, - perhaps also our landlord; but him we first have to get to know a little better, since this seems somewhat of a sensitive matter for the Jews, and they - said between us - always have been sly old dogs.
7
That our beautiful guide is a very honest and upright personality, we already are pretty well convinced of; and as such we will secretly turn to her, and she probably most willingly will be able to provide us with good information, so that we can know whether we have travelled here in vain or have not travelled here in vain. For if there is some truth to this matter, we will stay for as long it takes to fully understand what this matter is all about; if however, there is nothing to it, we will leave within a few days for home again.
8
A thunderstorm always looks more dangerous and threatening in a distant than when soon it is close by, and probably it will also be the same with our case. However, it is quite peculiar that here in the Jew country we nearly never heard someone say something about it. Nevertheless can we enquire about it more deeply; and as such I want to ask you, loveliest guide, if you haven't heard anything about a newly arisen, Jewish prophet, who supposedly is able to bring about incredibly miraculous things.
9
Tell us sincerely and truthful, if and what you have heard about this prophet, and what this matter is all about! Have you seen and spoken to him already or have heard other plausible people speaking about him? And if they have spoken about him, you perhaps will know what they have spoken about him? Tell us everything what you know about this matter and we will - as already said - be much appreciative to you!"