The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and the Priests of the Temple (John 5)
- Chapter 18 -
A Gospel of cheerfulness.
At this Martha and Mary immediately hurried into the larder and brought bread and wine and roast lamb and set everything on a side table because there was no more space at ours.
2
When the citizens stepped into the room with great reverence, I immediately said to them in a very friendly way: "Forget about your too great reverence! You are hungry and thirsty, so eat and drink with a good spirit! Even the children of night, judgment and death are cheerful at their mealtimes - why should the children of light and life not be so in the presence of their heavenly Father?! For I say unto you all: Wherever I am, the Father is there too. Therefore be cheerful and of a good spirit, and eat and drink!"
3
The citizens gave thanks, sat down and began to eat and drink with a good appetite, and told us how they had got away from their relatives for a time period of several months. I praised them for this and recommended to them the right courage and the right endurance, without they would follow Me with little success. They promised this and also kept their promise, as will later be shown.
4
During this discussion with the citizens of Jerusalem, however, Martha secretly remarked to Lazarus, by saying: "Hey, brother, just imagine: another miracle! For yesterday and today we used up quite a lot for so many people, and look, not only is nothing missing from our great larder, but there is ten times more of everything now, and all the skins are full of wine in our great and smaller wine cellars! No-one but the Lord alone in His too great goodness and love can have done this for us, and as such He did not take food and drink from us, but instead we all only dined at His table!"
5
Thereupon Lazarus became quite embarrassed and did not know what he should say in return.
6
But I noticed His embarrassment and also said very softly to him: "Do not be concerned about it; for behold, we want to spend almost half the winter in peace in this area and then we will often be your guests and also guests of this innkeeper of Mine! During wintertime there will be many sick people in this area around Jerusalem, and I will heal them at every opportunity, so that they will know that the Messiah who has come has helped them, and they will believe in His name.
7
After half the winter I will visit the upright Galilean Kisjonah for a short time, and then come here again for a few days before the Easter festival, but will return to Galilee again before the festival starts. You see, we will thus stay with you for quite some time and also consume a lot; and thus I blessed your larders and wine cellars! But be silent and tell no-one about this!"
8
Lazarus thanked Me in silence and then comforted his sisters; and they, when they heard this, became so full of joy that they almost began to cry and needed to go outside for a short time to get rid of their tears of joy, without being noticed by anyone. They then came back to us again and rejoiced with us. When the citizens had satiated themselves, they gave thanks and rose form their seats.
9
But I said to them: "If you don't have anything else to do, remain seated and let us be cheerful together; the time for a temporary sadness will come soon enough!
10
My disciples must not walk about like low-spirited hypocrites whose faces feign piety so that the people should think that only their feet were touching the ground of the earth while with the rest of their body they already were in heaven, filled with the Spirit of God, - but you must walk before everyone with an open and cheerful face so that everybody will trust you, and in this way you will spread a lot of blessing from the heavens among the people.
11
Behold, within Me there dwells the true Spirit of God in all its fullness, yet you have never seen Me walk around low-spirited and with the downcast eyes of a hypocrite, but I walk around presenting an open and quite natural face, and My road is always straight. I am friendly and cheerful with the honest and cheerful and make the sad and anxious happy and courageous, and you as My disciples must according to your absolute free will be exactly the same.
12
Therefore, I tell you all again to be of a free spirit and go through the world happy and cheerful, without clinging to it. For, just as I Myself have only come into the world to bring to all people a gospel of joy from the highest heavens giving the greatest solace to everyone so that not even the bitter death by torture can shake him because he sees - and must see - that for him death no longer can and does exist and that for him in My eternal Kingdom neither this earth nor the whole visible heaven can ever be lost, but that he will also become a lord over a great many things. Once you have become strong in the spirit and power of My teaching, I shall send you out in My name to take this heavenly gospel of joy to all the nations of the earth.
13
Who would want, or be able, to spread such an exceedingly joyful gospel with a sad, timid, fearful, anxious and downcast face? Therefore, away with all this forever and away even with the exaggerated respect before Me! With all this you could never be called and chosen to anything great and, even less, to carry out anything great and important.
14
I am completely satisfied if you love Me from the bottom of your hearts. What goes beyond that is foolish and good for nothing and turns man, who is My image, into a cowardly creature, useless and unsuitable for anything great."