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 198 -
The Lord's testimony in the temple
When calm returned again to the temple, some of the people said: "Lord and Master, do not be intimidated by the pharisees and continue to teach us Your mission and the kingdom of God; since if You speak we are completely eyes and ears, and our hearts are truly beating loudly for You!"
2
Said I to the people: "Thus pay attention and notice quite well; since I will say it to you openly and will not hold back anymore who I am!
3
Listen! I Myself am the light of the world; who follows Me, will not walk in darkness, but will have the true light of life."
4
Here the people rejoiced loudly and said: "Yes, this is true; since You, Master, has come as a brightly shining light into this world, and how much does Your light pleases us, who have for so long wandered in the thickest night of our souls!"
5
This was too much for the rage filled pharisees so that they again pressed forward towards Me and said: "Since you testify about yourself, your testimony is not true!"
6
Thereupon I Said: "Even if I would testify about Myself, My testimony would still be true; since I know from where I have come and also know to where I am going. Only the pharisees doesn't know, because of their haughtiness they don't know from where I have come and to where I will go. You assess and judge everything according to the flesh, since you do not know any spirit. However, therein I do not judge anybody. But if I judge, then My judgement is right; since I'm not alone here, as you think I am, but I and the Father, who send Me, are one. Is it not written in your laws that the testimony of two people is valid? ? And as such, firstly I testify about Myself and secondly the Father who send Me into this world. How many more witnesses you want?"
7
Here the pharisees became upset and said: "Do you regard us as fools? Where is your father so that he can testify about you before us?"
8
Here I got up and went to the pole where the so called chest of God was mounted, which carried this name because it was used for the offers for the temple, and spoke loudly into the chest: "You blind know neither Me nor My Father! Since if you know Me, you also know My Father!"
9
When I had spoken these words loudly into the chest of God, they asked Me why I now have spoken into the chest.
10
Said I: "Because it is all the same if I had spoken these words to your faces or into this now empty and dead box! At least did the chest accepted the words patiently, which would not be the case with you."
11
The people liked this and insisted with the pharisees to let Me speak unhindered. Upon that the pharisees withdrew somewhat.
12
But I continued to teach the people and ruthlessly spoke out against the pharisees, and the more I revealed their infamies before the people, and I so to speak counted for them on the fingers, what damnation they had to harvest for it, the more the people rejoiced and the more enraged the pharisees became. But they did not attacked Me, since My time has not yet come.
13
Then however, some other Jews, who still supported the pharisees, but who also acknowledged Me in some respect, came to Me and said: "But tell us, where do you want to go with such your speeches!"
14
I again said to them: "Know! I will go away from here in a way, which you do not know, and you will look for Me and not find Me and thereby die in your sins! Since where I go, you cannot get there."
15
They then spoke among each other: "Does he now out of despair want to kill himself, because he has enraged the pharisees too much and cannot escape their revenge that easily anymore? Since then he could not say with a sound reason: 'Where I go you cannot follow Me!"
16
But I said with a very cheerful expression to them: "Do not break your heads about it! I Myself will show you within a moment the true reason, and you then will easily and immediately recognize, why you, as you are now, cannot follow Me where I will be going.
17
See! You are from below and will return thereto; but I am from above and most certainly will return thereto, and you will not be able to follow Me."
18
Then also these Jews became annoyed and said: "What does it mean? Can you even promise us hell?"
19
Said I: "O no, but the matter is as such: You are from this world also according to your souls; but I am not from this world!"
20
And the Jews said: "Where is then another world? We do not know another world!"
21
Said I: "Yes, indeed you do not know another! And therefore I have said such to you, because you will die as unbelievers in your sins. Since if you do not believe that I am the Promised and have now come to you as the Messiah, you will die in your sins and never come to the place where I will be with My chosen ones. And if it would not be like that, truly, as a pure human being, as you are, I never had the courage to tell you such!"
22
Then the Jews said: "What are you saying about yourself? Speak clear and true, who you really are!"
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And I said: "It is difficult to speak to totally deaf ears. Because you haven't understood Me before, listen to Me now! Firstly I am who is speaking to you!"
24
Said the Jews: "Now, who you are secondly?"
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Said I: "Just be patient, the 'secondly' you will find yourself from My speech; since I have still many things to speak and to judge before you! Listen! He who send Me, is in the highest degree true, and only what I always heard from Him, I announce to the world, which are all of you."
26
Since the same blind Jews still not understood, that I spoke from the Father or the everlasting Love in Me to them, they again asked and said: "But by the temple and Sinai! Who is he who has send you?"
27
I then said, also with a serious expression, to them: "Listen! When you will have elevated the Son of Man, then you will, although too late, recognize, that it is I, who as a man does not do anything out of Myself, however as My Father has always taught Me, I speak and act. And still know some more: the Father who send Me, is not somewhere far from here, but He is here with Me. The Father never leaves Me alone; since only I always do what please Him, and like Him, I do not fear any person in the whole world. If it wasn't so, I would not have told you."