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 209 -
The miracle at the inn.
Said I: "O you My friend and brother! These blind out of their own evil will are knowing it just too well that I am very powerful, and they do not need a still greater proof of My wisdom, strength and power; since they hate Me for this very reason, because they fear Me for My wisdom and power. Therefore it is truly not necessary, to give to these blind a new proof of My power; but for the sake of the Romans I will nevertheless do something unexpected, so that the Romans have a case in their mouths against them. - But now the sun is already very close to the horizon, and therefore lets go into the house. Who wants to follow us, can then find us in the house; since for today I will not speak nor do anything in the open anymore. And thus let us go into the house!"
2
Said Lazarus: "Lord, my house is quite spacious, - but whether it can take all of those who are here now, I don't know!"
3
Said I: "Do not worry about it; for there is a lot of space for peace loving sheep in one sheep stable! The two somewhat mangy pharisees are of no concern. Lets us go!"
4
Thereupon we went and soon arrived at the house at our table where there was already bread and wine. We hardly had sat down when all who lively exchanged words which each other outside, came to us into the large dining hall; but irrespective how many there were, they all had comfortably space and Lazarus and his innkeeper were amazed about it.
5
And the innkeeper said: "Either the people are smaller - or the hall has become bigger! Never before were there so many people together in this hall! And from where came all the best placed tables and chairs, and from where suddenly so much bread and wine? I have not served one drop of wine and also not one piece of bread. How did this happen? Did you secretly instructed the servants to do this?"
6
Said Lazarus: "I less so than you are! This was again effectuated by His almighty will. I and the Romans here have asked Him for a sign for the sake of the disguised pharisees, and as I can see it now very clearly, He already has effectuated it unnoticed. And look at the table of the Romans! The wine jugs are of the purest silver and the mugs are shiniest gold! Do you have those to serve the guests?!"
7
Here the innkeeper's eyes widened and even more so those of the Romans.
8
Agrikola was completely beyond himself with admiration about such honouring and said to Lazarus: "Friend, why do you honour us tonight so much and why haven't you done so already yesterday and today during the day? Since this is such a majestic honouring for those, who can afford it, to show exclusively to the emperor."
9
Said Lazarus: "My friends! If I had such crockery yesterday and today, truly, you would always be served like that; but this crockery was brought into this house and on to this table totally unknowingly to me, and therefore I am of the opinion that this is already the certain little power test for those doubting His power!
10
Everything appears quite miraculous here. Look at the many tables in the hall! They are just there and neither I nor my innkeeper knows where they have come from! There is also bread and wine in abundance on the tables and neither the innkeeper and I, nor any of our servants did place anything on the tables! In addition, I precisely know how many people in an extreme case can fit into this room. And now there are five times as much many guests and still, there is more than enough space for twice as many people but nevertheless did the original shape remained unchanged. If you look at the matter in the right light, this is by far more than the little test of power you required of the pure will of our Lord and Master!"
11
Said the over and over surprised Roman: "Yes, friend, you are absolutely right! Even if you secretly would have brought the precious crockery from your Bethany to here, whereby we thirty surly would have noticed that something was brought in to the house - except if you have an underground passage from here to Bethany, which however is very doubtful since -, within the few hours it would still not possible for you to carry all the many tables and chairs here and extend the hall! And therefore this is truly an unheard of miracle, and the one who effectuated it, is a God and not a person anymore!"
12
Here the in all five pharisees and some Levites did not know what to say to all this.
13
Since it became quite dark in the hall, lights had to be lighted, which was always a little unwieldy; for during those times one did not have lighters like today. If the so called everlasting light, of which every home had one, went out, one had to go to a neighbour and borrow a fire, or one had to rub certain pieces of wood against each other until they started to burn. This time also the fire in this house went out and the servants rubbed the certain pieces of would, which however today did not wanted to burn. And so it became darker and darker and nobody could manage a light.
14
Then Lazarus came to Me and said: "Lord, in the whole house the fire went out and we cannot manage a light! For You everything is possible; if you want to, produce a light for us!"
15
Said I: "Thus place the lamps on the tables and also prepare the wall lights; I then will see if we can produce a fire!"
16
After everything was prepared, I said: "Like it is written in the first book of Moses, when God spoke to the darkness: 'There shall be light!', and there was light in the wide creation; in the same manner I also have the power to say: There shall be light in this hall and the whole house!"
17
When I had finished speaking, all lights in the whole house lit up and in the kitchen the wood burned in the stove, so that the cooks could start with the preparation of the food.
18
When the pharisees saw this, they were flabbergasted and they looked at the Romans and waited what they would say to such an appearance. But the Romans also could not get hold of themselves, and so almost half an hour went by before the tongues could be set in motion again.
19
But then Agrikola got up, went to the separate table where the disguised pharisees were sitting and said to them: "Tell me, how do you like this weakness of the truest Messiah! Do you still call this a weakness, or can you also effectuate the same with only your will? Can you also create such precious crockery and fill it with the most delightful wine? Can you also produce bread out of thin air, also tables and benches? Your table and your benches and chairs are surely solid enough, and they are not made but have been created through the pure will of Him, of which you maintain, that we Romans are only sympathetic towards Him because we do not have to fear His weakness. What are you saying to this?"