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 50 -
The immense catch of fish. The delicious premium fish.
1
(The Lord) "But now it will be about the time that we get ourselves ready to go fishing; for right now is the best time for this."
2
The innkeeper said: "Because You, oh Lord, say so, thus will it indeed be the best time; but otherwise according to our fishing rules now would actually be the most inappropriate time, because the fish have now gone down with the sun and so there are no longer many fish to be found on the surface."
3
I said: "And for that reason we will now go out to fish, and it will show that we know more about fishing than the other fishermen. By day and on a windless sea anyone can fish; but in the evening and on a very unsettled sea no-one but I can go fishing. And so let us go and get our tackle ready!"
4
At this we left the room, took the tackle, which consisted of several large fishing nets, untied the boats, got into them and sailed about three lengths from the shore.
5
Then I said: "Now throw out your nets, spread them out well, and the rowers should steer straight to the shore, and on the shore we will see whether the setting sun was an obstacle to our work!"
6
This happened as I had ordered, and when we reached the shore, the nets were so full of the noblest fish that they were at the point of ripping. When the fishermen began to pick the fish out of the nets into the fish containers, they did not have enough space to take them all up; almost a good third had to remain bundled up in the nets, hanging in the water between the boats.
7
"No," said the innkeeper: "such a catch at this time of day belongs in the realms of the most unheard-of things! Oh Master, if You lived and ate in my house with ten times as many disciples for a full ten years, I could never repay You for this gain that You have given me today with this catch! Behold, my great and well-built house along with the many and purposeful farm buildings and everything that is within - even with all the fields, pastures, forests, ranges and vineyards - does not have the same value by far as this almost countless many and great noble fish, which otherwise are caught here only in the winter season and only rarely here and there. If one can catch ten in the very best case, then one is in any case a rich man; for fish of this sort are greedily bought up by the Romans and Greeks at a hundred silver shillings a piece, salted and sold at the courts of kings certainly for around three hundred silver shillings. If it pleases You, oh Master, I would send my servants into the city with some pieces to the Greeks and Romans and you will all be convinced of how much money they will come back with!"
8
I said: "Do that in any case; but only tell all your people that they should not mention Me; for then in a short time we would have all these great Greeks and Romans around our necks! But our evening meal will also be prepared with these noblest fish and you yourself must actively take part in the eating; for until now you have only heard speak of the wonderful taste of fish of this sort, but never tried one yourself. If you now try one yourself, you will also learn personally why one pays so highly for these fish. And now you may send off your servants already; but they should take them from the nets. Those for us should also be taken from the nets; we will leave those in the containers in peace!"
9
The innkeeper then went to organize the many servants, and about fifty of them took two fish each, since one person would not have been capable of carrying a third, and carried them to the city. The servants quickly headed for the Greeks and Romans, and when they caught sight of the familiar noble fish, a real auction took place so that one fish of only 40 -50 pounds weight was bought for around two hundred silver shilling.
10
Indeed the Greeks and Romans asked, likewise many rich Jews, how they had got hold of them at such an unusual time for such noble fish.
11
But the servants said that they had obtained a secret from a foreign fisherman of how to catch such fish even outside the winter season, and the fish were the truest witnesses that the secret was working. They then were not questioned any further and soon brought the innkeeper a large quantity of money as payment for the fish, so that he hardly found enough containers to hold all the money and keep it safe.
12
In the meantime our evening meal was also ready and we sat down at the large table.
13
When the Greek Jews caught sight of the well prepared fish, they said: "We only once had the chance to taste this noblest kind of fish, and now such a large number lie before us! Oh, that is truly too much of a good thing! Oh Master, that is also Your flesh and blood, according to the good explanation of the innkeeper; for without Your word and without Your will we would never have come to such a meal! Yes, one now sees clearly everything that love, wisdom and the omnipotence of God can do! Oh, man is like nothing at all compared to You, oh Lord and Master!"
14
I said: "It is not quite so; for it is the will of the Father that every man should become as perfect as He Himself in heaven is perfect. And time will show that My true disciples will do even greater things than what I do now! But the time is nonetheless not yet there, but will not be far off. - But now let us leave that and eat and drink according to desire and need!
15
As long as the wedding guests have the bridegroom among them they shall suffer no lack; for they will experience need enough when the bridegroom has risen again to where He came from. But I am the true bridegroom, and those who believe in Me are the true brides and wedding guests at the same time. Therefore be now of a cheerful and joyful spirit!"
16
At this they all dived in eagerly and ate and drank with great desire and became full of good and cheerful things.
17
A Greek Jew said while enjoying the fish: "In Kis at Kisjonah's house we also ate noble fish which were very good; but they cannot be compared with these fish at all, although it is the same sea and water here, isn't it?!"
18
I said: "Certainly yes - but not the same reason! This type of fish is rare and only are found in this area. But they are mostly at home only in the deep areas where they find their food, which consists of a sort of deep-sea plants. But the plants are only found here, namely over a stretch of a thousand acres of land; beyond the bottom of the sea is barren and these fish do not live there. - But now let us eat and drink!"