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 57 -
The spring tide.
In the morning of the after-Sabbath we rose early and I went outdoors with some disciples, as I used to almost everywhere. It was a serene and fine spring morning and it was surprising that the sea carried such high waves in the calm.
2
The innkeeper, who soon joined us, asked Me in great amazement about the cause of this mighty movement of the water, since no trace of a wind could be detected anywhere.
3
I said to him: "Believe that I have been given all power in heaven and on earth and that, therefore, the water is moving so mightily because I want it this way. However, for this I have a reason, of which you can convince yourself later."
4
Said the innkeeper: "Lord, I know quite well and clearly that all the forces and powers of nature are under Your control; but it is new to me that there is a secret reason of Yours for the agitation of the sea, particularly at this fair morning hour. The waves keep increasing in strength and height! It might be necessary for me to secure both the ships and the fish containers better, lest a real damage occur."
5
Said I: "Leave it as it is, for neither your ships nor your fish will meet with any calamity. But those who are now at sea and carry evil intentions, will not feel very comfortable. Although they shall not be destroyed by the waves, their evil wantonness will be dampened down as soon as they reach the shore under enormous difficulties."
6
Asked the innkeeper: "Who might be the evil men, and what is their intention?"
7
Said I: "You know that last year I was in Jerusalem during the feast of tabernacles teaching the people in the temple about My mission, after first healing the man at the pool Bethesda who had been sick for 38 years, and later many more around Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The templers must have heard that many people began to believe and that many followed Me around. So they have again decided in their wrath to persecute Me, seize Me and instantly kill Me. Therefore, they are making an attempt on My life. However, since My time has not yet come, I am preparing an obstacle so that they cannot reach Me and seize and kill Me instantly. And therein lies the reason for the great and strong movement of the sea. - Do you now understand?"
8
Said the innkeeper: "Oh yes, if that is so, the sea can rage even more! A mighty gale should be added, so that the villains may feel how God can reward their evil effort."
9
Said I: "Oh, since their ship is built to withstand a storm, a gale is all they need because it would soon land them safely ashore. But this windless spring tide drives them completely to despair, for no amount of rowing will move them because each wave throws the ship back to where it was, similar to a climber who wants to reach the top of a mountain over pebbles. At each step they give way and the climber slides back to where he was before. Therefore, this kind of water movement is for My pursuers the best and most expedient. However, let us now forget this and see what our morning meal is doing."
10
Said the innkeeper: "Lord, it should be ready by now, but I told the servants to call us as soon as everything is ready, and look, there is one coming from the house to summon us to the morning meal, and thus let us go."
11
Said I: "You are mistaken, - he only wants to tell us that the disciples asked about Me and wanted to know where I went. For a minor dispute has arisen amongst them and they want Me to act immediately as an arbitrator. But we will let them do some discussing; later there will be plenty of time to guide them all on the right path."
12
Said the innkeeper: "What might the dispute be about?"
13
Said I: "My few old disciples remaining in the house were asked by the twenty new disciples about the possible cause of this strong agitation of the sea, and the old disciples declared that this agitation unaided by a wind could only have been miraculously caused by Me for some secret reason. However, the new disciples did not accept this and said: 'We know that all happening and coming into being depends solely on God the Lord. Notwithstanding this fact He has ordained in nature secret forces out of His order, justice and wisdom working according to His will. Of course, He first stirs up the forces through His will. Then the ordained forces act directly and God only indirectly through them. God has originally ordained all heavy objects to fall, but the thus ordained force drives its own body weight to fall by itself. Thus, God originally made water heavy and liquid. This quality imparted by Him is that very same secret force of the water that impels it to flow incessantly down from the height, without the need for God to actively and bodily move the water along in the creeks, rivers and streams. So it will be with this agitation of the sea which is not caused by a wind; only it is more peculiar on account of the complete calm than one caused by a strong and mighty gale.' This is why they asked the much more experienced disciples through what secret force God might have created this agitation of the sea.
14
Yet the old disciples maintain adamantly that this agitation is not caused indirectly, but quite directly through the power of My will. Now, since both the new and the old disciples are right in their own way, they need Me as an arbiter to decide. Therefore, we will go to them and unite them in justice and truth."
15
Thereupon we went without delay into the house which was anyway only about a thousand paces distant.
16
When we entered the house, all the disciples greeted Me and immediately voiced their problem.
17
But I looked at them all in a friendly manner and said: "You quarrel about the value of a flock of lambs wool. You new disciples are right, but so are also the old disciples; because, in general you new disciples are right, but in this particular instance the old disciples. For this agitation of the sea which appears so strange to you is not worked by an indirect force, but directly by My will.
18
So that you may understand this even better, look out onto the sea which is now throughout in a strong agitation. I shall now command a small section close to the shore here to be completely calm, and you will then have to admit that the divine will is capable of working also directly."
19
I then calmed through the force of My will a section of the sea measuring 200 acres, so much so that it became as smooth as a mirror, whereas outside of this mirror the sea was raging even worse than before. When the new disciples beheld this, they fell down before Me and wanted to worship Me.
20
However, I told them: "Just don't do this! For I did not come into this world for the people to honour and worship Me, but only that I may show them the roads of truth and life and help all those who suffer and are troubled and are carrying all kinds of heavy burdens.
21
If you want to truly worship God, Who is in Himself a most pure spirit, you must worship Him through love in your hearts also in spirit and in truth, namely, by actually carrying out good works. For truly, what you do to the poor out of love for God you do to God. The true worship of God consists only in that you believe in Me, namely, that I have come to you sent by God. All empty lip-prayer is an abomination before God and completely worthless. Whoever worships God with his mouth while his heart is cold and uninvolved turns God into an idol and thereby commits true spiritual harlotry. This was said by a prophet: 'Behold, these people worships Me with the mouth, but their hearts are far from Me.'
22
Verily, I tell you: Unless the heart worships God actively through true and pure, selfless love, all prayer becomes an empty, idle sound that fades away in the air and dies completely. I am now your Master, and you are My disciples. Believe what I tell you and do what I bid you to do and follow Me. We do not need anything more between us."
23
Following this the new disciples no longer worshipped Me, and we went to our well-prepared morning meal, which tasted quite well.