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 90 -
The human and the divine nature of the Lord.
But I with several of My disciples were already on our feet before sunup and went outside according to My custom and walked to the Euphrates which had a considerable width at this location. We were not standing there for long when a large wood raft came down in the middle of the stream. In this moment also the tax collector and his son Jorabe with the doctor came to us to invite us for the morning meal.
2
But there was no person on the raft to steer it; because it became loose by itself from shore where it has been badly moored, and the tax collector said: "It is a pity about the beautiful wood, which has become ownerless because of the negligence of its owners! If only it was close enough to shore that one could get hold of it, so that when the lawful owner perhaps also arrives here, the wood could be restored to him for a small compensation. But as it is, the whole raft will of course be lost! Now, perhaps the people of Samosater can catch it!"
3
Said I, when the raft stopped in the middle of the stream, perpendicular to our position: "Do you want the wood?"
4
Said the tax collector: "Quite so, do I want it, - but how to get hold of it?"
5
Said I: "See, very easily! If one is a master of life, also all the elements must obey him, and therefore I command the water to bring the wood to this shore. I want it and it happens!"
6
When I have spoken such the water quickly flowed in our direction and rose seven spans along the shore, placed all the wood of the raft on land, after which it immediately returned to its natural direction of flow.
7
About this the three were totally flabbergasted and the doctor said to Me: "Friend, you are not an ordinary person like us, but you are a God! No man has fathered you into the body of a woman! I even want to maintain that you are an unborn person and thus you are obviously a God!"
8
Said I: "Leave it at that; who carries a flesh, received it from the body of a woman. And as such also this My body is from the body of a earthly mother, even if not fathered in the usual manner, but by the almighty will-spirit of God, which is quite possible with completely pure and God-devoted people. In early times with still completely unspoiled, simple and deeply God-devoted people, it was nothing unusual, and even in our current times it happens so now and then.
9
That such people who have been fathered in a pure spiritual manner are more spiritual than those fathered in the usual way, is obvious; since children of very strong and absolutely healthy parents are also strong and healthy, - and children of weak and ill parents are usually also weak and sickly. I as a person, like I am standing here, am not a God, but God's Son, what actually every person is supposed to be; since the people of this earth are called to become children of God, if they live according to the recognized will of God.
10
However, one of them is by God from eternity destined to be the First to have the life in Himself and to give it to everyone who believes in Him and lives according to His teaching. And this First one is Me!
11
But such life I did not brought with Me from My mother's body into this world! Although the germ was lying in Me, it still had to be developed first, which cost Me nearly thirty full years time and effort. Now of course I am standing here before you as perfected and can tell you, that all power and rule of heaven and earth is given to Me, and that the spirit in Me has become fully one with the spirit of God, why I also can perform such signs, which before Me no human has ever effectuated. But for the future this is not a particular privilege for Myself only, but also for every person who believes in Me that I have been send into this world by God, to give to all people who now walk in darkness, the light of life, and he who then acts according to My teaching, which shows to the people in the brightest light the will of the spirit of God, who of course resides in all fullness in Me.
12
This spirit is God, but I, as the pure Son of Man, am not; since like said earlier, I also had, just like every other person, through a lot of effort and exercise, acquire the dignity of a God and only as such it was possible for Me to unify with the spirit of God. Now I am one with Him in the spirit, but still not according to the body; but also in that I will become one, but only after a great suffering and total and deepest humiliating abnegation of My soul.
13
And so, My friend and doctor with a better will than there were your companions, you can know who I am, and what you should think of Me! Believe this and live according to the teaching which you soon will hear from My disciples, and you will live in everything you do and walk in the light and not in the night of sin of your flesh and blood anymore! - Do you understand this?"
14
Said the doctor: "Yes, great Master, this I understand, although your words sound quite different from those of the priests in the temple at Jerusalem, from where I also descend and where I also have learned my little art! In you obviously the divine is present, but before us you nevertheless want to be nothing more than a Son of Man, while the pharisees in the temple behave as if they have helped God to create the world and other beings, and as if all welfare and woe of the people of the earth depend on them. Yes, Your words, great Master, sound like God's words; since they contain a very distinct strength and power, which makes the soul feel good, builds it up and enlivens and enlightens it anew, while the supposed God's word of the pharisees harms, saddens, darkens and even kills in an extreme degree the human soul! Since who lives and acts according to their teaching, becomes in time so stupid and sensuous, haughty, selfish and power-hungry, that he finally totally forgets that also he is only a person. Only himself he regards as a highest human power, - everything else is far below him. But according to Your words, great Master, it appears to be precisely the opposite of what the pharisees teach, and what they actually want to make from people! - Am I right or not?"
15
Said I: "Yes, yes, there you would probably be right; but now nothing further about that anymore! The raft with the wood is saved and all of it is lying on dry land, and you, friend Jored, can do with it what you like; since the owner will not come here, for he is too far away from here and the loss of this wood will not make him poor, because he is very rich. But give a sacrifice to the poor and use the wood as you see fit!"
16
Said the tax collector Jored: "Master, I thank You a lot for it, and the poor will not run short with me! But now lets go to the morning meal; because by now it will be fully prepared!"