The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives. (cont.) Gospel of John, Chapter 8
- Chapter 100 -
The true way to God.
Raphael said: "Look, only now you have spoken the full truth and you have searched for God as the eternal truth with the full truth. And I already can say to you now that you have never approached Him as closely as now. But there is still a lot in you which is not suitable for the complete finding of the one, true God, and as long as you do not recognize this black spot in you and find it and will not remove it, you still will not be able to find the hidden One, no matter how close He is to you."
2
The magician said: "And what is this black spot then?"
3
Raphael said: "This is your priestly pride. Because woe to the one from the people who meets you and would unintentionally not greet you, while you have seen him. Then this will be immediately held against him as a great crime and for that he must submit to a heavy penance, which consists in a heavy, often horrible bodily punishment. Or, if he is rich, it consists in other, with you often incredible great offerings. And look, this is a very big black spot. As long as this is and stays your custom, God will not let Himself be found by you, for only those people who in their soul are trying to become like Him or are already more or less like Him, will be able to find God.
4
But to become equal to God means: to become full of love for your fellowmen, and to let your heart be full of humility, meekness, patience and mercy regarding everybody. Then God will also have mercy on you, and in the spirit of His love and eternal truth He will let Himself be found by you.
5
If you only want to search God in and with the only truth, then you will find Him indeed, but you will not see His real being and even less understand it. However, if you are searching God in the pure love, humility, meekness, patience and mercy, then you will find God, recognize Him and receive the eternal life of your soul.
6
In this country and with this people there was once a great prophet, full of God's Spirit. Light and truth were his ways, and the power of God was in each of his words. By a special arrangement of God he once had to escape to a faraway country because the people in his own country wanted to kill him. In the strange country he had to live in a cave of a high mountain that hid him from the eyes of men. When he lived there for a considerable time, in which he fed himself with all kinds of roots, he prayed to God if ever He would like to show Himself to him only once, then he would happily die in the cave.
7
Then he heard a voice that said to him: 'Go and stand at the entrance of the cave, because there I will pass by.'
8
Then the prophet went and stood at the entrance and waited until God would pass by. And look, when the prophet stood there waiting, a terrible storm roared by the cave so powerfully that complete masses of rocks were rushing like chaff before his eyes.
9
Then the prophet thought: 'Ah, so this was God. Thus God is in this terrible storm and in this way He makes Himself known to the people.'
10
But at once a voice said to him: 'You are mistaken. God was not in the storm. Just wait, God will still pass by.'
11
Then the prophet was waiting. And look, not long after the storm there was a terrible column of flames - thus a mighty fire - passing by the cave, and the prophet said: 'God, so You are revealing Yourself to men in the fire?'
12
And again a clear voice spoke: 'No, God did also not pass by the cave in the fire. But wait. Now God will pass by.'
13
And the prophet waited in fear and trembling. While he was waiting like that, there was a soft rustle passing by the cave, and in this soft rustle was God.
14
And the voice spoke again: 'He who wants to see God must search Him in love, humility, meekness, patience and mercy. Who will search Him with other means and on other ways will not find God.'
15
And look, what that voice said to the great prophet in the cave, I also said to you, and I have shown you the true way. If you want to search the only, true God along this way, then you will also find Him, but along your ways never. This I am saying to you. Did you understand me?"