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 28 -
Explanation of the first three commandments.
Said Helias: "Lord and Master, I'm getting dizzy from what You just have told me! As You are with absolute certainty Him, of whom the prophets have prophesied, - what should we poor sinners do before You, o Lord?"
2
Said I: "Nothing but to listen to My teachings, to keep to them and to live by them, to love God above all and your neighbour as yourself, and with that you have awakened all seven divine spirits in yourselves and thereby have obtained the everlasting life, as I have explained it to you. - Are you content with that?"
3
Said Helias: "O Lord, o Jehovah, who would not be content with that and would not follow Your teachings and Your most loving commandments?! The only question which still arises if You, o Lord, are not abolishing the ten commandments and the prophets by those two commandments of love, since You said that these two commandments contain the complete law of Moses and all the prophets.
4
I said: "You My dear Helias, how can you ask such a question! If the law of Moses and all the prophets are contained within the two commandments of love, how could they ever be abolished? See, just as the seventh, thoroughly explained spirit of God in man, penetrates and fulfils all six preceding spirits and thereby containing them in itself, likewise does the true love for God and for the neighbour fulfil the preceding laws of Moses and all the guidelines and cautionary advice of the prophets!
5
If Moses says: 'You should believe only in one God and should not have any foreign and trifling gods of the heathens next to the true God!", you are fulfilling this first commandment of Moses more than perfectly, if you love God above all. Is it possible to really love God, if you do not beforehand undoubtedly believe in Him, that He truly exists?! But if you, through your love for Him, more than clearly and vividly demonstrate, that you believe in God, - will you out of your great love for Him be able to denigrate, to dishonour or to desecrate His name? Certainly forever not! Since that which a person loves to the highest degree, he also honours it the most, and he even will rise against everybody with vigour and seriousness, who dares to dishonours his true love. Would you not be outraged to a high degree in your soul, if someone dishonours your father, whom you love very much? If you now love God above all, will you ever be able to desecrate His name in any way?
6
If you consider this properly, you must realise very clearly at first already sight, how the first as well as the second law of Moses is completely contained in the commandment of love to God.
7
If you, My dear Helias, surely love God above all and therefore also honour Him above all, - would you not like to withdraw quite often from the daily worldly activities, and engage with the object of your deepest love? Yes, undoubtedly truly and certainly! And see, therein is also contained the most true and most correct and only valid celebration of the Sabbath before God, as ordered by Moses! The actual day is of very little or even no importance, but that you, during the day or even at night in the love and rest of your heart, like to think about God and converse with Him, is everything. And see, how also the third commandment of Moses is contained in the one commandment of love!
8
Who thus truly loves God above all, has certainly recognised Him and has a living faith, gives to God all honour and surely will most often think about Him. And who does this cannot sin against God anymore. Or can a bride sin against her bridegroom, if she loves him beyond measure and also knows that he loves her even more? No, certainly not, since both have become one in their hearts through love! Who loves God truly above all and therefore has become one with Him through love, will also love his fellow man as equal children of God, just as he loves himself, and shall do to them, what he with a clear reason wants that other people should do to him."