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 63 -
The people and the temple clerics.
On this My address everyone got up from the tables and followed Me outside, specifically to the place where we were before the morning meal. From there one could see Emmaus, a little place close to Jerusalem. From Jerusalem several paths lead to it, but only for pedestrians. However, no road for carts lead there, accept on a major detour, so that a person could reach this place much easier by foot than a carter. On this day, a Thursday, people moved in masses out to this spot; since on this day there was a bread market in this place, and the people went there, normally to buy bread for a whole week. But because of the last night's phenomenon, almost no bread had been baked, yet the many people had gone there for the sake of the bread.
2
When Nicodemus has learned this from Me, he said: "O Lord and Master, this will be bad; in this little place are the temple's bakeries and they provide an income for the temple of a thousand silver pennies of Roman money. And today no bread, and the people will demand the bread vehemently! Oh, there will be riots which will be hard to prevent! What should be done? The only problem is, that I am in charge of the temple's bakeries in Emmaus, and am responsible to the temple for a timely delivery of an adequate amount of bread. O no, o no, this story does not look good at all! O Lord and Master! What should be done? Where will we get bread for so many people? You, o Lord, could help me, if it be Your holy will!"
3
Said I: "You will be helped; but I say to you and all of you: If you do not continuously see signs and miracles, then you do not believe, even if the truth you have been told can almost be touched with your hands! But the people will not make a big deal about the lack of bread, since they also have seen the phenomenon of last night. There is nearly nobody in town, nor in the wider surroundings, who will not be frightened today and for a few days longer by the observed phenomenon, and therefore your feared riot in Emmaus will not take place, even if the people do not get any bread at all. However, they will find bread in sufficient quantities.
4
But I will direct your attention to something else, which will cause the temple an even greater embarrassment than the potential lack of bread in Emmaus. Look, how on all roads which lead towards Jerusalem, many people are streaming to the city! The people come from the country side and want to get advice in the temple, and hear form the mouths of the priests, what the meaning of the phenomenon is. This will be bad for the temple clerics! They will preach to the people sermon after sermon of atonement and will speak about the wrath of God, and how God can only be reconciled by strong acts of atonement and great sacrifices.
5
but the people will say: 'Why do you tell us only now, as you could have learned it from God already long ago, where we stand before His eyes? Because we know it from old times, that God always reminded His people through prophets and seers for years what would happen to them if they did not return to God, when they carelessly forgot about Him. But this time no prophets came who could have informed us, where we stand with God! And if in most recent times any prophets have risen to admonish us to atonement and true betterment, you declared them as false and pursued them and also those who listened to them and wanted to live accordingly. And since you have seen together with us the terrible signs, it is palpably obvious, that the wrath of God in the widest measure is upon us, and you want to put the blame completely on us for it; but we will not accept this and we will, without your prayers, turn directly to God and beg Him, that He should forgive us our sins, - and we will do this, because you have not told us long ago, where we stand in the sight of Jehovah.'
6
Such speech of the people will place the priests in great embarrassment and some will tell the people: 'God is only therefore angered by you, because you do not want to listen and believe us, but turn to certain false prophets, who are against us and do everything possible to turn you away from us.'
7
But the people will say: 'You are wrong; since up to now we have not heard the voice of any false prophet or the word of a foreteller. But those we heard, were not false prophets; because they taught openly and declared loudly before all the world, that the kingdom of God has come closer. But you pursue them, because you have done it with such people since long ago, and this will be the reason why God has shown us His great wrath, and how He will deliver us into the hands of our enemy for severe punishment. That you priests are no prophets, we can clearly derive from the fact, that up to this hour you did not know where we stand before the eyes of God.'
8
Again a priest will answer: 'If you think so of us, that we do not know anything and don't mean anything to the people anymore, - why did you come here to the temple? In that case you could have stayed at home!'
9
Then the people will answer: 'We certainly have not come here because of you, but for the sake of the temple and for the sake of God, whom we most seriously want to beg, that He should forgive us our sins. You can pray with us if you want to; but we will not bring you any sacrifices, but what we will sacrifice, we will sacrifice to the poor and needy.'
10
After that the priests will withdraw, and the people will make a lot of noise in the temple and its vestibules. You, friend Nicodemus, can now, if you want to, return to the temple and convince yourself of everything what I just have told you and everybody else, and can at this opportunity say a few words of consolation to the people; but under no circumstances can you say anything to the people about My presence here!"
11
After I have said this to Nicodemus, he thanked Me for that and added: "I shall do everything precisely accordingly and also try to calm the people as much as possible. But what should I answer the high priest, the Pharisees and the elders, if they ask me where I was during this terrible night, since I - what they all will surely know by this time - could not be reached in the temple nor in my house? If I have to speak the truth, I will betray myself and You!"
12
Said I: "Just go down there very quietly and be not afraid, nobody will ask you about that, and what you have to say, will be put into your mouth! In the evening you can, if you want to, come back here; since I will stay here for the whole day."
13
Thereupon Nicodemus went down, but looked back several times, to make sure that no real Jew saw him. But I send Raphael after him and allowed him to escort him as far as the city gates, so that nobody could see Nicodemus. At the gate the angel suddenly disappeared and was at the same moment back in our midst.
14
Upon this I said to a few disciples, that also they, if they wanted to, can go to the temple until midday, to be witnesses of what will take place in the temple. Then also the disciples went down and stayed in the temple until after midday, after which they returned and told us what they had experienced.