The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 104 -
The parable of the hungry traveler.
There was a man who on his way during the night became very hungry. Towards midnight he came into a village. There was a house that looked like an inn, but everybody in the house was already asleep. But the traveler knocked on the door of the house and also on the windows. And because he knocked for a long time, the lord of the inn woke up, came to the window and asked with a grumpy voice the late traveler what was happening, why he was knocking at such a late hour at night so shamelessly on the doors and windows.
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The traveler said: 'O lord, I come from far and I did not find any food nor drink during the whole day, because along the way through the desert, no house or inn could be found. Therefore, I ask you to take care of me and give me some bread, so that I can saturate and strengthen myself, otherwise I will pine away.
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Then the lord of the inn said: 'What is the matter with you to ask bread from me so late at night! Wait until the day will come!'
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But the traveler did not want to be sent away with this answer, but asked the innkeeper still much more, and much more urgently for bread.
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Then the innkeeper gave in anyway. And although he did not give the bread that was asked so to speak out of mercy to the traveler, he gave it to him anyway because of the shameless request so late at night.
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Look, from this image you can conclude how a person, who during his whole earthly day of life along the lonely way through the desert of the worldly wanderings could certainly not find and receive any bread for the life of his soul, came like this into the deep night of life, and finally, because he still continued his way, still came in the night to an inn of which he at least was convinced that inside there is a bread of life.
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Then he also began to knock and to ask, and at the end of his time he obtained what he for a long time had search for in vain in the desert of the world.
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And look, thus this means: in these days, and even more so in the coming dark times, to draw the Kingdom of God with violence to oneself, for he who will search, will also find if he will not stand still on the ever so lonely road. To the one who will knock at the door - even at night - will still be opened, and to him who asks with perseverance will also be given what he is asking. Did you all now understand this image well?"
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Agricola said: "Lord and Master, we surely have understood this image, but as I have understood it, it does not contain much comforting things compared to those which we have received from Your many other lessons and words. Although it is true that for the attainment of a great happiness, also great sacrifices and efforts are necessary beforehand, but in my opinion, if someone has a complete earnest and firm will to live completely according to Your teaching - which as far as I can see I do not consider as particularly difficult and extremely tiring since You Yourself have said that Your yoke is soft and Your burden is light - then I must now honestly confess that from these words according to which one can only draw the Kingdom of God to himself in these days and also in future fierce times with violence and effort, I cannot discover the comforting soft yoke and light burden.
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But in these words of Yours I can see that the spreading of Your teaching, no matter how extremely godly true it is, will bring along much and heavy battles and even the bloodiest wars. Because if on this Earth, for the sake of the upholding and the eventual right education of the free will, the many devils and the only few real angel-men will have the same right to act - only somewhat reduced by the strict state laws - then indeed, in order to obtain the Kingdom of God, much violence will be necessary. But with that soft yoke and this light burden, Lord and Master, it looks quite poor.
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Now this is my idea, and I am of the opinion that I also will not be totally wrong. But still I ask You to explain a little more how a person has in fact to use violence to draw the Kingdom of God to himself. For I would like to see Your soft yoke and the light burden and the violence a little closer to each other."