The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 139 -
The storm and its purpose.
During that time it was already close to midnight, and the Romans who were somewhat tired of the trip of that day, slumbered at the table, as well as some of My disciples, for also I gave in to a light slumber. Only the men from Bethlehem and the disciples of John continued to talk with each other about one or the other thing, and so it became completely midnight. But there was also a heavy storm that came up, coming from the south and increasing continuously in power, and by its raging, screeching, whistling and howling it made all those who slumbered to wake up, and those who were still awake were filled with fear, anguish and fright. But I and a few of My old disciples continued to sleep.
2
Lazarus turned to Raphael and asked him if he would not like to command the storm to at least become a little less powerful since it would otherwise cause senselessly great damage to the vineyards, gardens and to the trees and houses.
3
Also the captain, who detested such heavy winds, said very openly: "With such a thing you again as man do not know what to think about the great love and wisdom of God. For what use are actually such heavy storms? Or is God Himself maybe pleased when He frightens the weak people by such raging and fury of the elements, giving them a great fear and anguish? Such bad storm often causes the people an incalculable damage, and most of all the poor of whom it destroys the weak huts, so that they then will be roofless, and being without work they have to beg to still receive one or the other miserable dwelling hut. No, this deed of godly love and wisdom is really somewhat strange."
4
Then the captain turned also to Raphael and said: "Just listen, my friend of wonderful deeds, who just now have lifted up only with your will that heavy pillar in the air, is the might of your will now not strong enough against the ever increasing fury of the storm to bring it to silence? If this will continue, then tomorrow complete forests will be uprooted and will lie completely destroyed on the ground. Who will compensate the poor people? I am asking you, please do something against it."
5
Then Raphael said: "O you weak person, with your anguish for the storm. See how you rebel against God's love, wisdom and order. Do you perhaps think that God let such heavy wind blow because of a kind of displeasure with regard to the people? O, what are you still weak. Do you know the nature spirits, which are harmful for the natural life of human beings and animals and which often, and more in particular during the autumn, must come out in a greater measure from the interior of the soil for the sake of the fertility of the surface of the Earth?
6
Look, precisely during this night, large numbers are urging upwards from the interior of the soil to the surface to take care that it will become fertile for the coming year. Now if those still to a high degree unrefined nature spirits would stretch out calmly over the surface of the soil in the form of a gray vapor with a rotten smell, then in a couple of hours no human life could exist in such a vapor. What other means can you indicate to me to make the mentioned still incomplete ascending nature spirits harmless for the physical health of the people, except precisely the wind, and more in particular a heavy one that can match against that obstinate and in a certain way sticky nature of such spirits?
7
The wind that is produced by purer spirits by bringing the otherwise calm air of the Earth in a terrible current, mixes the unrefined nature spirits with the pure spirits in the air and in the water and makes them by that harmless for the health of men, the animals and the plants. And all this happens according God's will because it has to happen this way. And then you think that God would like to harm the weak people by such a wind, feeling in a certain way pleasure when the weak people on such occasions are almost in despair because of anguish and fright? O man, what are you still weak of spirit.
8
What does it actually matter when on such an occasion that is beneficial for the Earth and its creatures, also a few moldered trees and also a few already ruinous huts of people and a few birds nests are destroyed, as long as the soil becomes fertile and the air of the Earth harmless for the natural life of its creatures?
9
If here and there a little worldly damage has been caused also to a person, the Lord will certainly compensate it multiple times in a very good manner. But besides that, it really does not harm people who tend to forget God all too easily if they now and then are awakened from their lazy worldly dreams by extreme natural phenomena, and are experiencing that there are higher powers and forces against which human pride cannot fight a victory.
10
Therefore, we will let this wind do its work for still a couple of hours. When it will have done its good work, it surely will lay down again. I certainly could command the wind from the power of the Lord in me to lie down immediately, but what would that be good for? I say to you: for nothing at all, because such sign would not increase your faith in the Lord in the least. If I would calm down the wind for a few moments for your sake, you will secretly say to yourself: 'Aha, the wind has calmed down by itself for a few moments', and you would think that I had simply said that this calming down was done by the power of my will. But if I will calm down the wind completely, then tomorrow thousands of people will die from an evil dysentery, and that you certainly would not like also, for I know that you and a lot of people are no friends of epidemics. So let us, as already said, let the wind blow on. The little damage that it will cause here and there will be easily compensated.
11
Or is it for many a selfish rich person bad if he now and then by the greater need of this and that poor fellowman is urged for pity and mercy? I am definitely of the opinion that such a thing is very useful for the soul of the rich person. But the poor person will thank God all the more because by showing the rich people the increased need, He has also helped him much more powerfully than otherwise. Because the rich people hardly thought about the already long lasting poverty and need of the poor neighbor, and they let him in want without troubling themselves. But because God let a real worldly misfortune come over them, the otherwise hard rich people were made more gentle and donated then to the poor person abundantly, so that he was then helped for a long time.
12
Tell me now: are God's love and wisdom in this case not more visible at work among the people on Earth than in a region on Earth - of which there are many - that are not afflicted by any storm, but therefore are completely waste and uninhabitable?"