The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8

Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching

The Lord and His adversaries

- Chapter 159 -

Along the way to the inn.

However, also the innkeeper of the big inn at the main road that led to Tyre and also to other cities at the sea was still present with the innkeeper in the valley, because the Romans took from here the way to the north which led to Galilee, the road that also Raphael with the youth had taken. And that is why it was not really necessary for the innkeeper at the southern main road to hurry home. But since I had to take this road with the disciples to reach the places which I had chosen this time, the innkeeper, who had not been at home for almost 16 days, went now with us and asked Me in advance if I would accept his hospitality in his house on that day.

And I said to him: "You can be sure of that, but we will not stay overnight with you, for I have to hurry so that I still can go a long way today, because there is still important work waiting for Me."

The innkeeper was satisfied with this answer and asked Me if he should maybe go ahead, so that at My arrival everything would be ready, and then I should not have to stay too long.

And I said: "Very good, friend, if you can walk considerably much faster, you surely can go ahead, for we all will walk at a calm pace, and because you have such a good will, I do not wish to refuse the help of your feet. So just try to see how much faster you can go than us."

Then the innkeeper who was a big man with long legs began strongly to speed up his pace, and after half an hour he was already so far ahead of us that we hardly could see him, and so he arrived largely 1 hour before us at the inn.

However, when he arrived home, his family related endlessly about all the fright and anguish they had to go through during his absence. More in particular that the true fire storm of this night, by which several houses in the environment were greatly damaged, had scared all the inhabitants of the village so much that they fainted completely and had almost died.

But the innkeeper said: "I know all about it and we will talk about it when the right time has come, but now there is something more important to do. In about 1 hour the great Lord and Master will come here with His disciples. Therefore, take care of a good and rich midday meal for at least 40 people. Hurry, so that He, when He comes, will find everything in order, for you all know what kind of great help that He gave to our house last year, and that is why it is now our highest duty to show Him as good as possible our gratitude by action."

The innkeeper had hardly said that when young and old started immediately, and soon everything was arranged in such a way that at our arrival we already found a well-prepared midday meal.

But on the way to the mentioned inn there was however nothing special that happened which is worth mentioning, and therefore it is also not necessary to particularly mention anything about it. The disciples talked with each other about everything that happened in and around Jerusalem during these days, and as a result they soon asked Me for an additional explanation about one or the other thing, which I also gave to them. And so, this otherwise somewhat boring road was covered in a real cheerful mood.

About a couple of mornings of land before the inn there were 2 real professional beggars, asking for alms.

But I said to them: "It is not nice of you two to beg here, for you are not in need for alms. Why actually did you lease your houses and pieces of land for much money in the vicinity of Samaria and have then put your money at a usurious rate on the bank of exchange? You have become rich people and are begging now in poor clothing in a foreign region, so that you can save your great percentage of interest and moreover are taking away from the real poor what is their due. Did you then not learn from the law that one should love God above all and his neighbor as himself? Do you think that you are living and acting according to the law, the way you are doing now? Stand up both of you from this place, you hypocrites and deceivers, otherwise evil will come over you.

Only him who is really poor and who also cannot work anymore because of his high age or because of paralysis of his limbs or his spirit has received the right from God to make claims on the mercy of his richer fellowmen. And whoever gives him something, God will also reward him, and for the one who receives it He will bless the donation and give him also the reward for his patience with which he had endured his real poverty. However, when God will also reward the mercifulness of the one who in his ignorance has given you alms because he thought that you were real poor men, He will chastise you all the more as deceivers and hypocrites, here and in the beyond.

It is also written: 'Whoever is good of heart and gives reward to a prophet or a teacher and brings him an offering, will later on also receive the reward of a prophet.' Are you perhaps prophets, enlightened by God's Spirit to lighten as a light from the Heavens the people on Earth who walk in the night of their sins? O, that you have never been, although you, in order to catch more alms of the credulous people you have already several times acted as such, without believing in God because you both have already for a long time the belief of the blind Sadducees. But for this reason you are all the more punishable because you are taking away from the real poor people of this region what is their due. So stand up quickly and move away from here, otherwise you will come to know the might of the One who is now saying this to you."

Then the 2 beggars stood up quickly from their beggar places, because they felt really touched.

One of them, who in his mind began to think that I was right, said: "Lord, You must be a great wise Man and even a prophet, for You hardly could have known from somewhere else about our situation. As far as I am concerned, I thank You for this admonishment and I give You here also faithfully and openly my promise that I not only will never beg anymore, but I will remember all the poor people in this region with my wealth and will indemnify them tenfold whatever loss they suffered because of me. But if You are a prophet and thus a friend of God, please ask then also for me that He would forgive my sins."

I said: "Go and act according to the promise that you have made, then your sins will be forgiven."

Now the second one said: "Can I also expect forgiveness of my sins if I do what my neighbor wants to do?"

I said: "You should make a much greater sacrifice if you want to receive forgiveness of your heavy and many sins, for the wealth that your neighbor possesses was inherited in an honest way, but you have grabbed your wealth like a street robber by extorting poor widows and orphans in the most disgraceful manner. Therefore, take care to indemnify and pay off that debt in the eyes of God and men, otherwise you will not receive forgiveness of your sins."

When the second one heard My verdict, he became really embarrassed and said finally: "Then there will be no other way for me than to become a real beggar myself."

I said: "That will not be necessary as long as you have sufficient strength to work. Go and work, then you will have your daily bread."

Now the first and better one said: "Let us go now and do follow you also the advice of this true prophet, and when you have done everything, I will take you up and give you work."

And I said: "What he will find with you, after he made up for all the harm that he has caused, that you will also find with Me at the right time. But now go and act according to the promise that You gave Me."

Then these 2 beggars bowed and went quickly over the mountains to their country.

Now we also continued our way and we soon reached the big inn. When we came near to this one, the extremely kind innkeeper noticed us also and he came to meet us with open arms. When he was with us, he thanked Me for the grace that came to his house by My visit.

And I said to him: "Yes, over your house has now really come a great gain. But it was not necessary to slaughter a calf in order to prepare for Me and My disciples a midday meal, for I only look at a noble heart and to a completely good will. Wherever I can find that, as with you, no slaughtered and fried calf are needed and still less various other well-prepared food. However, you have done it with joy, because you knew that I would be your guest this afternoon, and that is why I accept your gift with joy. However, we will not stay in your house for a long time since we still have a long way before us."

The innkeeper said: "O Lord and Master, everything happens according to Your will and satisfaction. However, I and my family became a little afraid that You still might have turned off to another direction, because according to my calculation You already had to arrive here half an hour ago."

I said: "That would also have happened if I did not have to clean up your main road of an already long existing uncleanness. Such a good and necessary work did somewhat delay us and so I had to arrive here a little later, but still I have arrived, as always, at the right time.

The innkeeper said: "But, Lord and Master, why do You want to be involved with the simple work to clean up the roads, for this is the work of our lowest helpers?"

I said: "O friend, if I would not clean up your way of life, wipe and put it in order, then the salvation of your souls would be over. Thus, I am a very important, good and real constructor and cleaner of roads. Wherever I do not clear the way and clean them up, there are either no roads at all, or if apparent roads do exist, then they are still so much full of trash and mud that no traveler could move forward on them, but would be forced to turn around or to perish in the dirt along the way. Understand this image well, then it will be clear to you how and why I am a constructor of roads and a true Master of the roads."

Actually the innkeeper did not understand it, but soon My disciples explained it to him, after which we then went into the house and consumed the well-prepared meal. The wine made the innkeeper and his family very cheerful and eloquent, by which he then also expressed his warm thanks for the cleansing of the road. We stayed here altogether one and a half hour, instructed the people of the innkeeper about many things and continued our way.

Footnotes

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