The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 171 -
The innkeeper asks about his son who disappeared without a trace.
Then the innkeeper walked to Me and asked Me if I had somehow heard the opinion that he and the citizen of Jericho had formed about Me.
2
I said: "By means of a fine manner you want to draw out from Me who I actually am. But in such a manner you will not easily come to hear from Me what you want, for whoever wants to put Me to the test will fool himself, for I know everything you have done since your birth, how you came from the island Patmos to this place and how you became rich. And so I even do know also about your whole house, your family, and thus I surely will know what kind of opinion you and the other citizen have about Me."
3
Then the innkeeper said: "Lord and Master, the fact that You possess a kind of omniscience I have noticed immediately from the beginning, but I already oftentimes had to do with oracle-like people who also revealed things to me which only I and the gods could know, and therefore Your clear-sighted capability does not surprise me that much, because that, as said, has happened already many times. But the healing of the blind person is something quite different. According to my knowledge, that has never happened before, and was also never heard of. From this I already can draw the same conclusion for myself as the citizen from Jericho has done earlier, and I can very well apply here the words of one of our old wise men.
4
Now these words sound like this: 'There is no great and truly wise man without godly inspiration'. And You seem to me to be the One who is most inspired by a god, by which You are also capable to do such things that are only possible to a god. And because this is unquestionably the case with You, You also could very well be the Messiah who is promised to the Jews, and this opinion about You was also frankly acknowledged by that citizen who is also my neighbor. And if that is what You are, then it is for us gentiles also the highest time to throw our god system overboard, which is based on old fables and to direct ourselves to the doctrine of the Jews.
5
If You are the One who I and my neighbor think You are, then Your omniscience is more than well explainable, and then You surely will also be able to say where my oldest son is now, how he is and what he is doing, for I would like to know this all the more and for sure because already 2 years have gone by without receiving any message from him or from someone else about him. If You will and can do this favor to me, then You and all Your companions will be freely taken care of in my house for 3 full days in the most excellent way."
6
I said, while in a certain way I was addressing Myself to the disciples: "It is really remarkable, I only have done one sign, and the gentiles have already the impression that I am the Messiah. But how many signs did I perform at home in Galilee and in Jerusalem, and how few do believe in Me and how many are hostile against Me. Therefore, the light will be taken away from the Jews and be given to the gentiles, just I have already told you many times."
7
Only after that, I turned to the innkeeper and said: "You wanted to hear from Me where your oldest son Kado is, what he is doing and how he is? And in return you freely want to take care of us for 3 days. But we are not staying 3 days here and so you will not be able to keep your promise. And if instead of that you wanted to reward Me perhaps with money, I really would not accept anything, and what you do for Me today you will receive a complete compensation. And so I do not know for which reason I should do what you desire. But as I know the name of your son, so I surely will also know all the rest concerning him, but on the conditions that you gave Me I surely will not say it."
8
The innkeeper said: "Lord and Master, then You give me conditions on which You, if I will fulfill them, will reveal to me what I desire."
9
I said: "Good, that is how I like to hear it. Look, you have great treasures and riches, which you obtained in a manner which in My eyes is not the only right one. Although the laws of the worldly rulers cannot condemn you because you very well can justify yourself according to the letter on which your lawyers can very easily give a different interpretation, but before My chair of judgment all your justifications would not stand.
10
But My laws sound as follows: love the One, true and living God above all and your neighbor and fellowmen as yourself. That which you do not want that they would do to you, do it also not to them, but whatever you would like your fellowmen to do for you, do it also for them.
11
If someone would cheat you badly but according to the literal content of your laws you could do nothing to him because he dealt with you openly, but through a legal way he was able to take advantage of your weakness and he had cheated you for 1.000 pounds by means of a closed trade, buy or selling - which was for you all the more troublesome because you could not accuse him for that fact by any judge since every judge would answer 'Volenti non fit iniuria' - what would you say to the one who cheated you if he came to you and say: 'Friend, although I am protected by the law in all my doings, and you cannot do anything to me, but I became a just person and I have come now to indemnify everything in which I have ever cheated on you', and then he would give these 1.000 pounds back to you, and besides that he even would pay the interest which your 1.000 pounds would have produced if you had possessed it? Tell Me, how would you like such a way of acting?"
12
The innkeeper said: "Lord and Master, that I certainly would like this the best in the world, and I would also commend and praise such a person before everyone, and I would be his best friend."
13
I said: "Then go and do the same, then you will make all who are secretly your enemies as your real friends. And look, these are the conditions on which I - if you will fulfill them truly and seriously - will also fulfill your wish."
14
Now the innkeeper said: "Lord and Master, as truly as I live and as truly as I now also consider and recognize You as the One who You certainly are according to the predictions of your prophets, I want and will fulfill the conditions that You have given me, but do tell me now also how my oldest son is who always has been my most beloved."
15
I said: "Very well then, because I can read now in your heart that you also will do what you solemnly have promised to Me, I want to tell you now that your son Kado will arrive here in 1 hour with his wife and 3 children and also with a big accompany, and he will then tell you himself how he is and about all the things he has done. Now you can make preparations with your many servants to take care that your son, together with all the many people who he will bring with him can be well accommodated in one of your 10 houses. If you believe Me, then do what I have advised you now."
16
When the innkeeper heard that from Me, for a moment he did not know what to say from sheer joy, and he first thanked Me for what I had said to him, then he commanded his servants to do immediately what I had advised him to do, and suddenly everyone in the house and also in the neighboring house was very busy.
17
When everything was now completely in full activity, he also called his wife and his 3 older daughters who had to take care of the kitchen with their helpers, and said (the innkeeper): "In already 1 hour time our Kado will arrive with a big accompany. So do your utmost best to take care that everything will be prepared for him in the best manner when he arrives. Tonight a big festive dinner has to be prepared and eaten here, and you must all take part in it."
18
Then they also became very busy in the kitchen.