The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 216 -
The inn of the Essenes for the poor.
We soon came to another inn where there was a large number of poor people who were encamping for already a couple of hours before the inn, because no space was made for them in the inn, although this inn was especially meant for the poor.
2
Now I asked Roklus: "Why is only this inn compulsory for the poor? Could also not the other inns be part of this obligation?"
3
Roklus said: "Lord and Master, I do not have to explain to You the reason of this bad situation, which displeases me already for a long time, since You know all too well even the most secret things and circumstances, but I ask You for advice, how this could be handled effectively."
4
I said: "Oh, but this can be arranged in the most easy way. You can say now, as chief of this place, by means of one of your brothers to all the local innkeepers: 'The Lord commanded that every inn must keep in the house a place ready at all times to take up at least 10 poor people. The inn however that wants to do more out of good will, can count on his reward for this.' And in a little hour you will not see any poor person encamping in the open air.
5
Why must only this innkeeper receive a subsidy from you for the accommodation of the poor while he is lodging 10 and also now and then 100, but reports to you instead of 10 always twice as much and let himself be paid too much by you, and moreover he also let those poor who really are accommodated, suffer want and hunger? Thus, against this evil, serious action must be taken."
6
After these words of Mine, Roklus sent immediately 4 of his brothers to all the inns of this place, with exception of the one where we were residing. And it did not even take half an hour before all the inns sent servants, who explained to the poor why they had come, and the poor stood up immediately from the hard ground and let them gratefully be escorted to the inns by the servants.
7
But the innkeeper of the inn for the poor, who noticed that the poor were taken away by the servants of the other inns - who were known to him - became displeased because of that and wanted to prevent it.
8
So he stepped rudely to Roklus and said (the innkeeper): "Chief, I have a contract with you according to which only I should take care of the poor! Why are they taken away now from me!?"
9
Roklus said: "Listen, does that mean taking care of them when the many poor who have all kinds of afflictions are treated like the Greeks are treating their pigs? To let them encamp and pine away here on an open square without beds and without food and drink while in the considerable spacious house there are empty rooms that are reserved in case rich guests will come? You already have let yourself be paid by us for the care of a lot of poor people and you have from the many that you mentioned on your account hardly taken care for half of them, always only in a bad manner. Therefore, from this hour on, that contract will be changed, and the subsidy will finally be divided between all of them. Did you understand this now?"
10
The innkeeper set up a furious face and said: "Chief, which gossip mouth has slandered me so awfully before you?"
11
Roklus said: "No gossip mouth, but the mouth of a most truthful One, for whose all-seeing eyes also our most secret thoughts, wishes and desires are not hidden, and who is a Lord, great and exalted above everything in Heaven and on Earth, and who maintains everything, guides and rules - a Lord of all life and existence - and He has instructed me to punish you for that. For you, there is now nothing else left except to feel remorse about your many sins, to improve yourself completely, and for as far as possible to make up for all the injustice, otherwise you can expect a more severe chastisement from the Lord God.
12
That you have cheated us and the poor people, could be seen just now, for instead that you at least would accommodate those who are in the worst of condition in the rooms that are prepared for the sick, you have let them all encamp on the hard ground. So improve yourself and do not ask anymore for the one who could have possibly betrayed you."
13
When the innkeeper had received such a serious rebuke and warning from Roklus, he became scared. He began to seriously examine his conscience and then he promised Roklus to pay back everything that he illegally had kept for himself, and in the future he would no more ask for a subsidy for the accommodation of the poor.
14
On this, Roklus said to him: "Do this, then God the Lord will also forgive your sins, and your soul will find mercy with Him. If you were a Greek or a Roman, thus a gentile who never heard of the one true God, and does not know His will, which has been revealed to the people by the mouth of the prophets, then you had an excuse for your actions, for he who does not know the law can also not keep it. But you are a Jew, and moreover, as far as I know, also a scribe. And therefore you are all the more punishable because you are highly exceeding the gentiles in cheating. But if you, as you say, want and will really seriously improve your life, then your sins will also be forgiven in the name of the Lord."
15
The innkeeper thanked for this, bowed before Roklus and went into his house.
16
But we continued our way in this place, and I said to Roklus: "You have again settled this matter very well and we have completed a good work. That you did not make Me known to the scribe-innkeeper was also very good, for he is still not mature to know and to bear Me personally. But when I will have left this place tomorrow and the innkeeper will come to you to repay his illegal profit, you also can tell him that I was in your company and what kind of teaching and power I have given to you, of which you can convince him, then after that he still will be of good service to you."
17
Hearing this from Me, Roklus thanked Me for such a testimony and for such a comfort, which according to him he did not deserve in the least, and he said on that: "O Lord and Master. Do You really want to leave us tomorrow?"
18
I said: "Physically, most certainly, but not with My Spirit, for I still have much to do in other places, so that everything will be fulfilled that the prophets have prophesied about Me. However, without My personal presence you will be able to teach and act more unhindered in My name than when I personally am present. The reason for this is easy to understand."
19
Roklus saw the reason quickly, and while we were talking we came again at a place, more precisely along the way that led to Egypt, where we had again some work to do.