The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 40 -
The meaning of bread and wine. About the ceremonies.
2
I said: "You are right about that, friend and brother Lazarus. All that which is good and true has its complete correspondence in bread and wine. Therefore, you can be assured that after Me when you moderately will be using bread and wine in remembrance of Me, that I will be in the spirit, as now in the body, personally among you My children, brothers and friends until the end of all times of this Earth. Surely, you will not always see Me with the eyes of your body, but then still, your heart will tell you: 'Rejoice, for your Lord, God and Father is among you and is blessing the bread and wine for you. Therefore, be joyful and cheerful in His name, and remember by that the poor brothers and sisters, and more precisely the poor in spirit.'
3
When your heart will give you such a stimulation, remember and belief always that I will be personally among you, and whatever you will then ask Me which is good and true for the life of your soul, I will always very willingly give it in a well understandable way.
4
Thus, those who will greet Me with great love in their heart will soon be able to convince themselves also with their eyes that I really am personally among them. And what I am saying and explaining here to all of you is also fully valid for all your true and faithful followers. But give Me the new wine now, for I have become thirsty."
5
Then a very fresh and very good wine was served. I drunk, and also the others were drinking and praised the wine that by My will had been made well savored with herbs and sweetened.
6
When we strengthened ourselves in this way, the scribe asked once more if I was now disposed to give him an answer to what he had asked Me.
7
I said however: "Friend, there are still other things which are more important to talk about than the end of paganism. First, just let the morning come, and the Pharisees who are resting in the other room will depart from here. Then in the open air I will explain to you in images the how and when of the end of all that which is called world and paganism.
8
But now we will, as already said, talk about something else that is more important for the moment than the sad and extremely distressed end of all that which is worldly and paganism. About what should we, according to you, talk firstly now, and of what are you all in real need to know and to believe?"
9
Now Peter spoke once more: "Lord, I still have something - if ever I may speak also - and this I am asking You. Then I indeed have a question to ask You."
10
I said: "Then speak, for everyone of you has now the right to speak and to ask."
11
Now Peter said: "Lord, Moses has prescribed for the purification of sinners certain outer means that are well known to every Jew. Must we also make use of them? Do they have for man any power that is hollowing him, and are they absolutely necessary for the attainment of the eternal life of the soul?
12
Must also the gentiles be circumcised if they accept the teaching, or is for them baptism sufficient? And besides the circumcision, must also the other means of purification be applied with the gentiles who have been converted to us?"
13
I said: "He who is a Jew and is circumcised will also always remain circumcised, but circumcision in itself is nothing and has for nobody any secret or particular magical hollowing value for the soul.
14
Man is hollowed by nothing else except by the living faith and its actual love for God and the fellowman.
15
However, he who has sinned against God and against his fellowman should acknowledge his sins with true repentance, ask God seriously for forgiveness, make up for the injustice that he has caused to his fellowman, and further stop from sinning. Then subsequently he is fully purified. For when he makes up for the evil and refrains from sinning, it is evident that also his sins are forgiven.
16
However, he who will not do that, will continuously remain entirely in all his sins and its bad consequences, even if 10.000 goats would be slaughtered and be thrown into the Jordan. This and also all the other outer means of purification do not improve nor hollow man in the least, but only his true and sincere acting according to My teaching, and the belief in his heart in the one, true God, and thus in Me.
17
I have already told you that you should baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all those who earnestly and truly accept and are answering to My teaching and thus also Myself. For that, the laying-on of hands is sufficient, and as an outer sign of true, inner purification by God's Spirit a washing with clean water. And this is truly sufficient for Jews and gentiles.
18
All the rest has from now on no more value in My eyes, just like an outer prayer with the lips - no matter how long it is - has no value for Me. He who wants his prayer to be answered must go into the quiet chamber of his heart and pray to Me in full faith, then I will grant him what he has asked for.
19
I say to you once more, just as I have said already so many times before: search in everything only the truth, this will set you completely free.
20
It is very good when man is keeping his body clean according to the teaching of Moses. Through uncleanness all kinds of malicious diseases will come in the flesh and in the blood, and these are causing dislike and grief in the still weak soul. But that which is cleaning the flesh from the dirt does not clean the soul from his sins. The Jews are indeed washing their hands before and after a meal and often also their feet, and we are often not doing that, and still we are cleaner with unwashed hands than the strict Jews with always washed hands and feet.
21
And now, short and good: no outer way of purification has a hollowing effect on the inner man, but only the living faith in the truth, and the love and the good works thereof. Did you understand this now?"
22
Peter said: "Then it is also not necessary anymore in the future that we should bless the marriages like the temple priests?"
23
I said: "As such, not at all, because the marriage bond is sufficiently sealed by the mutual promise in the presence of the parents or other true witnesses. However, if in a community that you will have established in My name, you have marriages that you have recognized as good and will bless them in My name, then this will be beneficial as a confirmation of their commitment. This need only to be done as a service of love based on your good will.
24
I am only giving you this as a good advice and not as a law. And therefore, you also should not make a law of it, because tonight I have shown you more than sufficiently what kind of negative influences that coercing laws have on souls with a free will, as well as its inescapable consequences. And therefore you should only act freely out of true and pure love and never out of a coercing commandment. Only from this, will My true disciples be recognized, namely from the fact that among one another, they only practice the free law of love, and are loving one another mutually, just as I am now loving you all.
25
But such a paid blessing of a marriage by an authoritarian and proud priest in or outside the temple has for Me not the least of value, but only My greatest displeasure. And whatever is displeasing to Me is certainly also in contradiction with My order and is an evil and a sin that truly will bring no blessing to anyone. If you have well understood this, then do also act like it, then you will do well."
26
Then Agricola said: "Lord and Master, then we Romans will also do well if we will handle our marriages likewise. And what is Your opinion concerning polygamy? Are You for or against it?"