The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 62 -
The 70 disciples return to the Lord.
We still waited for a while, and soon the disciples who were send out from Emmaus arrived to us because their spirit had inspired them that I was staying in Bethany and was now on the already known hill amidst My friends.
2
At first there were only some 40 who arrived, but within a few moments the others, driven by their spirit came also to Me, so that all of them should witness before My friends how in those few days everything had already come true what I had predicted and promised to them when they were send out.
3
However, also others who were experienced in all kinds of things and learned Jews and Greeks came with them. Some of them to hear from Myself the words of life, others to test Me, to see if I really am the One who the send-out disciples proclaimed to them.
4
Now when all the mentioned disciples and the rest of the Jews and Greeks gathered around Me, a Jew asked Me: "Master, these disciples brought a good report about You. In Your name they have made the sick better and set free those who were possessed with evil spirits. From this we have seen that You are either a real prophet or that the promised Messiah is really hidden in You. Since we could however not receive a complete clarification from the words of the messengers, we came to this place to hear from Your mouth how it is with those things that Your messengers have announced to us. Therefore, please do not misunderstand our coming to this place."
5
Then I turned to the present disciples and said to them: "Whoever will listen to you, will also listen to Me, but he who despises you, despises also Me. And whoever despises Me, despises also the One who sent Me. The One who sent Me is one with Me, and He is the One of whom you say that He is your God. But you have never seen Him, and therefore you can also not know the One who He has sent. However, I say to you now, My disciples, that all of you have announced My word faithfully, truly and correctly to the people."
6
Then the some 70 disciples came full of joy closer to Me and said: "O Lord, in Your name, also the worst devils had to obey, and we rejoiced greatly in it."
7
Then I said in veiled terms: "Yes, yes. I saw Satan falling down from the sky as lightning (the separation of the false from what is true), but that is still not yet sufficient, but rather the action according to the truth, so that the truth in man becomes a living property.
8
Look, I have given you the power out of Me to tread on snakes and scorpions, and also over all the power of the enemies. However, do not rejoice because of that, but rather about the fact that your names are now written in Heaven, and that is also My great joy. For this reason, in My human form I am also praising You, Father and Lord of Heaven and Earth, that You have hidden these things from the intelligent and wise ones of the world and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, it has pleased You in this way since eternity.
9
I say to you now, worldly wise and intelligent ones: all power has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth by My Father. But no one of you knows who and what the Son is. Only My eternal Father knows it. And likewise, also no one knows and can see who the Father is, but only the Son and further also those to whom the Son wants to reveal it. The one to whom the Son wanted to reveal it, to him He also has revealed it, but the Son will not reveal it to those who have a high opinion about their wisdom and cleverness."
10
Then I turned to My disciples who were now all together here, and said especially to them: "Truly, I say to you: blessed are the eyes that can see what you can see and have seen, and blessed are the ears that hear what you can hear and have heard. For I say to you once more: many prophets and kings wanted to see what you are seeing, and hear what you are hearing, and they did not see it and have also not heard it.
11
But there are here now also some who can also see and hear what you can see and hear, but they still can feel nothing and they also understand and perceive nothing, for they remain blocked and blind of heart. But whoever's heart is blocked and blind, is also blocked and blind concerning his brains and his whole body, because when already that which should be light in man is dark, then how deep must be the darkness of the whole human being?
12
You also know that the salt is the most important and best way to enhance the taste of the food. However, when the salt itself has become tasteless, with what should the food then be salted? You are now a real salt for the life of the people. But watch, that you also should not become tasteless like the Pharisees and scribes have become tasteless by which they do not encourage people for eternal life with their salt that has become tasteless, but they only spoil them unto death."