The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 6 -
Lazarus tells about his experiences with the Lord.
When the well-satisfied Pharisees saw Lazarus they all expressed their joy about the fact that he came to them without being called.
2
He also greeted them, saying (Lazarus): "It is a great satisfaction to me that you are feeling so well at this place that you have cursed. And since everything is known to me what you have discussed here in private, I think that you, who are really wise men, will not make use now of your ban over my possessions."
3
The first speaker said: "This certainly not, but how - by Moses - were you able to hear at closed doors and windows what we have spoken to each other as soft as possible? Tell us the content of our speeches, otherwise we will have to believe that you want to make fun of us."
4
Here Lazarus declared to them solemnly that he would never do such a thing and then he repeated word for word everything that they had discussed with one another before.
5
When the Pharisees heard that, the first one said again: "But how - by all stars of the sky - were you able to know that?"
6
Lazarus said: "You yourself have said with your own words that there are people in the world who possess rare qualities. Why could God not have given me some rare qualities? But I can tell you even something more important, and this is that you as a result of your understanding and speaking can be very close to God's Kingdom if the bad air of the temple would not be a obstacle to you. However, I am saying this particularly to the one who was discussing with you, with whom you finally agreed on all points, as well as all the others. Consequently, all of you - truly to my great joy - are standing now at one and the same spot with this really very respectable person with whom you were discussing, because now, there will not be many men of your kind anymore in the temple. Therefore, I say to you, as your old and true friend, that you are now standing closer to the Kingdom of God than you suspect."
7
Now the second speaker said: "Dear friend, explain yourself further. What do you want to tell us with this? How can we be closer to the Kingdom of God than we can suspect? Do we perhaps have to die here? Did you put poison into our wine?"
8
Lazarus said: "How can you ever as truly intelligent people think such thing? I am immediately willing to drink out of your cups to proof how untrue this thought is. You will be able to live long enough on this Earth. Only by your knowledge you have come close to the Kingdom of God and by your secretly kept faith, but not with your earthly lives."
9
The first Pharisee said: "What do you mean with the Kingdom of God?"
10
Lazarus said: "Nothing else than that in your mind you possess the right knowledge of God. Besides, if you also would accept Him whom you have persecuted until now as the One who He truly is, then you already would be completely in God's Kingdom that is full of light. Do you understand now what I wanted to say with: you have come closer to the Kingdom of God than you can suspect?"
11
Then the first speaker said again: "Now, it is good that you are mentioning this subject. The fact that you are very fond of the wonderful Galilean, we do know already for a long time. And we have made it known to you - rightly or not. This is nothing new to us. But since you surely must know that Man better than we do and that we are hopefully now good friends again - because you have by your talent, which formerly was unknown to us, convinced yourself about how we actually think about it - it is now maybe the best moment that we get to know that Man better. You do not have to tell us at all by that where He is staying for the moment because we do not want and will not ever make use of the ridiculous decision of the temple anyway. And we also do not want to know the Galilean better because of the cunning temple priests, but only for our sake. Therefore you can now speak very openly with us about Him."
12
Then Lazarus said: "How and where He was born and all the things that happened when 30 years ago the old evil Herod let as much as possible innocent little boys of 1 to 2 years old be killed in Bethlehem because the 3 wise men from the far morning land who were guided by a star towards here told him that in Bethlehem a new King had been born among the Jews, that you all will know as well as I do. But you do not know that by godly providence and decree this new-born King of the Jews did not fall into the hands of the cruel Herod, but with God's help and through mediation of the at that time still young Roman captain Cornelius He escaped safely and soundly to Egypt. I think to the old city Ostracine. And only then, when the old Herod died 3 years later because he was eaten up by lice, He came back, more precisely in the vicinity of Nazareth. And there, in quiet seclusion He grew up with an education that is not worth mentioning and has become a grown-up Man.
13
When He was 12 years old He came with His earthly parents to the prescribed examination of boys to Jerusalem. He stayed 3 full days in the temple and brought all the elders, scribes and Pharisees to total amazement by His answers and questions. My father who paid the examination fee because of the poverty of His parents told this to me.
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Also this, will surely be remembered by the elders among you, although not the fact that He escaped from the rage of Herod and that after 3 years He came back from Egypt to Nazareth.
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And look, the Man who is now performing such great works, only with the pure godly power of His will and His word, is precisely the same as the King of the Jews who was born 30 years ago in Bethlehem, and precisely the same wise young Man who 20 years ago has brought the whole temple to total amazement.
16
Now you know with who you are dealing with in the person of the so extraordinary Galilean, and this is certainly also necessary in order to have a good idea about Him.
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What He is doing now, you partially know, but for more than half you are taking the things that were told to you about His teaching and deeds as fables and exaggerations of the people who are following Him and believes in Him. And in this you are greatly mistaken.
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I truly am not the man - as you know me - who will buy a pig in a poke. Therefore, I have assured myself very accurately for a long time and at different places to know what kind of Man He really is. And look, even if I also am well grounded in the Scripture, I never found anything suspicious in Him, while this was often the case with the loud-voiced magicians.
19
His teachings are entirely those of Moses and the prophets, and He performs His wonders only where it is necessary, and He never let Himself be paid for it. In short, His powerful Word is the purest Word of God, His wisdom is God's wisdom, and His deeds are also purely God's deeds, because no man is capable of doing the same.
20
When I went, more than half year ago with Him and His at that time many disciples to Bethlehem, we found a great number of beggars before the gates of the old city of David, because there was a feast. Those poor people, men and women, begged us with loud lamenting for alms. The most deformed who were without hands and some also without feet were crying the most, and therefore I also wanted to remember them according to my wealth.
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He however, indicated that there was still enough time for that, and then He asked the poor people that if ever they would be totally healthy and would have their limbs back, they would not prefer to earn the necessary bread with the work of their hands. All of them certified that if that would be possible, they would rather work day and night instead of asking even for one moment longer for alms. Then He said: 'Stand up and walk and search for work.' On this word, all of them were immediately healed from their various diseases. The blind could see, the deaf and mute could hear and speak, the paralyzed jumped up as young deer and the deformed without hand and feet received - mind you - clearly new limbs, and this all was the work of only one moment. Afterwards I put all these wonderfully healed people with me into service, gave them immediately some money and gave instructions to know where they had to go.
22
When one has been the very witness of such a deed and of still a 100 more of which one cannot say anymore: 'look these were greater and more memorable than the other', and when one has seen that also all animals, all elements, the whole nature, even the sun, the moon and the stars and the seas of the Earth, as well as the mountains obey His will, and He Himself says: 'I and the Father in Heaven are one. He who sees Me, sees also the Father. He who believes in Me, will have eternal life, for I Myself am the Truth, the Way and the Life', then one with his healthy senses and his healthy mind cannot doubt anymore that it is as He is teaching and as since Adam, all fathers, patriarchs and prophets have predicted and taught about Him.
23
Now I believe fully and unshakably in Him, and dare also to confess this loudly to the whole world, because I have my irrefutable reasons for that. Anyone however can do what he wants. Now you know in short and in full truth the most important concerning the great Galilean. Consider now among yourselves what you have to think and believe about Him."