The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 93 -
The favorite food of the Lord.
And Lazarus took immediately care of everything. When again bread and new wine was set on the table and we took something of it, Martha came to ask Me what I would prefer to eat for the evening meal.
2
I said: "Now look, My dear Martha. Men who hear My word and live according to it are My favorite food and also My favorite drink. Did you well understand these words?"
3
On a somewhat fearful astonished tone Martha said: "But Lord and Master, You surely do not mean that You want to eat human flesh?"
4
I said: "Well, My dear friend, you have not yet deeply penetrated in the things of the spirit. Do I mean now the food for the spirit or the food for the body when I say that men are My favorite food and favorite drink, who hear My word, take it to heart and live and act accordingly? I say to you and also to all of you who are present here: man does not live from bread and wine alone, but rather - if he acts accordingly - from every word that goes out of the mouth of God. And consequently, God's Word is an excellent food for the whole man, while the bread of this Earth feeds only his mortal body and at the same time his soul and his spirit.
5
But as God is by the Word the main food for the whole man, so is also man who knows God, loves Him above all and does His will, a good and very refreshing food for the eternal love in God. When you have understood this now, then you may put on the table for us as evening meal a good dish of well-prepared fishes."
6
Martha said: "O Lord and Master, now I have well understood that You just now have only meant spiritual food and spiritual drink, and I thank You with all my heart for Your great patience with me. But since You also have mentioned a well-prepared dish of noble fishes, I honestly must confess that precisely today the stock of fish is totally gone. During the midday meal, everything that was left has been eaten and Your wish has brought me now into great embarrassment. What shall I do now?"
7
I said, with a friendly face: "Yes, My dear Martha, this is indeed somehow a difficult situation. From where will we now obtain so many noble fish so that it will be sufficient for all of us?"
8
Martha said, even more embarrassed than before: "O Lord and Master, I really do not know, but You surely can give me advice and help."
9
I said: "Yes, this I surely could do when you really and firmly would believe it."
10
Martha said: "O Lord and Master, I do believe everything. You are indeed the eternal Love and Truth Himself and what You say and will, will certainly and surely always happen."
11
I said: "Then just go and look in the pond that is hewed from a big stone and is located in your kitchen under the continuous streaming source. Then you will find there so many fish that this will be sufficient for today and tomorrow."
12
After these words of Mine, Martha hurried together with her sister Mary and accompanied by Mary of Magdalon outside to the big kitchen where they could see the pond full of the best fishes from the river Jordan, and their amazement about it was great. They quickly came back again and related the wonder to everybody and there was nearly no end to their grateful amazement.
13
But I said to Martha: "O, do not be too much surprised about that, for I already have done a lot of signs. Now go and prepare a good evening meal for us."
14
When I had said that, Martha and also Mary hurried to leave the room towards the kitchen and arranged everything so that the evening meal could be well prepared in one-hour time. It was however a starry evening, and in the west one could see the last rays of the setting sun, which we well could see through the open windows, and especially the Romans expressed the wish to go out for awhile in the open air at My side to see and observe the starry sky and the different appearances of the evening.
15
And I said: "Good, let us then go outside for an hour. There will be many things to see, observe and discover."