The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Cana
- Chapter 111 -
The Lord heals the sick trade leader of the businessmen.
Then a couple of Persians with the interpreter came to us and wanted to speak to the innkeeper.
2
The innkeeper asked them very politely what their request was.
3
And the interpreter said: "Dear friend, we already took up accommodation here a few times and we always have found in you a righteous, fair and thus also rare friend of men. That is why we have visited you also this time on our business trip to Tyre. We were always satisfied about you, and also you will never have any reason to complain about us. This time however, coming here on our trip, we were visited by misfortune by an inscrutable decree of a god, which will have very bad results for the business that we do here for the sake of our family members at home.
4
Although we did not lose any of our treasures and goods that we took along, but what is in fact almost worse than the kind of loss I just mentioned, is the fact that our most important and best trade leader became sick. He already complained during a couple of days that from time to time he is overtaken by unusual pains in his stomach and also in his head. When he satiated himself now with your bread and wine, he had these pains again, and this time alarmingly much more severe. Is there perhaps a doctor here who could help our trade leader? Truly, he will by rewarded like a king. But if the good man cannot be helped immediately - as is often the case with these kinds of sicknesses - then we would like to ask you if we could not entrust our suffering friend to your care here. And if we will return here in a few days, what you can most certainly believe, we will reward you tenfold for everything that you needed for the treatment of our friend."
5
The innkeeper said: "Dear friends, you really did not have to use so many words for that, because I will immediately take care of everything. Although there is in my house now a very first and best Doctor who could heal the sick man instantly forever, but of those who seek His help He wants a complete faith without any doubting, according to our old Jewish tradition. However, you only believe in certain gods that were invented by men who can never help anyone, and not in the one, true and living God of the Jews who is the only One who is almighty and who also can and wants to help everyone who asks Him. So I do not know if the mentioned Doctor in my house will want to help your sick friend."
6
The interpreter said: "Friend, you are very mistaken about us if you think that we are the same idol worshippers like our old forefathers during the Babylonian domination. We also know the only true God of the Jews, and worship Him quietly in our heart. Only for the sake of appearances, for the blind world, we enter now and then still an old pagan temple of idols and admire in it the hardly imaginable foolishness and blindness of the people. We also have already oftentimes prayed quietly in our heart to the one, only true God to let come up also in our Morning Land a true light of life, because we languished already long enough in the deepest night of life, which we can of course only know because we have business dealings with many nations, and in this manner we have acquired many comforting truths, but our prayers were in vain.
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For a born-blind person, the personal eternal night is certainly no trouble, and he has no desire for the light of which he does not know its value, but the one who was able to see and became then blind will certainly miss the light in a painful manner. And this is the way we feel also, since we became seeing for already a long time while we at home must walk around as if blindfolded.
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From this you can certainly conclude that your light is not strange to us. And since you can now figure out that we Persians are also capable to believe in your manner - and your Doctor who can certainly help our sick friend by way of faith will find no fault with us - you surely can ask Him on our behalf to take care of our friend."
9
The innkeeper said: "It certainly will be as you told me, but the Doctor who is recommended by me is a wonderful discerning Man. He can look into the deepest inner being of men. He knows even the most secret thoughts and knows precisely what kind of heart and mind someone has. But He is also so powerful in His will that even all elements and all powers of nature must obey to it. If you like Him that way, while He possesses such qualities, I surely want to present Him to you."
10
The interpreter said: "With such qualities we certainly will all like Him very much, and at the same time He is as we have wished for. So you can present Him to us now all the more reassured, being certain that in the view of our good conduct we have no fear for Him, and we will do everything He wants from us."
11
Now I Myself said to the interpreter: "Friends, let us save the innkeeper the trouble to present to you that Doctor who can do everything. I Myself am the One, and for your sake I have stayed here, for I knew already a long time beforehand that you would need Me. I announced your arrival already 1 hour ago, so that you would find provision today according to your needs, because it is even a New Moon Sabbath on which day no Jew may do anything without the permission of a priest.
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And so I also know that your loyal and experienced trade leader was taken care of in a badly equipped inn already 3 days ago near the Euphrates and has greatly spoiled his stomach with a bad fish and an even worse wine, and if I would not have known this as I know this now, he would have died shortly after. Only My power and might, which is completely unknown to you until now has saved him up to this hour and will keep him sound and well if you will believe in Me and in the power and might of the one, only true God of the Jews."
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The interpreter said: "O wonderful Master in the highest and most important art and science on Earth. Through Your words we became now completely convinced in our heart that there is hardly something impossible for You, and thus we believe also firmly and without any doubt that You certainly and without failing will help our friend if You want it. And in our comforting conviction that You will help our friend, we ask You to kindly determine to us beforehand, which offering we can pay You for that."
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I said: "This will be far from Me, because for My livelihood and that of My disciples I do not and never will need any human offerings. But let us now go to your sick friend, then we will see if and how he can be helped."
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That was the greatest wish of the 3 Persians, and they brought Me to the sick person who was twisting like a half trampled worm and crawled and reared from pain, and cried for help or for death.
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When I walked to him, I immediately put My right hand on his stomach pit and the terrible cramp left him forever. So on that same moment he became healthy as never before, because already since birth he suffered from a weak stomach, but now his stomach was also healed from his old weakness, and the sick man became completely healthy.