The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Jericho
- Chapter 11 -
The Lord heals the Greek with the sick stomach.
I said "Friend, you are asking now something very exceptional from Me. Your mind is much too full with worldly and thus material things. Then how will it be able to understand spiritual things? However, we as real and true Jews of old, have filled our mind with spiritual things, and that is why we also can understand spiritual things that are for us very provable and easy to understand.
2
There is a correspondence between that which is of the spirit and that which is of matter. If you would be familiar with that science, it would be easy to prove to you that only we pure Jews of old possess the full truth, but that all gentiles, despite all their worldly wisdom, are still following false and untrue doctrines. However, that inner science is strange to you, and it is difficult to prove to you in another way that we Jews are the only ones who possess the full truth.
3
That is why David only sang to the one, true God because he not only believed in Him, but he also saw Him and spoke continuously with Him. And our singer, who is a pure Jew himself, is completely right to give by his harp playing and his singing only the honor to Him, to whom only honor is due since eternity. Therefore, he also should only sing the psalms of David to the gentiles whom David has called back to the old truth, so that their hearts would become softer and would be more open to recognize and to worship the one, eternal true God. And this God is, for a truthful man, not so hidden and inaccessible as your gods are for you, which were only invented and then made of dead matter by human hands. That this is indeed so, all of us can practically prove to you, although by that you will not stand closer to the inner, spiritual and thus the only in itself living truth than you are now."
4
The Greek said: "Friend, give me a practical proof, then I with all my companions will believe in the God of the Jews, and we also will keep the commandments that He possibly gave, and I will moreover convert still many thousands to my faith."
5
I said: "Very well then, I as a true Jew of the Jews, who know very well the one, only true God and Lord of Heaven and Earth, and also know that He exists and how He is, can bring such proof before your eyes immediately. You still feel pain at your stomach, and for this reason you almost do not dare to eat or to drink, although you are really starting to feel hunger and thirst. How many offerings did you already give to your idols at the advice of the priests, and how many medicines did you already swallow down. Did all this relieve your pain in the least? You say: 'No, not in the least.' However I want to help you immediately, by innerly calling upon the one, only true God of the Jews, in such a way that you will never more detect an stomachache."
6
The Greek said: "O Friend, if this would be possible to You without medicine, I will not only believe in your God and I also will immediately, together with my companions, prove all honor to Him, but then I also want to give to You half of my fortune which is not small."
7
I said: "Friend, this I do not need, because My only true and almighty God gives Me and us all always what we need. And thus we do not need earthly treasures as you gentiles do, because the treasures of God's Spirit in us stands endlessly much higher than what the whole Earth and the whole visible heaven is worth, of which you will be immediately convinced. Look, now I call in Myself in quietness upon God the Lord, so that you will be healed and your stomach be strengthened - and tell Me now if your stomach is already better."
8
Now the Greek was extremely astonished and said: "Yes, now I do believe without any doubt that only your God is the only true One. Because when You, Friend, had hardly spoken out the words to your God, I suddenly felt in my stomach such a well being as I have never felt such a well being before, not even in my healthiest early years. And still now I am feeling this well being, and only now I feel a real hunger and a real thirst. From now on and until the end of my life, I will give all my thanks, all honor and all my deepest respect and dedication to His holy, supremely powerful will, to Your only true God. Oh, may He enlighten us gentiles as He has enlightened you, so that we can know Him ever more thoroughly and give Him only the right, well pleasing honor.
9
And you, outstanding psalm singer, remain with your good, true art and sing always and everywhere the honor of the only true and really almighty God, because all honor goes only to Him, not only from us men, but as the psalm also says, from all that which is created, which is His work. Because now I surely realize that only He has created everything, the heaven and the Earth, the sun, the moon and all the numerous stars. How? I will never ask for that, for it is sufficient that I know now that He alone is completely the very first foundation of all things, and that only His will is the actual substance of every existence. In that faith I want and will from now on live, act, think and finally also die.
10
And You, dear Friend, who are filled with God's Spirit, I thank You also, because You taught me so faithfully and truthfully this so important matter of life which helped me almost more than the healing of my stomach that was in such bad condition. But since I am really longing now so much for food and drink, I will now sit at our table again and moderately refresh and strengthen my body."
11
I said: "Do that without fear or shyness, and pray to God before eating that He would bless the food and drink for you and all men, then He always will hear such prayer, and every food that is meant for men will be very beneficial for you, and it will truly feed and strengthen your body. So be it and so it will remain."
12
After these words of Mine, the Greek returned with gratitude to his table again, prayed to God for His blessing and he then ate and drank in a cheerful mood, and he had no more fear that one or the other food or drink would harm him. And what that Greek was doing, all his companions did the same and continued to eat and drink with much pleasure and joy. They also discussed a lot with each other about the truth regarding the existence of the God of the Jews, and they were constantly amazed that those people who really believe in Him, put their trust in Him and keep His commandments are sustained by the true God of the Jews with His might in such a way that one could finally think that they are gods themselves.
13
After some similar discussions, during which we talked about the events that happened in Essaea, the now fully satiated Greeks stood up, thanked the true God of the Jews for His blessing, and prayed to Him that He always would stay with this mercy with them and also with all men who would beseech Him in faith and trust.