The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Jericho
- Chapter 12 -
The Lord speaks admonishing words to the Greek.
Then the Greek came to Me again and said: "Dear Friend, was it good that way, our prayer and thanks?"
2
I said: "You have children at home, whom you love very much. If they are hungry and ask you for bread, will you then withhold the bread to them as blessing of your fatherly love if they ask you for it in a foolish learned manner? As a human being and a gentile you only look at the heart of your children, and their babbling is more worth to you than the most elegant speech of an experienced orator. How much more will God, who is the only true Father of all men, only look at their heart and not at the futile words of their mouth and how they childishly form them.
3
Although your prayer and your thanks were put into simple words, they came from your heart and therefore they were really pleasing to the only true Father of men in Heaven. Remain that way, then at the right time a higher light from the Heavens will be given to you. Always direct yourself in the full love of your heart to God, the eternal Father in Heaven, then He will always turn to you with the living light of the eternal truth in Him.
4
But in order to really love God, you also should love your neighbor as yourself, and not do an injustice to anyone. Whatever you do not want others to do to you, do that also not to your fellowman. I mean that you should apply this with reason and wisdom, because otherwise a murderer for robbery could also want that they would not pursue him and hand him over to justice because he himself does not pursue anyone for this purpose - and still a lot more of such absurdities.
5
Thus, whoever faithfully and reasonably, and thus also really, will love his fellowmen, will also love God and will also in turn be loved by God. But whoever does not love his neighbor whom he sees, then how can he love God whom he cannot see with his eyes or hear with his ears?
6
You are businessmen and moneychangers, and therefore you prefer a big gain instead of a small one, and you also think that this is more just. But I say to you, from now on be just in everything, and remember: as you prefer that someone else is just and fair towards you, you also should be just and fair to your neighbor in price, measure and weight. For with the same measure, price and weight that you will serve your fellowmen, God the Lord and Father in Heaven will in turn also pay you back. Liars and cheaters, no matter in what kind of life conditions here on Earth, are not looked at by God, and they will not be able to enter into His eternal Kingdom of life. This I surely can tell you, because I know God and His Kingdom and His eternal throne of rulership and His will very well.
7
If you have understood that, act then also accordingly, then the true and living blessing will not be taken away from you. If someone in a kingdom knows the laws of the king and observes them also always faithfully, and the king knows it, then he will be well disposed towards that person, and will also easily give him a position as reward for his loyalty. Now that you have heard the will of the one, true God from Me, act accordingly, then you will find mercy with God."
8
The Greek said: "Friend, we thank You for this truly very wise teaching, and promise You that from now on we will faithfully live to it. But since it is not yet that late in the evening, and I have concluded from Your words and from what You have done to me that You know the true God very well and enjoy also His love and friendship because You live and act completely according to His will, You could somehow give us also an indication from the divine light in You how God was able to create this Earth out of Himself without substance or matter. Although I already have said that the substance out of which everything was created, exists only of the almighty will of God, but despite that, I still ask myself how it is possible that only out of the will of God the substance and matter existed. If we Greeks could have any idea about this, we would be extremely happy."
9
I said: "You truly ask for things which the human reasoning will never be able to completely understand, and even if he would understand only a little bit more of the deepest secrets of God's Kingdom, he would not come closer to God's love by that. For no one can know what is in God except God's Spirit. But whoever keeps God's commandments and loves Him above all, will also receive God's Spirit in his heart and will then also view into the deepest secrets of God.
10
So do what I have advised you. By that you will be guided into all higher wisdom, and then, that which seems to be incomprehensible and impossible to you, will become as clear and well understandable as the toys of your children.
11
But so that you will have one more proof that God's will in Himself is everything, firstly purely as Spirit and then also as substance and matter, bring Me a completely empty carafe from your table."
13
I said: "Fine, now be very attentive and take the carafe into your hands. See, how it is still empty and even completely dry. But now I want from God's will in Me that this rather big carafe will be filled at the same moment with the purest and best wine that you then can drink to strengthen your limbs."
14
I hardly had said that when the carafe was already full with the best wine.
15
When the 2 Greeks saw this very clearly, they said extremely amazed: "Yes, now we have clearly seen that the will of the one, true God is everything in everything, and therefore all honor goes only to Him. We do not have to know at all how it is possible, but it is sufficient for us to know that it is so, and that it is not nor can be otherwise."
16
I said: "So, now that you have the wine, which is as well the will of God as the wine that you possess at home in sacks in great quantities, you also should drink of it and tell how it tastes."
17
Then the Greeks tasted the wine, and again they continually were amazed about its quality and strength.