The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Jericho
- Chapter 15 -
A trial session in the inn.
While we were talking with one another with word and advice for 1 hour, an unusual big noise came from the square before the house of our innkeeper, and within a few moments many people had gathered there. This attracted a few of My disciples to the windows of the hall.
2
But I called them back and said: "Why so curious? We will hear soon enough what is going on anyway. It is certainly nothing positive, and that which is evil we will come to know soon enough, even if we will hear it somewhat later."
3
Then the curious disciples came back to the table again.
4
And it did not take long before several businessmen with very furious faces came into the guest room to accuse 3 infamous thieves who were firmly bound with ropes and who stole money and also other things from the businessmen in the crowd. This because the innkeeper was a kind of mayor and market judge in this city and he had to hear the thieves and then hand them over to the main court of justice that had to impose a punishment on them.
5
But this was unpleasant for the innkeeper because of My presence. But what could he do? He had to hear the businessmen and still other witnesses, and he had to take the 3, who were everywhere very well known as thieves, into custody.
6
When the businessmen received their stolen goods back, they quickly returned to their market stalls.
7
But I said to the innkeeper: "Friend, now that apart from us, there is no one here, you can bring the 3 thieves from the closed room to here, then I will talk to them."
8
The innkeeper did that, and his helpers brought the 3 thieves to us.
9
When they stood before Me, I spoke to them as follows: "You are Jews from the region near Bethlehem. Did you not learn about the law of God, which says that one shall not steal? Who gave you the right to act contrary to God's laws? Speak honestly and openly if you do not want to receive a still heavier punishment than the one that you can already expect as a result of your crime."
10
At these words, one of the 3 thieves said: "Lord, be forgiving and merciful to us, then I will tell You from the beginning how everything happened. Look, we are 3 brothers, and our parents possessed indeed near the city of David a house and a piece of land. They were, with us and our 4 sisters - who surely were the most beautiful girls of the whole region - very good and pious people and also very prosperous.
11
However, the father died a few years before the mother, who always had a high admiration for the priests, especially those in Jerusalem. Whatever these said with a pious face, she took it for God's word.
12
But those pious servants of God really misused the blind credulousness of the mother. They described Heaven to her as extremely beautiful in the nicest of colors. Hell (Sheol) on the other hand so full of agony and torture as man can only imagine in his most evil fantasies. In order that our mother could be completely sure of Heaven already in this world, the extremely pious priests advised her to sell everything and to offer the money to the temple. She also had to give our 4 sisters to the temple so that their virginal purity and chastity would be preserved. For if one of her daughters would give herself to a man before marriage, then that sin would condemn the soul of the mother forever into the deepest abyss of Hell. However, if our mother would do what he as priest, who was dealing with God from day to day and knew His will, would advise her to do, then after the falling off of her body she would not only come directly into the heavenly paradise, but she also would be taken care of by the temple in the holy home for widows for an even greater sanctification of her soul, where on Sabbath days and holy days the most pious widows are served by God's angels and where no devil could ever approach a soul to seduce her.
13
That was for our mother as if Jehovah had announced it to her with lightning and thunder from Mount Sinai.
14
We, the 3 sons, who already perceived the cunning intentions of the temple servants, advised our mother against doing it, but that was of no use and within a short time she sold everything, and we also had to help her to carry the heavy money to the temple.
15
Then we asked the chief in the temple very sadly what we actually had to do now, since we were reduced to beggary. 'Who had to care for us and where will we find a job and bread?'
16
Then the chief gave us 3 silver coins and to each one of us a package with a few relics, and said: 'Of these 3 silver coins you can live for 7 days, and God's power, which is miraculously present in the 3 holy packages will for your happiness help you succeed everything that you will undertake. If you possess these packages, you also can steal and rob, however not kill, except in case of need, a rich heathen or also a Samaritan. It will not be accounted to you as sin by God because by the pious deed of your mother that was extremely pleasing to God, you are justified and sanctified as angels before Him.' Then he passed a staff over us and said that we had to go."