The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the region of Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 198 -
The fall of Herod's agents.
After this instruction, Raphael came back to us, and now he explained about the storm that was still going on.
2
Many Herodians were staying in Tiberias who were commanded to trace Me and My disciples as soon as they would hear where I was staying, which they heard from the returned skippers who brought the men from Joppe to Marcus around noon. Therefore, towards the evening they manned several ships and put them to sea in the direction of Marcus in order to catch Me. The Lake of Galilee had however very steep and rocky shores from the more gentile than Jewish city Tiberias to the village of Marcus, and between the 2 aforementioned places, which were nevertheless rather far away from each other, there were at most 3 places where the fishermen can land their ships with difficulty.
3
That the rather big ships, which were put to sea towards the evening from Tiberias with the Herodians in order to catch Me, were bad off with the storm, can be easily imagined by everyone, for directly when they left Tiberias, a very strong northwestern wind drove the ships with irresistible force to the eastern shore, where they forcibly bumped against the shore and were already considerably damaged.
4
The skippers were now busy to repair a few broken oars and made them somehow still useable, but announced at the same time to the Herodians that this night, if the wind would not turn or completely lie down, they no more would leave this shore, for no matter what.
5
If they would like to risk their life, they had to step into the 3 best ships, take the oars in hand themselves and try to go to the bath resort on the other side, which was located at more than 3 hours on sea when the wind was favorable. But the Herodians also did not show any desire to do that.
6
When the northwestern wind was soon turning to the east, the Herodians said: "Well now, faint-hearted skippers, the wind has favorably turned. Do you now also not dare to go out to sea to reach the other side?"
7
The skippers said: "During the day time, when you can see the dangers, you easily can go out at sea and go to the bath resort at the other side, but at night it is a risky thing, despite the favorable turning of the wind, and then you really can have great damage. Besides, an eastern wind that comes up in the evening cannot be trusted, for it might turn into a hurricane. And when this will brake out, then woe the one who is at sea."
8
The skippers firmly tied up 2 ships to the shore for themselves and said to the Herodians: "The other and better ships over there are at your disposal. Just go out at sea now to where you dare and want to go. We will not take an oar into our hands tonight. The ships that we hand over to you here, are the property of the city. If they will go down with you, Herod can indemnify them to the citizens. But these 2 ships are our property, and we will not expose them to any further danger - and ourselves even less.
9
Besides, we have heard from all sides that all those who tried to trace the Nazarene were bad off. And who knows if He - of whom is said that He is in connection with all secret might and powers - does not already precisely know of your intention and has already completely prevented our trip to the bath resort, where He possibly could be staying according to the people that we brought to the bath resort today, which may be so or not. We already told you in Tiberias, for which you laughed at us. And now we are standing here and cannot move forward."
10
Then the chief of the Herodians said: "Just leave those 2 cowards here. It is a moonlight night and the wind is favorable. With this kind of wind power we are on the other side in 1 hour, and in the cure resort we will soon come to know where the Nazarene is with His followers."
11
Then they stepped into the 5 ships, which were the property of the city, and they forcefully pulled at the oar rings. When they were out of the swampy water in the free, open sea, the eastern wind, which was already blowing heavy before, changed immediately into a very heavy hurricane, which soon stirred up the water to very high waves.
12
Then the skippers on the save shore said: "O, it would be a great miracle if only 1 out of those 5 ships would reach the other side. Those fools will receive their deserved reward if they will all perish. Maybe the ship with the chief will reach the other side and crash there, for it is strongly timbered and well shielded. But the 4 open ships will helplessly sink."
13
And so it also happened. The 4 open ships with 130 soldiers of Herod were already swallowed up by the lake in a 1/4 of an hour. Only the ship of the chief reached after 2 hours the other side where we were. And this only because I wanted it so.