The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord's journey through Samaria
- Chapter 57 -
The true prophets.
But it happened also often that pious men, who always firmly believed in God and loved Him with all their heart, were awakened to become true prophets, also without first having frequently visited such school. So Moses and Aaron were great prophets themselves while they were not trained in any school for this, because their faith, their heart that was dedicated to God and God Himself were their school. Also Elijah and Jonah, Joshua and Samuel became true prophets without any preceding school, because God Himself was their Master and their school.
2
Also the patriarchs were mostly seers and prophets without school, because only God, to whom they adhered and whom they believed without doubting, was their school where He revealed His will to them. And even in this time there were seers and prophets who were not trained in the school for seers and prophets, because God looks always only at the heart of men and not at the school where someone attained to such or such ability.
3
Look at these My disciples. None of them has ever seen a prophet school, and still, many of them will perform greater things than all the old seers and prophets, for only I am their Master and their school, and this is how it will be and remain until the end of times of this Earth.
4
Although many schools will be erected in the future, out of which a countless number of false teachers and prophets will arise, but only very few true prophets according to God's will.
5
Truly I say to you: from now on, only the one who will believe in Me, love Me above all and his fellowman as himself and who will actively follow My teaching, will become a seer and prophet. Therefore, not everyone who believes and calls out: 'Lord, Lord,' will enter My Kingdom, but only the one who will do My will, which is clearly expressed in My teaching.
6
Therefore, also you should not be simply and solely empty hearers of My word, but you should act directly according to it, then you will receive in yourselves the true Kingdom of God. But do not ever expect that the Kingdom of God, which is a Kingdom of the inner life, will come to men with outer signs and outer splendor and magnificence, for it is in you. Whoever will seek it in himself in the manner that I have shown you and does not find it in this manner, will search it in vain in the whole world and all stars.
7
Thus the path to the true, living Kingdom of God is very narrow and often overgrown by all kinds of thorn-bushes. Humility and self-denial are their name. Worldly people can absolutely not walk on it.
8
But the one who believes in Me and keeps My commandments, will not be hurt at his feet by the thorns on the path to God's Kingdom. Only a serious beginning is difficult. But when the seriousness remains and when it will not be weakened by all kinds of worldly reflections, the entire attainment of God's Kingdom is very easy, because for the one who always strives in full earnest for God's Kingdom in himself, will My yoke be soft and the burden that I give him to carry will be light, and to the serious seekers of the true Kingdom of God I will always call aloud in their heart: 'Come all to Me, you who are tired and burdened. I Myself am coming to meet you for already more than half way and want to strengthen and refresh you fully!
9
To those however who will only call to Me 'Lord, Lord,' but are mostly concerned and focused on purely worldly things, and are only casually striving to that which is of the Kingdom of God, I will say: 'Why do you, worldly people, call to Me, and why do you shout? My heart has not yet known you. Let that about which you are concerned now also give you the help that you desire.' Truly I say to you: such people will on this side probably never find the true and living Kingdom of God in themselves, and they will be bad teachers, seers and prophets for their fellowmen, and on the other side it will be for such half-dead souls incomparably much more difficult to seek and to find the Kingdom of God in themselves.
10
Therefore, let everyone work as long as the day lasts, because when the night will come, it will hardly be possible to work. Did you, My friend, also understand what I have said now?"
11
The innkeeper said: "Yes, Lord and Master over everything, I thank You for this lesson from my deepest inner life. Now the situation about the old prophet school is completely clear to me. But at the same time I ask You also when I - more seriously than it has been the case until now - will walk upon the narrow and thorny path to God's Kingdom, that You would mercifully like to come to meet me already from the first step, and help me, so that during the time that I continue my way on the narrow and thorny path of life, I would not become tired, discouraged and impatient."