The Great Gospel of John
Volume 9
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Jericho
- Chapter 7 -
The Lord and the sick businessman from Sidon.
A few strangers noticed that I gave this advice to the disciples, and one of them, a businessman from Sidon, stood up, came to Me and said: "Good friends, forgive me that I as stranger have taken the freedom to speak to you. According to the words that You have spoken to Your friend I noticed that You certainly must be a doctor. So I would like to ask You for an advice, namely what I should do and use to get rid of my stomach pains that I have now for already several years."
2
I said: "If you think that I am a doctor, then accept also My advice. Do not eat too much and too fat pork meat as you have done until now, and do not drink the whole day such strong wine, then your stomach pains will surely stop. This is My advice as doctor. If you will follow that, it will be more beneficial to you than your aloe juice that empties you stomach indeed, but in order to fill it all the more afterwards. Man does not live to eat, but he eats only to live, and for this, no stuffed stomach and no daily intoxication of the nerves by drinking the most strong wine are necessary for that."
3
When the stranger heard that from Me, he was very surprised and said: "You have never seen me before. Then how can You know so precisely how I live?"
4
I said: "Really, I would be a bad doctor if I could not read from the forehead of a sick person how he lives and how he caught his sickness. Do what I have advised you and abstain from sensuality, then your stomach will be better."
5
The stranger thanked Me for this advice and laid down 3 golden coins for Me on the table.
6
However, I gave them back to him with the words: "Give those to the poor, for I do not need gold nor silver that men are desiring so eagerly."
7
The stranger took his gold back and said: "Only now I can see that You are a real doctor. If I will be better, the poor will receive a hundredfold from me."
8
Then he returned to his table, and on our table the foods were served.
9
The foods consisted of well-prepared fishes, 3 fried lambs and also 20 fried chicken as well as different kinds of noble fruit. So we began immediately to eat and everyone really enjoyed the delicious wheat bread and the wine, and soon it became very lively at our table.
10
When the strangers noticed that we enjoyed the food so much at our table, and because they also knew that it was always very expensive to eat in that inn, the stranger, to whom I before had given a good advice for his stomach, said more or less softly to his companions: "Yes, now it is quite clear to me why that doctor did not accept the 3 coins of gold from me. Guests like Him and his companions who can afford such expensive meal must certainly have more treasures than we have, and then 3 golden coins are of course too little for such doctor who is already more than rich. Well, such evening meal must cost in this inn at least 500 coins. Yes, yes, the one who has the skill to be a famous doctor is happier and richer than a king who, when he becomes sick, must seek help in return of paying great treasures. Because no matter how mighty and rich a king may be, when be becomes sick and weak he still cannot heal himself and save himself from death. Then for a lot of money and from far away he calls the best doctor that exists, and when the doctor has helped him, he still is rewarded with larger amounts of money. And this will certainly be the case with this doctor, having earned already large amounts of money with kings and princes, and that is why He also can live quite differently than we poor businessmen from Sidon and Tyre."
11
My disciples heard that remark from the strangers, and James the elder already wanted to interrupt him.
12
But I said to him, also more or less softly: "Just let them talk and make their opinions about us, for they certainly are not harming us in this way. When you will proclaim the gospel in My name to all nations over the whole world, you will not escape all kinds of opinions that men will make about you. If these opinions are blind and foolish, then let people talk. As long as their opinion does not contain any danger in itself. However, if it is of a malicious kind, then you can call those who are judging you for an account before a judge, or you can leave that place and shake off the dust from your feet, then I will be the Judge in secret about such place and its inhabitants. So we will let them talk about us and let them make their opinions as they want and as they can understand it, because no one can have an opinion about a matter or a circumstance differently from what he can understand, just as less as for an ox to sing a psalm of David or for a blind person to lead another blind person. Therefore, in the future you should be no more upset about such incidents."
13
They all agreed with Me and thanked Me for this advice.
14
However, Apollon said on this: "O Lord and Master, it is true that You are eternally right in everything, but it is really hard for us that You can say nothing special to us because of the presence of these strangers in order not to make Yourself known, and we also cannot ask You anything extraordinary."
15
I said: "O friend, do not be concerned about that. Before midnight, still a lot of extraordinary things will happen, because since this task of the day was properly finished, I feel happy, and you all should also feel that way. And let us now eat and drink, and let us not bother about anyone to disturb our happiness."
16
Then we ate and drank very cheerfully, as well as the strangers at the other tables.