THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the region of Caesarea Philippi. (cont.) Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16
- Chapter 156 -
The Pharisee's doubt concerning the existence of God.
Cyrenius now says again, "Very well, I have now been quite satisfied with you for the moment, and we have thus to remain with that; but there is now another question, and this consists in this: Since these works here are now unmistakably quite certainly the very purest miracles and Moses and the many other seers and prophets have written about this man exactly in advance and have described him in such a very detailed way that it is not possible to accept that they could ever have had another opinion, it seems to me that their respective earlier actions might still be of a miraculous nature! That some natural things were used also, cannot be denied; but on the whole most of it was certainly a greatest miracle, likewise like this miracle here, only through the all-powerful will of God through the people revealed Himself, was performed. That is my opinion "what is yours then?"
2
The Pharisee says, "Well yes, if things are of that kind, then as far as I know there is not much that can be said against this high opinion of yours; only one thing is hard to understand: why would then God "if there is one "always allow humanity to deteriorate to such an extent over a period of time before once more awakening a seer or a prophet who has to restore some sight to benighted mankind before himself falling victim to the uncontrolled passions of degenerate men. God grants the prophet indeed unmistakable miraculous powers, which I no longer can doubt; but in the end the prophet usually nonetheless suffers the raw physical strength of people. Almost all prophets known to me were put to a violent earthly death in the end. Why did the all-powerful spirit of God not protect them?
3
But I do not want to make an accusation against the Godhead and say: It was not clever to let a person filled by the spirit of God pass away earthly through the raw, most material power of man! But his awakening was a much compromised one thereby in the face of the ever selfish humanity. For it is obviously highly strange to see how a person, who previously was capable of moving whole mountains through his pure will, is in a short time bound by man, thrown into a prison and a few days or weeks later killed often in the very most terrible way. This discourages the followers and admirers of the prophets so that very often they return to their former ignorance, which at least guarantees them security during their earthly life.
4
How long ago was it then that a certain John performed all sorts of truly great signs in the desert on the Jordan as proof of his divine spirit?! Herod had him captured and soon after beheaded most gleefully and most disdainfully in prison quite secretly. He truly already had a lot of disciples, and many thousands were baptized by him in the Jordan as a sign of their acceptance of his truly quite pure teaching; for he had turned almost all Galilee and Judea into his foray on the Jordan. But then when his many supporters learned what had happened to their master, they became full of fear and worry and easily let on that they had accepted the baptism through water by John; for they were afraid of having to suddenly share the sad fate of their master. This one thing I find seriously somewhat inconsistent with my reason, which until now has never been nailed up, and there seems to be little cleverness and a much too little good will for the well-being of the people according to our understanding.
5
This is quite thinkable under the invisible rule of some blind fate of the pagans, but hardly under the reign of an all-wise, benevolent, just and omnipotent God. That was also mainly the reason why I turned away entirely from the belief in a God. A true prophet should have a never-conquerable ability to defend himself until his end, against which all powers and strengths of the Earth should never be able to do anything "then the true, divine element would be recognized for all time and also kept; but most seers and prophets take an earthly terrible end and thus make suspicious everything divine that they have previously sown. Moses was never allowed to set foot in the Promised Land, and the Archangel Michael had to fight Satan for three full days and in the end leave without victory. Yes, why then? Why must then the evil principle on this Earth almost always carry off the victory over the good principle?
6
We say "and with justice - :All humanity, or the moral world, is in disorder and is evil. But if we just look for the reason we will find it more or less in what I have just presented! We people can do whatever we want, but we will neither improve ourselves nor the others; for the powers of the world constantly hold us in check and everywhere it is said: Only up to this point "but then not an inch further! We may neither investigate nor ponder. The iron law will force all heads under the same hat. Whoever dares to move is lost to the world; but has he been won for another world? Well, we have much less convincing certainty of that than of what will happen to mankind in a hundred years after us!
7
Only true seers and prophets alone could get rid of this evil. The people would thereby always have the invincible power and strength of God before their very eyes to keep the true faith and thereby be normal, good people. But indeed here and there from time to time, when the people have already sunk below the animal kingdom, a prophet is awakened who preaches wise lessons for a time and presents a fully valid proof of the divinity of his mission to the people through all sorts of amazing miraculous powers; but how long does that last?
8
As the people who long for God and truth flock towards him in great numbers, the old oracle and completely materially-egoistic caste of priests become grimly jealous because they fear betrayal of their false ways and a violent belittlement of their reputation and their great income, and begin to persecute the prophet. For a certain time they cannot do anything against him, because he forces them back to the dust with his divine power.
9
But some years later, when he has already opened the eyes of many thousands, the divine power withdraws from him and he becomes the prey of the commonest human revenge! Then his converts stand there full of fear, and do not know one end of the stick from the other. Worry, fear, terror and doubt seize the disciples if they are not very many in number, but if they already form a positive army, then there is usually a very cruelest war of religion and opinion, which has no end until one party has completely destroyed the other.
10
But now I ask and say: If one as an experienced and reasonably thinking person observes such goings-on soberly, can one thereby reach a living faith in a God? Or must one not rather think: 'Look, sheer works of man!'?! God, however, is eternally far and not near according to the words of the Scriptures! Am I right or not?"
11
Cyrenius says, "In the way that you tend to think, you might have a point "but only simply in the this-worldly human and social respect. But we are now in the very wisest plans of God with the humanity of this Earth already a little more deeply familiar and know the great divine Why! I can say nothing to you other than that your opinion is a very basically false one. But I hope that you will yet think differently. But now go with your companions, and come back when you are called! First look at the miracles, think about them, and it will become clear to you how foolish and bold your persecution of the great Master of Nazareth was!"
12
The Pharisees bowed deeply and moved back towards Mark's new house in order to look at it. At a sign from Me Mark accompanies them into the new miracle-house himself, into the garden and then down to the sea, in order to show and explain everything to them.