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 208 -
The preparations for the morning meal.
When the neighbors had heard that from Hiram, they immediately collected themselves and came over to us with Aziona and Hiram.
2
When they found us still sleeping in front of Aziona's hut, however, one of them said, "Ah, they are still asleep; that means we can pop home again and tell our family members what they have to do for the whole day!"
3
Aziona says, "Oh, forget that! The people will know already what they have to do; for my strangers will sort it out as they sorted it out yesterday evening as well, so that fire came to the hearths everywhere to boil the fish and salt in every house in abundance."
4
"What?" says one neighbor, "The strangers did that?! Ah, they must indeed be very extraordinary magicians! They have certainly got to know about us in our affliction somewhere on our journeys, inquired about us among the Romans somewhere in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi and came to visit us and perhaps to help us out a little!"
5
Aziona says, "Indeed they know all about our doings and existence; but they have never seen us personally anyhow on our journeys or visited us anywhere, and they are everything other than magicians, which I also considered them to be in the beginning. But what they and particularly their Master are, you will learn sufficiently in the course of this day. In short, the Master in particular is something that has never been seen before, since men have been thinking on this Earth and since they have written down their deeds on the brazen tablets of great world events! For now that is enough; just think about it! But I want to have a look in the kitchen to see how things are going with the morning meal."
6
Aziona goes into the hut and finds his people hurrying around very busily with the fetching and preparation, and on the hearth it is burning very actively, and all the grills, spits and pots and pans are stuffed full with fish, from which the bones had been removed in the oriental way. There is also no lack of tasty-smelling herbs, with which the fish are made tastier. Aziona also looks into the larder, to see how the required bread is doing. He finds everything full, and several large jugs and other valuable containers, booty from the ship, are full of the best wine.
7
And Aziona calls out loud very delighted, "To You alone all praise and all honor, oh Lord; for all that is Your unique goodness and power!"
8
But his wife heard this, and she asked him what sort of lord he meant; for until now she had thought that they were quite free people without a master.
9
Aziona, however, said, "You are a wife, therefore foolish, and you understand nothing, except how to prepare fish very well! Who provided us with all this then? Behold, He who did this is also our Lord and our greatest benefactor! And now do not ask any further, but instead do your business well!"
10
Then his wife was immediately as silent as a mouse; for she knew that there was not much to be said or done with her husband in such situations. But nonetheless the word 'Lord' would no longer leave her heart, and she thought about it very much to herself.