The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the Galilean Sea
- Chapter 100 -
The Lord's instructions to Matthew. The distinction between Matthew's and John's Gospel: Matthew's is a factual report whilst John's highlights correspondences. The meal at Peter's hut. The miraculous catch. Peter's humble witness to the Lord's Deity. Allusion to the traitor.
Here Matthew comes to Me and asks Me whether he should record also this sign and many an instruction and speeches I had given during the few days at the house of the chief of a synagogue.
2
Say I, 'The sign with the centurion outside Capernaum and what I said there, and this present sign at the house of Peter, too, but omit the words spoken which do not belong to the open teaching. However, the discussions at the house of the synagogue chief and the fact that I stayed with him for two days, do not mention at all.
3
We shall soon be once more at the house of this man at the time when his favourite daughter will die whom I will then awaken and restore to him. Then you may write about him and the sign in such a way that you give no details regarding him or the place, otherwise we would prejudice him in a worldly sense as the priesthood is already watching him, and this we will and shall not do.
4
Until the next feast in Jerusalem I shall work many more signs and teach a good deal in this region of he sea, which I like best, and you will have to record all the precepts in full.'
5
Matthew now prepares for writing, but John is quite sad and says, 'But Lord, You my supreme love. Shall I not get any more to write?'
6
Say I, 'Do not be sad, My beloved brother. You will still get many things to write down. But I have destined you for the most important and most profound things.'
7
Says John, 'But the sign You worked at Cana on the son of the royal officer does not seem to be greater and more important than what You did for the centurion outside Capernaum?'
8
Say I, 'If you think this, you are quite wrong, for the son of the royal officer represents the entire, extremely depraved world and how it is now given help from a distance through My teaching and My spiritual influence. The servant of the centurion, however, represents for the present just the palsied servant whom I healed and only then also some community or society in My name which because of all kinds of political considerations completely lacks activity according to My teaching in one or the other point and thereby gradually becomes inactive also in the other points. That is then also a palsy of the souls which can be helped only by a firm belief in My word.
9
Behold, My dear brother John, that constitutes a considerable difference between the two signs. The first one represents the entire world's condition of spiritual sickness, and I tell you, in an even more profound sense also of all infinity. The second sign, however, represents only that which I have just explained to you. Thus you now know what you have to describe and what Matthew.'
10
But now the girl with Peter's other servants have prepared lunch and we therefore shall tuck into same and then in the afternoon help Peter to catch some good fish. But towards evening we shall have plenty to do.'
11
We now partook of an ample meal, sufficiently plenteous for the large company and then betook ourselves to sea, named also the sea of Galilee, catching in a few hours an enormous lot of the most choice fish, to the extent that these could hardly be accommodated in the fish tanks.
12
This scared Peter, making him exclaim in a kind of pious daze, 'I beg You to depart from me O Lord; for I perceive myself too much a sinful man! You had already once scared me when, still unknown to me, You turned up from nowhere to find me fishing with my helpers! Already then I had recognised Your Deity; but now I am getting even more scared, seeing only too clearly What and Who basically You are! Then, as now, there was fishing all night without gain, so to speak; but upon Your Word and presence the nets were overstraining with the vast catch! This now truly scares me, for You are ...'
13
Say I, 'Be still and do not give Me away, because you know that 'one' among us! This one is and remains a betrayer!'
14
Now Peter is quiet, getting on with stocking the fish. And it being evening, we betake ourselves home, where through Peter's healed daughter-in-law, an abundant dinner awaits us. All now are happy and in good spirits; and Peter starts up a song of praise, with the others responding in accord.