The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the house of Matthew, the tax collector
- Chapter 123 -
John the Baptist's testimony to the Lord. Parable of the bridegroom and bride. 'He who has the Son has life eternal.' A blind critic of Jesus.
After this conversation, John's disciples carry on eating and we do too. Only some of the Pharisees properly fasted and were not prepared to eat until sunset; for unleavened bread they could obtain none among the Greeks here, whereupon they fasted, even whilst the majority of their colleagues and the Scribes were heartily tucking into the food.
2
When the wine after a while had made John's disciples more talkative, one of them rose, wanting to know from Myself why they, as John's disciples, had to fast so much and so strictly, yet I and My disciples not, asking Me, 'Lord and Master! Why do we fast so much and the Pharisees also, whereas Your disciples are not fasting?'
3
And I say to him, 'Friend, you were with John when the news was brought to him that I was baptising and that many were following Me! Say it aloud in front of everyone - what was John's reply?' - Says the disciple of John, 'Here John said and replied, "A man can take nothing unless it were given him from heaven; you are my witnesses to my having said that I am not Christ, but only sent before Him: He Who has the bride is the bridegroom; the bridegroom's friend however is with him and listens to him and rejoices with the bridegroom's voice. This my joy now fulfils itself. He must wax but I wane. He Who is from above is over all, but he who is of this earth is only so and speaks only of this earth. Only He Who comes from Heaven is above all!"
4
Here John paused, relating all that he had beheld and how he had witnessed of Him, but regretted, with a deep sigh, that his testimony, being totally true, was not accepted by anyone. But he who nevertheless accepts it, let him tightly seal the immense actuality of God, for fear of the world.
5
Although he knows it that He Who was sent of God Himself speaks only the pure Word of God, he nevertheless does not dare to confess it before the world, fearing the enemy of God more than God Himself, on account of his miserable body, which also is of the world, thus paying tribute to the world. Of what good is it however to know God's true measure, yet stick to the measure of the world? God however never gives man the spirit by the world's measure; let those be condemned therefore who have recognised God's spirit, yet stick to the measure of the world, having no life eternal within them!
6
Only, continued John, he who believes on the Son has life eternal within him; because the son Himself is the life of the Father! He who does not believe on the Son therefore has not eternal life and the old wrath of God remains upon him.
7
Behold, this is what John said at the time; yet right up to this hour none of us has been able to fully grasp its meaning. That much we gathered indeed - that he meant you; but how all this relates - how should we have been able to grasp and fully understand it?'
8
Say I, 'Now then, since you heard this about Me from John, you must know that I am the bridegroom Who John meant! But if I am the self-same Bridegroom, then surely these will be My wedding-guests?'
9
Says John's disciple, 'Where then is the beautiful heavenly bride? How are you a bridegroom without a bride?'
10
Say I, 'These My wedding-guests are also My bride at the same time. Because those who hear My Word, preserving it in their heart and acting accordingly truly are My bride, as they are also My wedding-guests! How could and should the wedding-guests suffer among themselves even whilst the Bridegroom is with them? But comes the time when the Bridegroom is taken from them, then they shall also be fasting. (Matt. 9:15)
11
John's disciples greatly marvel at this and are somewhat annoyed, thinking they detected a sneer, since I said these Words with a slight smile. And so that same disciple of John then tried to also make a somewhat snide remark, saying, 'This seems strange! It was God's Spirit that spoke through John and it should speak that much more through you, since John's testimony applied to you. Yet it is odd that the self-same Spirit of God, speaking through Moses and the prophets right through to John, always proclaimed a life of strict repentance to poor mankind on earth, demanding the strictest compliance; you however seem to be and teach the actual opposite of all this. Whoever according to Moses so much as entered the house of a sinner, was unclean and had to cleanse himself; he who touched a maiden on a Sabbath, or any woman having her period on some other day, had to have himself cleansed and much more of the like and of even greater strictness. You and all your disciples however seem not to regard the Sabbath or personal cleanliness at all. How then is your teaching of God, the way it was through the mouth of the prophets?'