The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
First day in Sychar
- Chapter 39 -
At Sychar. The morning meal at Irhael's. Table talk. The milk and honey of the promised land are the best on earth. The wise man's speech in praise of the Creator. The Lord's speech about perfection being man's destiny. 'My yoke is easy and My burden light'. Life hints. 'He who heeds My advice shall do well!' The real house of God: nature and the human soul. Sermon on the Mount.
In these parts (Austria, - the trans.) such breakfast would not of course be thought of too much; but in the promised land, which proverbially overflows with milk and honey, this was a breakfast most exquisite, since especially the honey in the promised land was and still is much the best, whilst the milk too is unsurpassed anywhere on earth.
2
Superb fruit was served after the meal, and many delighted in it and praised God Who endues fruit with such precious flavour and gives bees the ability to suck such supremely sweet honey from the flowers of the field, carrying it to their artfully constructed beehives!
3
One in the Samaritan group who was a sage spoke: 'God's wisdom, omnipotence and goodness can never be praised highly enough! The rain falls on the earth, a million species and varieties of plants, trees and shrubs absorb the self-same rain and stand in the same soil, yet every kind has a different flavour, smell and form! Each form is beautiful and pleasant to behold and nothing grows without use, and not even the most meager moss upon the rocks grows without a purpose!
4
Then add all the animals of the earth, the water and the air! What multiplicity and diversity, from the mosquito to the elephant; from the mite to the most enormous leviathan which could carry mountains on its back and play with the cedars of Lebanon! Oh Lord, what might, what power and endless profundity of wisdom there must be in God, Who guides and conducts there the sun, moon and countless stars, holds the sea in its depths, built the mountains upon the earth and brought the earth itself into being through the almighty Word!
5
I said, 'Yes, indeed, you are right; so it is. God is supremely good, supremely wise, supremely just and does not need anyone's advice and instruction when He wishes to do something. But I tell you: Also man on this earth is called to become as perfect as is the Father in heaven.
6
This was impossible until now, since death was ruling on this earth. But from now on it shall be possible to everyone who will in all earnest strive to live according to My teaching.
7
And I think that if God offers this to man in return for a small effort, namely , for the easy complying with My teaching, man should spare no pains to reach this supreme goal.
8
Says the high priest, 'Yes Lord, man should indeed venture everything to attain to this ultimate! Whoever wants to enjoy the view from a high mountain must not shy the effort and trouble of climbing. Whoever wants to reap must plough and sow first, and whoever thinks of gain must take the risk; but whoever ventures nothing out of fear that nothing may be gained cannot possibly ever gain! Hence Lord, once You have shown us the Ways, it shall not be hard for us to attain to what you have just proclaimed to us, namely - to be as perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect!'
9
I said: 'Verily so, and I will add: My yoke is easy and My burden light. But mankind until now has had to carry heavy burdens, yet achieved nothing therewith; it remains to be seen how their faith will shape up to exchanging the habitually ponderous old for the unfamiliar new. Shall they not finally say: If we achieve nothing through strenuous ways and work, what shall we achieve with child's play?
10
I say unto you: 'You shall have to cast off the old man like an old coat and then put on a completely new one! This shall of course be uncomfortable at first, but whoever shall not be driven back to the old, habitual by trivia, but bear up to the small discomfort, shall attain to the perfection of which I spoke.
11
But let you all get ready now, for I shall shortly start on the small trip to the mountain. Let him who will move up with Me get to his legs; and you, Matthew, go and fetch your writing utensils! But do not tarry as you can see that I am about to go!'
12
Says Matthew: 'Lord, You know how ready I am to follow You! But if I go over to my house or rather to where I am employed and paid by the Romans as a tax collector and scribe, and get tied up near the main barrier before the town, I shall probably find a lot of work as usual, and the Roman guards shall not let me go until I have done the work. Hence I would prefer it if I could obtain sufficient writing material here for today, and then go and collect mine in the evening, which would then last me for a full two days; because I cannot obtain more than three days supplies from the Romans, which I also nearly use up.'
13
I said: 'Friend, just always do what I tell you, and you shall always be all right! Just go as I told you and you shall not today find any work nor anyone waiting at the barrier! But bring also your other scribes with you, so that My Word shall be recorded here severalfold!' - Says Matthew: 'Well, in that case I may indeed be gone!'
14
At that Matthew the tax-collector goes and finds everything exactly as I foretold him. He soon returns with three other scribes and we are on our way to Mount Gerizim, together with everyone else in the house. And as we arrive at the mountain after one hour, the high priest asks Me if he should go up and open the old house of God.
15
But I point to the area and the many people who followed us, and say to him, 'Behold friend, this is the oldest and most appropriate house of God; but it is much neglected and I want to restore it, as I did with Irhael's house! But for this, the old house is not needed, and this area at the foot of the mountain shall suffice. There are, besides, a few benches and tables here which will be handy for the scribes. Open your ears, eyes and hearts therefore and be ready; because now shall come to pass before your eyes what the prophet Isaiah prophesied!'
16
Says Matthew: 'Lord, we are ready to hear you!'
17
Now the well-known sermon on the mount begins which can be read in Matthew chapt 5, 6 and 7. This sermon lasted about three hours, for this time I spoke slowly for the sake of the recording scribes.