The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second day in Sychar
- Chapter 67 -
At Sychar. Memorable discussions about the Messiah, Satan and the divine order. The Lord as proclaimer of the new law of love. Jehovah's presence in the gentle breeze.
Says Jonael, 'Such bluffing may carry some weight with men, but against the might of God such dodging avails nothing. Only pure and true love achieves anything with God; everything else is but chaff in a hurricane! Hence be not troubled, as God is with us! Who should then prevail against us?!'
2
Says the healed, 'Indeed, indeed, right you are! But God was undoubtedly also with Adam, yet Satan knew how to grab him with artful cunning! And Michael, after a three-day battle still had to cede Moses' body to him! God is without doubt almighty indeed; but Satan is filled with the worst cunning and this has already inflicted much harm to the people of God. Hence caution is necessary near a tiger, as long as it lives; only after it is dead can one breathe freely without precautions!
3
You have to keep in mind that in former times the Lord allowed Satan to act in this or that way, for the first-created spirit (Lucifer) had to be allowed a long time for his freedom-test, because he was not only the first, but also the greatest of the created spirits.
4
However, this time has come to an end and the prince of darkness will now be considerably restrained and no longer be able to move as freely as before.
5
Therefore, if the right love for God is dwelling within us, we shall find it easier to walk one earth than was the case formerly under the hard yoke of the law.
6
From Adam until our time the law of wisdom was reigning and such wisdom and a strong and unconditional will was required to fulfill such a law within oneself.
7
But God saw that men would never fulfill the law of wisdom and so came into the world himself in order to give them a new law of love which they will easily be able to fulfill. For in the law of wisdom Jehovah let only His light radiate among men. The light was not He Himself, it only flowed from Him to men just as men have gone forth from Him, but nevertheless are not Jehovah Himself. However Jehovah Himself does come to men through and within love, takes spiritual residence in man in the fullness of truth and thereby makes created man similar to Himself in everything. Then Satan is no longer able to harm, by his cunning, a man thus armed, for Jehovah's spirit within man sees always through Satan's ever so concealed tricks and has at all times plenty of power to disperse Satan's total helplessness.
8
The Prophet Elias described the present situation of mankind, when Jehovah comes to men directly in love, as a gentle rustling passing the cave, but Jehovah was not in the great storm and in the fire.
9
Thus the gently rustling is people's love for God and their brothers wherein Jehovah Himself is dwelling, whereas He does not dwell in the storm of wisdom and the flaming sword of the law.
10
And since Jehovah Himself now is with us, for us and among us, we don't need to fear Satan's tricks nearly as much as was the case only too sadly in antiquity and in the past; and you can look the bloodthirsty Roman tiger in the eye quite more bravely and untroubled! Did you not notice how an entire legion just now took to their heels most ignominiously before the two youths?! Yet such youths are accompanying us in great numbers, and should we fear Romans approaching us with white flags?! - Not even in a dream, I say, never mind in actuality!'
11
The healed looks bluffed, after a while saying, 'What did you say? Jehovah now among us? I thought this man Who helped me was only the awaited Messiah!? How can Jehovah and the Messiah be One to you?
12
I have no trouble understanding that Jehovah's power shall show in greater fullness through the Messiah than all the prophets combined; but I would not have dared to even think, let alone voice it that the Messiah and Jehovah would be One! Besides that it is written that one should not imagine Jehovah under any likeness, and now this human, who of a truth possesses all the attributes of a Messiah, should be Je-ho-vah Himself? Well, this is all right with me, as long as it is all right with you as the chief priest!
13
That the Messiah could be some special God I thought straight after my healing, because according to scripture, we all are gods more or less, depending on how Jehovah's law is kept. But that He should be Jehovah Himself!? - Well, if that be so then it behoves us to act differently! He Himself has healed me - this means coming up with quite different thanks!'
14
Here he wants to come over to Me at once. But Jonael holds him back, advising him to do so when we get to Sychar, and the healed is happy with that.