The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second day in Sychar
- Chapter 84 -
Matthew's reproach of the Lord. About God's nature and the creative process. The sun's beauty, distance and size. An eclipse. 'A little fear does not harm sensual man.'
We continue our journey however, reaching the borders of the Samaritan's land by sunrise, entering the land of Galilee and finding a timely rest on a grassy, luscious hill.
2
The glorious view could not be praised highly enough by all, and the scribe Matthew says, 'Lord, if all men were suffused with your teaching in all things then such country should be sufficiently beautiful to be a heaven to men! But when I think of how mankind at large is more evil than the most bloodthirsty predators, then I would almost reproach God the Lord for creating this earth so gloriously for such evil rabble!'
3
Say I, 'In that case your reproach is directed at Me, because the Father and I are One! Because the eternal Son's wisdom, which actually is the Father's, brought forth the great plan of Creation, whilst the Father's love added the 'let there be', and thus the earth, sun, moon, and the stars came into being!
4
The people dwelling upon this earth however also were created by Me, and shall and now will be remoulded!
5
If however things stand thus, how will you reproach Me? And besides, this earth is not quite as beautiful as it seems to you; all these areas you view from here appear so pleasant only from a certain distance. Go over and you shall find little or nothing beautiful or charming to these areas, other than perhaps an occasional tree or garden, containing maybe a rich man's palace! Will you also call these things beautiful?
6
Look towards the sun - there are quite different districts there! There a desert is more glorious than a paradise here! Because if it is exclusively the sun's light that makes the earth-region appear beautiful and friendly, since without sunlight the earth would be a valley of wretchedness and fear, how much more glorious must be the regions of the great sun itself, from which this earth borrows its pale shimmer!'
7
Says Matthew, 'Lord, what are you saying? The sun also a whole big world, with unspeakably more beautiful deserts than here a paradise?! Behold the great earth compared to the tiny sparking disc of the sun! How many times over surely would it fit into the spot we can see, which surely is one of the smallest on the earth, and hence how many times over unto the entire earth?!'
8
Say I, 'Hearken, the thing is, not comprehending even the earthly things I tell you about, how shall you understand Me if I begin to speak of heavenly things?! Behold and comprehend!
9
Look, in the south there, a cedar at the furthest edge of the mountain-chain! Compare its seeming height with a blade of grass here a span in height, and you will see that if held to your face it shall rise many times the height of yonder distant cedar, which latter is actually the higher by a hundred times a hundredfold! And this is effected by the distance! If you are fast of leg you would reach yonder cedar in ten hours. How great an effect upon the eye therefore just ten hours of distance!?
10
But now think of the distance between sun and earth! Behold, if a bird had left the earth in its fastest flight at the creation of Adam, it would still have years to reach the sun! If you can grasp this then you will realise why the sun, thousand times thousandfold bigger than the earth, can appear so small from here!'
11
Matthew, quite beside himself about such distance and size, says, 'O Lord, if so then how are you able to guide and maintain such a world from the earth?!'
12
Say I, 'Yes, what may appear to you ever so impossible is, between you and I, exceedingly easy for Me! This you cannot of course grasp yet, but there shall come a time when you will comprehend all this.
13
But so that you may see that through the might of the Father in Me I can instantly reach up to the sun, watch! I shall now cover up the sun for two moments, so that no eye upon the earth shall see it, from which it shall be clear to you that I can reach the sun even from this earth!'
14
Says Matthew, 'O Lord, do not do so, or men shall perish for grief!' - Say I, 'Be not troubled! Men will think it an ordinary eclipse, which at times occurs in the ordinary course of things - and in a few moments they have their sun back. Watch now! - Matthew says with some trepidation, 'Lord, should not all those present here be made aware of it?' Say I, 'Let them sleep and rest; it is enough that you should experience it; because a scribe has to know more than those not yet called for such! - And behold, I now say, Sun, hide your face from the entire earth for seven moments! - At that moment it gets pitch-dark; only some of the brighter stars feebly appear!
15
Matthew trembles for fear and says, 'Lord, you almighty! Who may abide beside you if your divine arm can reach such endless distance in a moment?! - Matthew hardly finishing those few words, the sun already is shining in its full brilliance again, and My Matthew breathes more freely again, - but cannot utter a word for amazement. Only after a good while he gathers up courage to say, 'No, Lord, this I cannot take in. Your might must be limitless. But in future please spare us such terrible proof of Your might, O Lord, because the whole earth could shortly die and perish therewith!'
16
Say I, 'Be not troubled! Has anyone died so far?! But a little fear does no harm to sensual man. But now awaken those asleep! Because we shall shortly move on. But tell no man anything about this sight and sign! - Thereupon Matthew awakens those asleep and we get ready to continue our journey, which from here on is of a fairly deep descent and hence faster than the former ascent.