The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the Galilean Sea
- Chapter 98 -
The peoples' cunning towards the Jewish clerics, their challenge to them to also heal the sick through God's grace. The parsons' evasiveness. The peoples' threatening response and excellent testimony to Jesus.
Because the ordinary people who had seen the signs, too fearful of the priests and scribes to convert to My teaching and follow Me, devised a clever trick, they soon brought several sick to the priests, saying, 'Hear us, you exalted priests and scribes, who according to your own testimony are initiated into all God's mysteries! The man Jesus of Nazareth is working wonders such as no man has done before him and his speech and teaching are like a torrent of fire which almightily consumes or carries away everything that would oppose it! Without medicine and only through the word, akin to a god, he heals every sickness and is supposed to even bring alive the dead through just the naked word!
2
After convincing ourselves of the truth of all this, a good thought struck us and being mindful of you we spoke among ourselves; Why are we wondering so mightily at this? Do we not have priests and scribes initiated into all God's mysteries, who are sure to be capable of just like this Jesus heal the sick through the mere word, if only they want to! We were already on our way to take our sick to the Nazarene; but we thought of our circumcision and the covenant and of not straying from same as long as it can in all truth give us all we have need of, physically and spiritually. But since this Jesus is working such immense signs we are imperilled unless we can confront him with equal signs-power!
3
Hence we brought several sick with us and would ask you, for your own as well as our good that you would, through your spiritual power, which according to your testimony you are given directly from God, to just through your word heal these sick, who are not actually counted among the most serious cases.
4
We shall criss-cross the whole town with these, healed by yourselves, and glorify God before each house and proclaim your fame with strong voice. Then the Nazarene shall not find much of a reception here and in the end be forced to so to speak make off shamed and ridiculed.'
5
The priests and scribes, only too conscious of their total impotence, to hide same speak with gravity, 'You fools! How are you asking of us what befits only God?! When did a priest or scribe ever work miracles?! This only God and the high priest in the Jerusalem Temple can do, when the latter enters the Holy of Holies! Hence take your sick to Jerusalem; there, commensurate with your appropriate offerings, they are bound to find healing, God willing of course! Should God not will it however, then you will just have to put up with taking your sick home again, sick!
6
We indeed have been initiated into the most diverse mysteries of God, but not into His might, which is holy and which He bestows upon no mortal.
7
But whoever like this Jesus still performs deeds, as we have heard, either through magic or with the help of Beelzebub, is a monster of hell, which is the most dastardly dwelling-place of God's adversary! And whoever is converted by his teaching and signs, is also then in relation to God and His servants that which such servant of the devil is himself! This is the fullest truth; woe betide you if you go over to Jesus, accepting his teaching and help!'
8
Say those who brought the sick to the priests and scribes, 'You are liars all when you talk like that! How can he be of the devil and a servant of Beelzebub who only does exceeding good to mankind, preaching only love and gentleness and patience to his disciples, fully practicing what he preaches?!
9
You yourselves are indeed of the devil when you give him testimony like that; he however is of God, in that he does the will of God as he teaches!
10
You have called us fools for sure, for having for your own good asked of you something which after all you had a thousand times claimed to be capable of doing through prayer and the word of God; but now, when as never before it comes to demonstrating your old doctrine, you call us fools for taking you at you word! - Oh you wicked servants of Beelzebub! We shall kindle you a light, from whose glitter you shall all die!'