The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in two additional towns
- Chapter 149 -
The 2 strangers from Nineveh.
When I had said that to the innkeeper, who was more and more surprised, he still wanted to say something, but at that moment 2 strangers came at the door of the inn. They knocked and wanted to be allowed to come in.
2
The innkeeper asked Me immediately what he had to do.
3
I said: "Ask your heart for the basic principles of true neighborly love, then it will tell you immediately what you should do."
4
The innkeeper thought at once of what I told him in My long speech and what his old fault was. He instantly stood up from the table and let the 2 strangers come into the inn.
5
When both came to us in the room, the innkeeper asked them from where they came and what they wanted.
6
One of the 2, who could speak some bad Hebrew, said: "O friend, we come from very far. Maybe you know where formerly the very big and mighty Nineveh stood. And we live 2 long day trips behind that known city in a more than miserable condition.
7
We owed our tyrant of a king a few silver coins at very brutally imposed taxes, and we could nowhere gather that amount within the given time limit of only 7 days. We asked for mercy and patience, but all in vain. They answered us that if one person would be given that mercy, then at the time that the taxes must be paid, soon all the people would come before the throne of the king to beg for mercy. Therefore no mercy. And they directly grabbed everything we possessed and they also did not spare our women and children and put them in captivity. After a lot of begging they finally gave us a time limit of 3 months to go and beg in order to gather the demanded silver coins and bring them to the cashbox of the king. If we could not do that, our women and children would be sold to Indian slave traders and we would be forbidden to enter the country.
8
Look, happy citizen of the wise rulers of Rome, this is how it goes under the rule of our tyrant, who besides himself and his royal household considers no one as a human being. And we have undertaken this far trip to ask you, who are certainly better fellowmen, for our silver coins, so that we can return to our country again without problems and free our women and children from the hard captivity. With this you know, happy innkeeper, now completely from where we came and what we wish and what we are looking for."
9
The innkeeper said: "If you have no further request you can soon be helped out of your need. But now there is still one question, namely if you are hungry and thirsty?"
10
The one person said: "Both at the same time, for we came today from the region of the Euphrates and did not obtain any food or drink on our way. Around noon we emptied our water flasks that we filled very early in the morning with water from the Euphrates, and since then we were no more able to spot water anywhere."
11
The innkeeper felt very sorry for the 2 strangers, stood quickly up, brought them salt, bread and wine and told the strangers that they could sit at a table at once and strengthen them with bread and wine.
12
Looking gratefully to the sky, the 2 reached immediately for the bread and also for the wine, and they quenched their thirst and strengthened themselves.
13
And the innkeeper asked Me which religion they were actually confessing.
14
I said to him: "Friend, at this moment it is still not the time for these 2 men that I should talk to them. So you only talk to them. I will come into the conversation later."