The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Der Herr in der Stadt am Nebo
- Chapter 166 -
The release and the conversion of the Pharisees who are watched by the lions before the city gate.
After these words, the supreme judicial city officer was really curious to know about the watch outside the city gate, and he asked Me if I would like to escort him outside, because he was very afraid of the lions.
2
But I said to him: "Go unworried with Dismas to the city gate and none of those animals will do you any harm."
3
On this, the supreme judicial city officer and Dismas had full confidence and went with him courageously to the city gate.
4
There, those who were watched by the 14 lions, asked him to release them from this terrible burden.
5
The supreme judicial city officer said: "Turn to the Lord whom you terribly slandered, for it is only up to Him to release you from this burden."
6
The Jews and the few Pharisees shouted: "Then ask Him to have mercy on us, and we will believe in Him."
7
They both came immediately back and told this to Me.
8
I said: "Well then, do you also never repay evil with evil. Then those before the city gate will be released from their burden."
9
At that moment the furious watchers retreated, and those who were watched came in full faith to us and were quickly strengthened with the water from the cistern.
10
When the Jews and the few Pharisees at another table not far from us had strengthened themselves with the water from the cistern, the formerly most furious Pharisee, who with Dismas wanted to hinder Me to enter the city, stood up and said: "Lord and Master, now I also believe that You are really the One whom all Jews and also the gentiles have waited for in vain.
11
If You would have appeared in this manner, like most of the prophets have announced You, starting with Moses, we never would have had any difficulty to meet You in full faith. But You came into this world in such a manner that one could not suspect in the least that You are the promised Messiah of the Jews, and through them also of all men on Earth.
12
As almost everyone in Jerusalem knew Your ancestry, because Your father and mother, and also Your brothers, were very well known, for how often did it happen that Your father, as a generally known skilled carpenter and furniture maker, had work to do with us in Jerusalem and that You often worked with him and Your brothers as a carpenter. You suddenly appeared as the same carpenter amongst several disciples as Teacher of the people, taught in Jerusalem and gave a sharp testimony. Therefore, You will understand that our hatred against You had to greatly increase when at every time You appeared in Jerusalem You put us on the spot before the people and witnessed against us that we were no servants of God whom we did not know, but only devouring wolves in sheep's clothing and would therefore be servants of Beelzebub. That we thus would not allow the people to come to the light and thus also not to let them enter into Heaven, and that also we did not want to enter. And so there were a great number of such belittling testimonies which we heard with out own ears or that were truthfully reported to us by others.
13
Therefore, every well thinking person will understand that we never could treat You friendly and that our hatred against You had to continuously increase because Your scornful words about us also increased.
14
You moreover performed extraordinary miracles and You therefore, without difficulty, made the people to turn away from us, and our income diminished in general with 2.000 pounds of gold in 2 1/2 years. And You also made the people to believe that You are the Son of the one living God by which You, to our great vexation, seriously gave the biggest blow to the old law of Moses, for it is stated: 'I alone am Your God and your Lord, in whom you shall believe, on whom you shall build and in whom you shall trust. Beside Me there is no God. Therefore, you shall have no other gods beside Me.'
15
But You said that You are God's Son and that the only true God in Heaven is Your Father whom only You have seen and know, but no human being, and we, servants of the temple, least of all.
16
In addition, David spoke quite differently about the coming of the Messiah than the way Your coming took place, since he said: 'Make the doors wider and the gates higher, so that the King of Honor can come in. Who is the King? It is Jehovah Zebaoth.'
17
Now You will realize and understand with natural sound reason that You, being a carpenter in Galilee, despite all Your wisdom concerning the Scripture could not be considered a King, not even a prophet, for it is explicitly written that a prophet can never arise from Galilee.
18
Lord, forgive me that I have now very frankly and openheartedly explained the reason why You are so hated by many, by far most of the Pharisees, high priests, Levites and also other Jews who adhere to the temple, and why also You Yourself made not only a bad impression by Your very extraordinary miracles, but by that You put them more and more against You. I previously also belonged to them, and just like my colleagues, I was of the opinion that You learned Your miracle doings from the Essenes whom we hate above all, that You wanted to bring us to ruin with their help and wanted to allow an extensive working sphere for the Essenes, and this because the Romans, who are our lords and permanent enemies, are fond of this sect and give them all kinds of possible privileges and advantages, for they very well and effectively can use these Essenes for their imperious purposes.
19
For we know how the Essenes perform their miracles, and we secretly learned a few things from them ourselves. And that is why we never were sweet and friendly regarding Your miracle works, for we also saw similar things from them. Because in our so-called blind anger we never wanted to take the time to critically compare Your deeds and those of the Essenes, and I honestly confess that in this old gentile city for the first time a real light has come up in me about You.
20
The 2 signs which You have done here, put only now the signs which You performed earlier in their true light, by which all the other signs are completely non-important and are set in the background, and before our eyes they make You in full earnest the One who would come to us as David announced. For firstly, in this whole region there are no lions, because these animals are mostly only living in Africa and such beasts only very rarely stray away to Arabia and will soon return when they cannot find any food in the vast deserts. But at a sign from You, immediately 14 of such beasts stood before us. This would already be very difficult if those animals would live in multitudes in the country. You, the Lord over all creatures, must really have created them. It cannot be otherwise.
21
And when You can do that, then You secondly must also be easily able to change the water from the cistern of this innkeeper into excellent emperor wine from Cyprus, of which I only once received a little full cup to taste at a table dinner of our king Herod.
22
Whether You know my name or not, that does not matter to me, but You certainly must also know it. But I give You here the assurance that I and all these companions of mine will never more vote against You at a meeting of the High Council. We hardly will be able to shut the mouth of the many others because we feel much too powerless for that, but, as said, we always will believe in You in our heart, no matter what will happen. And, as said, out of our mouth will never again sound a vote against You."