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 167 -
The prediction of the Lord to Barnabas.
After this rather long apology of the Pharisee, whose name was Barnabas, I said: "I accept your apologies and your present confession as valid, and I forgive all your sins. And when I forgive someone's sins, they are truly forgiven, in Heaven and on Earth.
2
You once will become a good worker in My vineyard, and in My name you still will have much to endure. And when this, what I am telling you now beforehand, will come over you, you will remember it, but remain without fear, for I will not leave you alone.
3
In these days, the Kingdom of Heaven must suffer great violence. The one who will not draw it to himself with violence will not take it into possession.
4
The time is short for Me to be among the people in this world as now and work among them. After that, I will be glorified in a, for this world, really very unpleasant and sad manner, and only then, for all those who believe in Me, I will establish an eternal Kingdom of life in which I will live, and all those who belong to Me will be where I am.
5
Believe Me, that whoever believes in Me, lives and acts according to My teaching and loves Me above all and his fellowmen as himself, will already in this life receive the eternal life and will never more die, even if he would die, if this would be possible, for what his body is concerned, a hundred times, for just as I will continuously live from My own might and power, even if this earthly body will be taken away from Me, his soul with My Spirit in him will live continually, will be extremely happy and will rule with Me in eternity."
6
Everyone was satisfied with this promise of Mine, and upon this they believed.
7
Since it was already evening, the innkeeper asked Me whether it was not the time to prepare a good evening meal.
8
I said: "The most pleasant evening meal to Me is when I have found back and gained all these people from My tribe who were lost. But ask the others what they want to eat."
9
And Barnabas stood up and said: "O Lord and Master, also for us the best evening meal consists of the fact that You came to us and that we recognized You as the One whom You are. Besides, we have enough bread and wine. Then what kind of other physical food do we need?"
10
Then I said to the innkeeper: "Go to your storeroom and see what you can find there which can be eaten by us Jews. Let it be well prepared and put it then before us on the table."
11
The innkeeper left the room and found on a big table, which was put there for the preparation of the food, a big quantity of fish that was already opened and cleansed by which he, his wife and his children of sheer astonishment slapped their hands above their head.
12
The innkeeper returned immediately to us in full joy and said: "Me dear gentlemen guests, a third miracle! You know how difficult it is to obtain fish in this region, and look, the big table in the storeroom on which we prepare the food is full of very fresh, but already cleansed, noble fishes, which will be more than enough for us all for 3 days. They only have to be prepared, for which I already gave instructions, and then we will we satiated with a very rare food."
13
Then Barnabas and also Dismas said: "With God all things are possible, and it does not surprise us at all anymore since we have Him in our midst to whom nothing is impossible. For the One who could fill all seas, lakes and rivers with all kinds of fishes and other animals can also out of Himself make appear everywhere as many fishes as He wants. And we confess now that in this Man Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee lives physically the fullness of the deity. And he who believes otherwise is still far away from the truth."
14
I said: "Stay with this belief and let no one deceive you innerly, for by such belief in Me you will stand justified before Me and I will give you the eternal life and awaken you on the youngest day."
15
With these words of Mine they were satisfied.