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 217 -
The explanation of the parable of the unrighteous steward and the royal guest meal.
So the patriarch Abraham, who was the owner of the Promised Land, was also an unrighteous steward, but you surely heard that in Salem, the place where he lived, he always had a big table ready where every day several thousands of poor and needy people were satiated, and so it became a proverb that the happy ones were those who were blessed to eat at the table of Abraham.
2
Look, that is why Abraham was My favorite and I blessed him and his family manifold, which you can conclude from the fact that Abraham was the most important and greatest friend of the King of Kings and the Priest of priests, who was without beginning or end and whose name was Melchisedech, to whom he personally gave the tithe. And he was the only one among the many kings of that time who was fortunate of having the right to come to the residence of Melchisedech. And this Person once went personally to him, escorted by 2 angels, and predicted to him that his aged wife Sarah would bare him a son, which Abraham also firmly believed.
3
But at the same time, Melchisedech revealed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah would perish. And He further revealed to him that finally He Himself would come from his tribe as a human being of flesh and blood to make all human beings truly blissful.
4
But let us leave Abraham and Melchisedech to rest now, because the latter is now personally sitting with you, and the old patriarch Abraham is in the spirit not far away from Him. Let us look now at another unrighteous steward who lives now near Jerusalem, and in whose house we will soon be staying. It is our Lazarus, a son of Simon the leper, whom I healed with My will without his knowledge, this already in My 12th year, even before I visited the temple. And this because in all righteousness he performed great good deeds to many thousands, no matter from where they came, by means of his large amount of unrighteous mammon, just like his son Lazarus is doing now.
5
You know about all the things he did when we were accommodated several times in his city in his house. And look, the one who will use the unrighteous mammon in this manner, will certainly make many very good friends in My Kingdom and will also be pleasing to Me. And when he will die, I will immediately awaken him to life so that he will eternally die no more, and his passing over from this to the other world will be like what happened long ago with My dear Enoch who is now here sitting at My side as a real arch angel.
6
With this, My dear Judah, I surely showed you now as clear as the sun to what My praise was referring to concerning the unrighteous steward, and with that I straightened out that one uneven line in you.
7
Now there is still the one who was thrown out at My guest meal for the reason that he did not wear feast clothing and whom you called 'poor devil'.
8
Look, those who were invited but did not appear and excused themselves because of their worldly activities, look those are only the very unrighteous stewards who did not deserve any praise from My part. But the others, those who were invited later in the alleys, streets and at the fences, are those who, although poor from an earthly point of view, were nevertheless innerly clothed with festive clothing by their righteous life according to My law.
9
That one person, who also came to My guest meal, represented personally the stubborn institution of Pharisees, and he also took place at My guest table. However, when I came, which is now the case in the presence of you all, I saw, My dear Simon Judah, that this 'poor devil' of yours had no festive clothing, and therefore I ordered My servants to grab him and throw him out in the outer darkness.
10
And see, that guest meal is what I am giving now since the time I appeared as Leader and Teacher of the people in this world. And you frequently noticed that at many different occasions such guests pushed themselves to My table, whom I always let them be thrown out the door by My word. And why actually? Because they had no festive clothing. Do you understand now, Simon Judah, what I wanted to point out with that guest who was not clothed in festive clothing at the table of My guest meal?"
11
Simon Judah said: "Yes, Lord and Master, now I understand this clearer than the sun. And I add that at the table of Your guest meal it certainly will happen oftentimes that many more of such guests will appear without festive clothing, and I believe that it is time to remove such guests immediately from the dining table."
12
I said: "Indeed, but this cannot always be done in this world. Therefore, I will give you another image of a sower, to which you all will have to conform yourselves in the future. So listen.