The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Der Herr im Jordantal
- Chapter 233 -
More opinions of the innkeeper about the Jews.
The innkeeper went to stand before the house to see if the caravan would arrive, and he did not have to wait long before the caravan came, riding on camels and donkeys. Also the helpers of the innkeeper were at hand to take care of the camels and donkeys, as well as the luggage with which they were loaded.
2
The people entered the house and the innkeeper guided them at once to the second room and said to them: "Here are the servants. Whatever you wish will also be given to you."
3
Then the innkeeper came immediately back to us and said to Me: "O my wonderful, dear friend, I will not meddle too much with those guests that have arrived now, for I immediately noticed that they are businessmen from Jerusalem, and among that group are also 3 Levites who are also traders."
4
I said: "I could have told you that before but this would not have been pleasant to you. But now that you know who they are you also will know how you have to deal with those people for best results."
5
The innkeeper said: "They also can eat the fishes that I still have in reserve. They are not bad at all because immediately after they were caught they were fried and well salted. Then they have bread and wine and they will have to be satisfied with that. I also have smoked meat of sheep and goat. If they want to have that, then that can also be prepared for them, although the Jews do not eat smoked meat, especially when they are among each other, but when they come to us gentiles and are really hungry, they eat everything that we serve them."
6
I said: "They will do that also now, and you did well to put them in another room."
7
The innkeeper went now to the kitchen and told his wife what they had to serve the newly arrived guests.
8
But the wife had already put her fishes on a grill over the coals and was busy to prepare them.
9
One of the guests came to our room to discuss with the innkeeper whether he had not a better wine.
10
The innkeeper said: "There is no better one that grows here near the Dead Sea, and so you should be satisfied with this one."
11
The guest made the remark that Jericho was also near the Dead Sea and they nevertheless received an excellent wine to drink there.
12
The innkeeper said: "This village is not Jericho, and we also do not have the wealth to fill our cellars with the most excellent wine of Cyprus. Therefore we have to be satisfied with the harvest that our little piece of land can give us."
13
When the guest saw that he could not achieve anything with the innkeeper, he went back to his companions in his guest room.
14
When he was back among his companions, the innkeeper said to Me: "I do have better wine, and I feel sorry now that I withheld it from You and Your companions for the same reason as I am now withholding the wine from the guests that arrived secondly. But it is obvious, for I also thought that you were Jews, and I explained to you the reason why I absolutely cannot be a friend of the Jews. But as for you all, I very soon saw that although you belong outwardly to the tribe of the Jews, you innerly seem to stand highly above the present Jewry.
15
Ah, the old Jews at the time of their judges were quite different people than the ones now. I am also know a little about the ancient times of the Jews, but the Jews nowadays are worse than worse. They are only greedy for earthly treasures and earthly prestige, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, together with all the prophets they - as they say - leave them alone. But I am of the opinion that not even one of those special high Jerusalemites still believes in a God or in a prophet. I also do not belong to these people who especially believe in some deity but I always had a just respect for the truth of the wise men of Egypt and Greece because it is only by the truth that I became a human being.
16
Occasionally I also expanded my knowledge about your prophets, but I put them aside because I could not understand them, for I do not so well know the Old Hebrew language, especially its Scripture, compared to Greek in which I was born. Those Hebrew works are not yet translated into my mother tongue, apart from a few pieces in the Roman language, and so it is obvious that I am very weak in the knowledge of the old Jewish wisdom.
17
Only one thing attracted my attention - as far as I understood - namely that the Jews hope for a new king who will come with great power and might and will establish a great, mighty and invincible kingdom for the Jews. But I am of the opinion that this king for whom the Jews are hoping will still not come for a long time and that they will have to be satisfied with the Roman domination for quite a long time.
18
It would also be a great pity if somewhere far from Asia a wise and powerful man would arise to liberate the Jewish scum from the Roman domination. I do not know if I am right or not but my higher insight, which I possess thanks to the Greek sages as well as my rather clear reason, tells me that I am right about this people.
19
Dear friend, You are unmistakably wiser than I am, and You will hopefully not tell me that I am wrong, for as I already made the remark before, this people is completely inclined to finally push every leader from the throne and stone the one who rules over them. And that is why I also pointed out to You not to go to Jerusalem to make Yourself known with Your wonderful wisdom, because the people in Jerusalem can use no one who is clearly wiser than those haughty people themselves."