The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in the mountain town of Pella
- Chapter 48 -
Two possessed men are brought to the Lord.
After they all had expressed their thanks for the might and power I had given them, 2 citizens came from the city to us on the hill. One was the known Greek innkeeper and the other, his neighbor, was a Roman. He was a smith and also practiced now and then the healing of sick animals and at times also of sick people, especially half fools and epileptics, and sometimes with good healing results.
2
Right at that morning 2 young men, between 20 and almost 30 years old, from the nearby city of Abila were brought to the inn of the Greek in order to heal them there by the smith, and according to the smith they had a threefold epileptic disease. The smith immediately tried his methods, but they did not work, and then the 2 really began to rage, expressed the greatest insults against the smith and also the innkeeper and they threatened to harm all their activities, and their body and possessions.
3
Then the innkeeper, who was terribly frightened, said to the smith: "The great Lord and Master must certainly still be here. He must be filled with all divine power and might, because otherwise He would not have been able yesterday afternoon to completely heal so many people who had diseases that are otherwise incurable. Let us go and find Him. We can ask for Him in the Jewish inn."
4
On this, they went immediately to the Jewish inn, asked for Me, and they were told and indicated where I was. So from there they came hastily to Me and told Me everything that happened to them that morning.
5
And I said to them: "These are not epileptics but these are 2 very severely possessed persons. In the one are 5 evil spirits and in the other, who is the eldest, even 17. Bring them here, then they will be helped here."
6
The innkeeper said: "O Lord and Master, that will be quite difficult because those 2 are totally uncontrollable and so strong that 20 strong men would not be able to hold them, and they also do not allow anyone to approach them."
7
I said: "As they were brought to you by their family members from Abila, so they also can be brought here by those same family members. Thus go and bring them here."
8
At once the innkeeper and the smith went back to the house and told it directly to those who brought the 2 possessed persons from Abila to Pella, and they tried to bring the 2 possessed persons to Me.
9
But at first they did not want, and several well distinguishable voices came out of the mouth of the 2, who spoke thus: "What have we to do with the Son of the supreme God? Must we let us be tormented prematurely by the power of His will and word?"
10
But now the innkeeper said: "If you absolutely do not want to go, you will be forced by his almightiness, and your resistance will be useless."
11
Then all the evil ones cried out from the 2: "We surely know that we can never oppose His will, but we nevertheless want to resist it as long as it will be possible!"
12
Now the innkeeper said: "Listen, you evil spirits, who have the insolence to defy the almighty will of the Lord, now the Lord wants it - stand up and go!"
13
When the innkeeper had said these words, where I perceptibly supported his will with Mine, the 2 stood up, and at once, without any resistance, they let them be brought to Me by their family members who followed the innkeeper and the smith.