The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord in Golan
- Chapter 75 -
Prediction of a coming storm.
When I also had finished this clear conversation with the captain, the innkeeper said to Me: "Lord and Master, we have stayed awake for half of the night and this was a very great blessing for my house, but if now one of all those present want to go to rest, then please tell me, o Lord, and I will immediately do everything to fulfill Your wish."
2
I said: "Friend, it is alright. We will stay as usual at the table to rest for the whole night. If you want to go to rest in a more comfortable way, you are of course free to do so, but we will stay here.
3
However, for this night it is advisable not to use too much time in sleeping, but rather to stay awake, for in less than 1 hour it will show that it is necessary and wise that we are awake. This region is in this time mostly exposed to great storms and earthquakes, and something similar will soon come this way, and then it is advisable to stay awake and to watch to see in which direction the storm will go."
4
The innkeeper said: "But Lord and Master, full of divine wisdom and power, You surely are also Lord over every evil power which always comes from the evil devils in Hell or are at least very often visibly sustained by them. Only one almighty word from You and no storm can come."
5
I said: "In a certain way you have spoken correctly but only as far as your knowledge reaches in the things of the natural world.
6
It is true that such storms are now and then also sustained by the devils, but this cannot prevent the divine love and wisdom to let the natural storm break loose. For in the Earth are still resting numberless nature spirits who must in the course of time all come to salvation, and since this region is extremely rich in such raw nature spirits of all kinds and sorts, it is also completely within the order to let the nature spirits, who became mature, brake loose to arise in a somehow more free existence. And it is undeniably better to let these nature spirits burst out into smaller groups than to hold them back, after which then many groups would burst out in one time and would then inevitably cause very great devastations. This has already been the case in some places on Earth where such spirits, after they were held back for a long time, have devastated whole lands when they finally had burst out, and they are now still there as deserts where nothing grows and where nothing will grow for a long time.
7
So you can understand why I have to let burst out the storm that I just announced. However, no one should be afraid of it, but it is better to stay awake during a storm than to sleep in a bed."
8
The innkeeper was satisfied with this explanation.
9
But the disciple Simon Judah said to Me: "Lord and Master, You said here that it is better to stay awake during a storm than to sleep in a bed, and You slept once during a big storm when we were on the Lake of Galilee, in a terribly staggering ship, so that we had to wake You up in order not to perish. You also were immediately awake and threatened the monster storm, and at once the hurricane was quiet and there were no more waves on the water surface. The skippers and a few other people who were with us in the ship were surprised and said among each other, with their eyes directed towards You: 'See, who could He be that the wind and the lake obey Him?'
10
I surely can see that it is much more advisable to stay awake during a storm but until now I still cannot completely see why You slept at that time, precisely during the worst roaring of the storm."
11
I said: "I slept at that time for the sake of you all, to put your still somewhat little faith to a small test and to strengthen it through that. Besides, I did not say to the innkeeper that it also would be advisable for Me to stay awake during the storm that will soon brake loose, for I am not the One for whom My advice should serve as a guideline for his live and existence, but I give all kinds of advices and lessons only for the sake of you people, so that you can conform to them and would become perfect in everything. If I would want it, I also could go to sleep from the beginning of the storm until the end of it since I did not give that advice for Myself. But because of your faintheartedness, also I will stay awake with you."
12
When Simon Judah heard this from My mouth, he did not ask any further, for he and also all the others understood now what I had said to them. And they all waited now with great tension for the breaking out of the storm.
13
The innkeeper, who despite My presence became more and more afraid, said to Me: "O Lord and Master, should I also not wake up those in my house who must be asleep now?"
14
I said: "Just leave it, because it is sufficient now that we are awake. However, the storm itself will wake up the inhabitants of this city and drive them out of their houses, and on this opportunity we still will have a lot to do."