The Great Gospel of John
Volume 2
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Second Journey of the Lord: Nazareth - Cave at Bethabara (First Feeding of the People) - Mountain of Prayer - Walking on the Sea of Galilee (Peter's test of faith) - By ship to Genneseret in the bay with the same name
- Chapter 131 -
Upon the "morning head" pinnacle.
After a few paces we found ourselves upon the peak, which however had a very torn, creviced and fragmented appearance and offered standing room for hardly thirty people free from giddiness.
2
Our Centurion did not take well to that, and he said: "The view is indescribably glorious indeed; but the sheer drop in all directions, and uneven plateau take away my immense pleasure!"
3
Say I: "Friend, sit down if you feel dizzy, and the rest of you do the same! I shall Myself remain standing."
4
Says the Chief: "Sitting down sounds alright, but where? Verily, the view is glorious, and one overlooks all Gallilee and a large portion of Judea - one can even see into the Samaritan land; but the inhospitable height, and fear of a possible fall miserable spoils my super pleasure! I know that nothing can happen to me, yet I fear! Why this?"
5
Say I: "Your fear stems from your not comprehending the impossibility of a fall right now. Look at My beloved Jarah there, she is bounding about as merrily as a Chamois (mountain-goat), whilst her sisters and even My Ebahl stand there pale with fear; yet no abyss has swallowed her up yet, because she is full of the firmest faith that nothing can happen to her in My presence. Let you all have the same firm faith, and you shall be cheer-full like her!"
6
Says the Chief, under whose right foot a stone he had used for support, loosened somewhat: "Here a falcon, whose wings secure him against falling, may gain a firm faith indeed; but a human like me, under whose feet one rock after another loosens, cannot with the best of will attain to a Jarah-like faith: I would only have to try one Jarah-like bound upon this hardly four by hundred metres plateau, and I would soon be lying crushed somewhere below! Oh! If only I found myself back below again!"
7
Here Jarah jumps over to the Chief, saying: "But Julius, I beg you not to be fearful! Nothing can possibly happen to you! The Lord has led us here over the steepest walls; we actually only floated past the walls through the air; for no man has ever accomplished such journey, yet what has happened to anyone of us despite of such unheard-of scaling of this bare and perpendicular rock-giant? But if we came up over the most dangerous parts so well, how should we now start fearing as if it really were possible to fall down anywhere? Dear Julius, go and be more cheerful, for my sake! Behold, I am unable to look at such fearful and sad face!"
8
Here the little one wants to take the Centurion by the hand to conduct him around a little, but the Chief shouts: "Get back! Three paces off, you little witch! You came close enough just then to thrust me over the walls with your mischievous leap! Oh, I know you well; normally you are an unusually good, dear and even wise girl; but sometimes a capricious mischief gets hold of you, and there I say: 'Three paces off!' - I usually like you a lot; but here at four thousand metres (2,000 mens' heights) altitude you have to constantly keep three paces away from me. You have spoken rightly and wisely, but I can't help my dizziness at such heights. I know and believe that nothing will happen to any of us, yet I nevertheless cannot rid myself of this troublesome dizziness, and hence you must not play jokes with me!"
9
Says Jarah: "Ah, what do you think? How could you even remotely suspect me of playing jokes with you!? Behold, I am simply over-convinced that here nothing can happen to me or you, and leaped over to you, fearful one, so pluckily to lift you up! How can you bear me such ill-will and call me a witch? Behold, most beloved Julius, that also was not very nice of you!"
10
Here tears fill the little one's eyes. - On noticing this, the Centurion regrets shouting Jarah down, saying: "Now, now, make friends! Down below we shall stroll together over nice lawns again; but the space is too tight, and I am not to blame for my tiresome dizziness!"
11
Says Jarah: "Dizziness is a sickness too! The Saviour of all Saviours is here: He to whom it was possible to heal so many hundreds from their sickness, shall also be capable of freeing you from dizziness! Ask Him and He shall heal you!"
12
Says the Centurion: "Ah, look my dear Jarah, here you did a better job than before! This was a better leap than your previous one, when you nearly pushed me over the walls! And look, this your advice I shall follow forthwith!"
13
Hereupon the Centurion turned to Me, saying: "Lord free me from my fear and dizziness of the head!"
14
Say I to Ebahl: "Give Me a beaker of wine!"
15
Ebahl at once passed Me a small skinful and a beaker.
16
I filled the beaker and gave it to the Chief, with the words: "Here, take and drink, and it shall be better with your giddiness!"
17
The Chief took the beaker and drank. When he had emptied it, all fear and giddiness left him and he cheered up completely, letting himself be walked around the mountain by Jarah, and able quite smugly to look down the steepest cliff-faces.
18
When the others had all noticed this on the Chief, they asked Me for liberation from their tedious fear. And I had wine passed to them all, and the height suddenly came to life a public park.
19
One lot were taking in the lands, another were singing Psalms, a third were looking over the walls to find a possible return path. But since no such spot could be discovered, even whilst the sun was already nearing its setting, the disciples in particular came and said: "Lord, another half hour and the sun will be set; what then upon this height?"
20
Say I: "This is not your concern! Whoever believes shall this night see God's glory shine upon this height. We remain here!"
21
On hearing this they quietened down, looking for secure resting places.
22
But the Centurion also came and asked Me whether we would be returning soon, as the sun was close to setting.
23
But I said to him what I said to the disciples, and he was content therewith and sat down upon a solid, fairly level rock.
24
Only Jarah was saying, as the sun began to touch the horizon: "Lord You my love, we are not perhaps going to already return home from this charming height? Here I would so much like to see the sun rise!"
25
Say I: "We are staying the night, and only betake ourselves home on Sabbath morning; but like all the others you shall see God's glory shine through out the night!"
26
This so enraptured the little one that she sank at My feet in a kind of swoon which however quickly left her.