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 165 -
Raphael and Jarah.
Following this transaction, the servants were already bringing wine and bread and a large number of well-prepared fish, and all take their place at the brimming table. Jarah pulls our Raphael over to the table, putting a large fish in front of him to eat. But Raphael says: "Dear sister, this it too much for a supper; therefore serve me a smaller fish!"
2
Says Jarah: "Oh, did I not see you eat several such fish at lunch, and so you shall be able to cope with this one tonight! Just eat! Behold, my Lord Jesus surely is an endlessly greater and exalted spirit than you, and yet He is already eating the second fish with visible appetite, drinking wine and taking bread with it; do so yourself! You happen to be human among us and must not put down our humanity on account of being one of the foremost angels of God!"
3
Says Raphael: "Well, if you insist, then I shall have to accommodate your request; for are you not a most kind child, and one cannot refuse you anything, for sheer love." After which Raphael takes the five pound plus fish into his hands, moving it to his mouth and consuming t in a hardly believably short moment.
4
On seeing such, Jarah says, puzzled: "But, for the Lord's sake! How did you dispose of this big fish so quickly? Friend, with such voracity you could easily swallow an entire sea-monster! In the end the big fish in the book of Jonah would be just fun, with one bite, for your stomach!?"
5
Says Raphael: "And even thousands more such fish would be just fun for me to accommodate. Yet the one you handed me is enough; I really enjoyed it: I could have consumed it slowly like you, - but would have made you think I am a fully terrestrial man, - and this would not be good for you, since you could fall in love with my persona, i.e. my shape! But now in this instance I have demonstrated that I am not a complete Earthian yet, and you are startled, and therewith you easily stay in your track, and I in mine. You will live to see more such wilful bit on my part. I can get quite naughty at times but my naughtiness is then based in wisdom."
6
Says Jarah: "This however I don't like, - if you should want to achieve some god aim through naughty means! Behold the Lord here, who alone is my only love; He can achieve every good aim without naughty means; why not you? I maintain that the naughty shall always bring forth naughtiness, while good is brought forth only by good. Anyone wishing to achieve something good with me through something naughty is greatly mistaken, and were he thousandfold angel! This I tell you, that you better not start something naughty with me, or you can stay away from me! I am but a feeble maiden and indeed just a worm compared to you; yet God's love resides in my breast, and this tolerates nothing even seemingly naughty. -Do you understand me, my dear Raphael?"
7
Says Raphael: "Indeed so, this can still be understood, therefore I well understand it; but that you did not understand my occasional naughtiness is evident from reprimanding me; once you will have understood, you shall not be offended in me! So that you should see however that heavenly naughtiness can also be virtue I shall amply clarify if to you with an example.
8
Behold, we celestial spirits can see vast distances, and your thoughts does not reach so far as compared to what we can take in at a single glance most vividly! It can happen from time to time that, like on this Earth, people become mischievous. We pull back a person from danger a hundred times, but he itches to face the same danger. When none of this helps then we allow such person to willfully confront such danger, allowing him to thoroughly run up against something, so as to utterly confound him for a lengthy period and, chastised, he learns by letting go of his foolishness, becoming better through self-reform.
9
Hence parents cannot warn their children often and strongly enough against play that frequently turns extremely dangerous; there we make our appearance with our heavenly naughtiness, causing such children to severely harm themselves at such forbidden games, and we indeed even sometimes to the length of letting such a child pay for the disobedience with its life, for deterring others. By this the children then take much fright at forbidden dangerous games, abandoning them. Then the adage becomes applicable: 'A burnt child fears fire!' (once bitten tice shy).
10
Also with you I have several times a few years ago applied a similar heavenly naughtiness, and it served you well, and afterwards becoming a really devout child. - Well, what are you saying now to my naughtiness?"