The Great Gospel of John
Volume 2
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the Vicinity of Caesara Philippi (Matthew 16)
- Chapter 179 -
The Disciples' agitation about the Temple tale.
Say I: "Friend, what you have told Me now is hardly a shadow of what I see and know; however, you are lacking a deeper knowledge of the divine order, and as such you are even accusing with some merit the ostensible procrastination of God. However, since you possesses a matchless honest and really good heart, I will stay here for full six days with you and your family and during such time I will enlighten you sufficiently about everything where there is still darkness in you. - But since it is now almost midnight, let us take a rest on the already prepared resting places!"
2
Say the disciples: "Lord, today we don't mind whether we keep awake upon the bunks or out here, in the pleasant open, because friend Mark's tale has completely robbed us of our sleep, so that we should not be able to fall asleep for anything in the world! Verily, every drop of blood in our veins now is boiling with fury and rage against these most rapacious beasts of a people that go forth from the Temple at present! Verily, in such circumstances it would have been many thousands of times better to have never been born! Lord, let fire rain from heaven over these beasts forthwith! Because what we heard now far surpasses anything we ever heard of this bestial mankind!"
3
Say I: "For that very reason you have to sleep off your double inebriation! Tomorrow, when more sober and of a more settle blood, we shall be able to pass judgement more easily. " - After these My words, all went to their due rest without further talk.
4
Morning came quickly, and I and My disciples rose from our competently prepared resting places.
5
As we came out into the open, Simon Judah said: "Lord, I have slept for a good stretch, but cannot shake off our host Mark's tale. No, this is unheard-of! This has not been here before! Verily, sometimes I cannot grasp Your patience and long-suffering! If I consider how, with ourselves, who cling to You like the hair to our bodies, You become quite terse, punishing us by word or look before one knows it, so that one would not afterwards dare soon to ask You something audibly. Yet You are able to watch such abominations for centuries without being ruffled! Where the likes of us could leap out of our skins, there You can watch with patience. But where our eyes and emotions see and feel nothing, there Your are in Your fullness as if the Creation depended on it!
6
Behold, Lord, these are things that we simply cannot grasp. And Mark therefore is not entirely wrong when his thoughts on God are as he voiced them last night, with all candour. Of a truth, it is certain that You can and probably will more than recompense all such martyrs for the minute long suffering that came their way upon this Earth, - yet it is, all things considered, a dreadfully shocking thing to be so abnormally tormented by mankind wanton wickedness upon this Earth! Besides, Lord, a few moments of torment would seem like an eternity to the tormented!"
7
Say I: "I have already yesterday said unto you, as well as Mark, that I shall elaborate on this further during the course of My stay here; wait therefore until it is time, and it shall become sufficiently transparent to you! But go now rather and help Mark to haul in his catch to shore, for he went to work early to-day and I blessed it. Hence go and help him to move the many fish to land, and into the fish-tanks!"