The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 132 -
The difficulty of converting priests.
With this everyone is satisfied and it is peaceful once again on the outlier, which is separated by a small saddle from the higher range stretching towards the south; but below at the sea it is becoming very lively, for several parties from the city have arrived at Mark's home and naturally lament in very vivid colors about their distress and their undeserved misfortune.
2
Mark's kitchen it is very active, and both sons prepare several field ovens with Mark in order to prepare the considerable number of meals for so many guests.
3
Some of those who arrived from Caesarea head for the mountain, because they have already seen people on it from far off. But when they see Romans, they immediately pull back again; for they believe that the latter are keeping a sharp watch here in order to round up those fleeing and to direct them back to the still burning city to help put it out, which would have been very particularly inappropriate for the arch-Jews on this, the Sabbath. For in Caesarea lived some arch-Jews who, without being exactly Pharisees, took Moses? laws very terribly seriously. And this was a new moon Sabbath, which was always treated more strictly than a usual one! Therefore they were, after the disastrous events of the previous evening, as if newly refreshed with ashes on their shorn heads and with torn clothes, much stricter than on any other Sabbath of the new moon. It would therefore have been highly fatal for these highly strict Sabbathists if they had been sent back by these Romans who did not respect the Sabbath, to put out the flames; therefore they did not stay long on the mountain at the sight of the Romans, although these were still asleep, and as already mentioned, returned again straight away.
4
Raphael smiled and said to Mathael, "Did you see them, the strict Sabbathists? They quickly cleared off at the sight of the Romans! But rejoice, they will yet give us a lot of trouble today!"
5
Mathael says, "Friend, with love, wisdom and patience and particularly with the help of the Lord everything can be done! Blind in heart, naked in understanding - they are stuck in their foolishness like an old rusted nail in a beam, the poor people! Well, perhaps we can heal them all!"
6
Raphael says, "Friend, as long as a person is foolish, things are easier; but if arrogance, domineeringness and pleasure-seeking joins foolishness in a firm bond, then improvement is difficult and most difficult of all with the priesthood of the high-ranking sort and type!
7
Just take whatever position of a human you like, for example a general or some other high ranking imperial servant! As long as he stands in his office, he will make use of the respect and honor awarded to him, and it is acknowledged; but with time he can become unsuitable for his position and then he is put into retirement, and he is de facto nothing any longer and no longer worries about his earlier, arduous position! The high priest however retains his reputation until the grave, and after his death the surviving priests have a templelike monument set up to their own honor and exaltation and give him a divine reverence! The priesthood therefore knows how to keep the position untouchable for long periods and to protect it in all thinkable situations.
8
Just go up to such a die-hard priest, with whom you can easily notice how much he is in the wrong and stuck in lies, you will achieve nothing with him! He keeps his position high above that of an emperor, because he thinks himself to be a representative of God on Earth; he therefore will not exchange his position with any other in the world.
9
If you want to buy his position with much gold and silver, he will say to you: I have enough gold and silver; but my position is worth more than all the treasures of this world; for I am an official of God and no official of a worldly prince, and my position remains in eternity! After such a retort you then no longer hold the reins and you have to dance to the tune of the confirmed high priest! Therefore I believe that there is not much that can be done here with these arch-Jews! In addition your sense is quite perfectly worthy of God; everything is possible for the Lord God however, what often seems impossible for us angels and you people."
10
Mathael says, "I thank you for these words; but now the sun is rising and we must keep ourselves ready for the arrival of the Lord!"
11
Raphael says, "You are quite right, for the Lord is the true sun of all suns! If He rises in a person's heart, then it is the day of days for that person. Can you already see Him coming from the wood, since you are looking there so studied?"
12
Mathael says, "The sun is already over the horizon; but there is nothing to be discovered of the Lord and of the two who hurried to meet Him. It seems to me, taking things quite accurately according to your statement, that you have miscalculated a little even with your heavenly prophecy! The rising of the sun and the return of the Lord do not coincide at all! Look, the sun is already standing high above the horizon and there is still no trace of the Lord! Now tell me how I should interpret your prophecy to us!"
13
Raphael says, "But you must also direct your eyes over there to where He is coming from, and not over there from where He is not coming! Look around, and you will then immediately convince yourself that I have not made any false prophecy!"