The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 189 -
The afflicted ship on the deep sea.
I however call the angel and say to him loudly for the sake of the guests and the disciples, "On the sea a quite large decked ship with twenty people of both sexes, not counting the eight sailors, are suffering great affliction. The ship stopped at the beginning of the storm at the harbor on the other side not far from Genezareth; but when the storm turned around more strongly than before, it tore the ship, ready to sail off, from the shore and drove it with the greatest strength into the open sea. The sailors and the travelers worked with the greatest effort and exhausted almost all their strength in order to save themselves from going down. Well, they are in danger of being consumed by the sea; therefore go and save them - but not in a way that they will not understand, instead set loose a boat and steer it as a clever dingy to help the afflicted ship and bring it here, because the ship in any case wanted to steer towards Caesarea Philippi!"
2
After these words of Mine the angel leaves our party in an instant, sets loose a boat - which was full of water; but Raphael soon had every drop of water over board - and sailed towards the heavy hurricane like an arrow and had reached the afflicted ship in a few moments.
3
When the afflicted see the pilot, they fall on their knees, thank God and say, "Oh, this is no ordinary pilot! That is a true angel, whom God has sent to our rescue at our pleading! He will certainly save us all!"
4
But Raphael asks them pro forma (in pretense), "Where do you want to go in this storm?"
5
The afflicted say, "We wanted to go to Caesarea Philippi, but only after the storm; but the too strong storm tore the ship from the shore and drove us here with all force. We do not know where we are, for the heavy rain does not allow us to see a familiar shore on any side. Have we still far to go to where we want to be?"
6
Raphael says, "Not with this wind; but since the rain and the storm will certainly last another half hour and you will only now come into the high waves where you would have been lost without any helpers, I came as the most experienced and pluckiest pilot to bring you and your ship to full safety. Do you have much water in the ship?"
7
The sailors say, "Pretty much!"
8
But after a few more moments the water which had penetrated their ship has disappeared to the last drop, and the sailors say to the friendly sailor, "But this is extremely strange! Look, noble young sailor, we were mistaken before; no drop of water has penetrated our well-covered ship! We certainly thought that we had discovered some water in our ship; but it may have been a mistake as a consequence of our justified fear, for now we cannot find a single drop of water, which seriously looks somewhat wonderful. Yes, yes, it is all a miracle what the Lord decides; but this is really something strange that not a drop of water has entered our ship despite all the eons of rain and your open boat is hardly damp at all!"
9
At this the travelers say to the sailors, "Do not speak in vain! This is all tangibly the mercy of God, for which we have to bring Him a first most and very tasty sacrifice in thanks, and the young courageous sailor is a sailor from heaven! For just look at how the rain is still pouring down in the heaviest streams and all around the waves are rising like mountains; but our ship, like his boat, is floating so calmly as if the sea was as calm as glass, and the rain is falling neither on our ship nor in his boat! Also the lightning sizzles and crashes around us like lively Mayflies, and none of the glowing and crashing death-bringers touches us! Look, that is a mercy, yes, a highly undeserved mercy from above!"
10
The sailors say to the travelers "Truly, truly, you are all correct; that is a miracle that is a true mercy from above! We are saved! Look, we can already see a shore very close! A number of people are standing on the shore despite the enormous rain, and look, many, yes, they are all waving to us in a friendliest welcome! Oh God and Lord! How great and magnificent are You even in a storm to those who have always honored and praised You faithfully, and have always brought You the prescribed sacrifices with joy! Eternal honor alone to Your holiest name!"
11
After these words they steer slowly towards the port, and I secretly order now the storm to cease and to stop completely.
12
And everything soon ends, and everything becomes still, as if a storm had never happened. The ship comes to shore easily, and the travelers are taken ashore.
13
When the travelers come onto the land, they cannot help being amazed at everything that they encounter there.
14
The storm and the rain have quite calmed down, the surface of the sea is beautifully calm and the sky is free of clouds; only very light woolly clouds decorate the blue background here and there in the rosy light of the sky. For the sun is already behind the mountains and has left the Earth where we were only a very magnificent evening twilight as a farewell gift.
15
The place where the travelers come ashore is totally dry, all the guests here with Me look very cheerful and friendly, and our old Mark welcomes them in a very friendly fashion, asks them also immediately whether they will not take some refreshment and food, since this journey in the storm has certainly tired them out very much.
16
In short, all that has such a positive effect on the travelers that for sheer amazement they can hardly hear and see what is going on around them.