The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 30 -
Jesus draws Cyrenius' attention to to the speech of Mathael.
Cyrenius says to Me, "Lord and Master, what do you say to that? What is to be made of it? Does Mathael speak the full truth? You can best judge something like this: give us a few words on this!"
2
I say, "Didn't I tell you before that you should listen to them? If I would see that they would say something false, I would certainly not have recommended listening to them. So listen further to Mathael! He has a sharp but good wind of knowledge; with such wind, even over a choppy sea, one moves faster than with the best rowers!
3
Just listen a little more, for until now he has spoken rather restrained. When he warms up he will give you some quite different arguments!"
4
Cyrenius says, "I thank you in advance! We are already there, considered devils! What else should he be capable of making us? Is it not praiseworthy of me that I want to look after these five poor devils in their earthly future, and for that they give us a harder time than you have ever given us!
5
Oh, I cannot listen to this Mathael any longer; his opinion about life may well be right, but it doesn't fit in with earthly relationships and no man can do anything for his body with it!
6
Yes, people like the prophets and the old priests had all the time worrying just for eternal life; for others looked after their bodily needs, who finally did not care whether there is an eternal life of the soul or not! They simply received laws which they had to observe without ever hearing the actual reason why and what they should achieve through it.
7
For millions that had to be enough, with or without hope of any eternal life, but for us this should not be enough anymore?
8
But if this is not enough for us any longer, then every man who has a spark of true love for others in his heart asks: Who in the end saves the millions of poor devils, since they are condemned to eternal death despite keeping some external laws? If they are a work of some accident, then the teaching might be right, but if all people are a work of the highest wise and good God, which can be seen from their highly wise mindset, there must be a more practical way for them and all people to achieve me of eternal life; and if there is none, then all life is the most despicable that human reason can recognize as despicable and abhorrent!
9
For if an eternal life is only for those who achieve it at the cost of thousands of other people who must work for such an eternal hero so that he can simply concoct eternal life in himself - then I myself demand not even the least bit of an eternal life and a full, eternal death is more preferable! That is now my opinion.
10
Your teachings, Lord and Master, are pleasant to me, dear and worthy; for an all-powerful helper is on my side when I am weak; according to the teachings of Mathael I have no-one but myself. I alone can give myself or take eternal life and some god has nothing to do with it except to look on with annoyed or benevolent eyes as some poor devil works his way out of the claws of death and so climbs up to eternal life on the inhospitable ways full of thorns, cliffs and poisonous vermin!
11
No, no, that cannot be; you are fools with all your teaching about eternal life! Yes, if I can think about a giver of eternal life, who, like You, oh Lord, can give an earthly eternal life if he wants to, then I will do everything so that he would give me eternal life. But if I should gather it from all kinds of wise prophets then I need eternally nothing from an eternal life - So speaks and spoke Cyrenius, Rome"s Supreme Governor over Coelesyria and over all the lands of Asia, Africa and a large part of Greece!"
12
I say, "Friend, this time you have really offered nothing in your empty speeches. What the five were, you know; why, you hopefully also know now!
13
But I have completely cleaned them and have lit the only true, unmistakable light of life in them and thereby blocked the path on which the terrible guests once driven out could visit them once more.
14
These five are now fully pure and look into the finest fibers of all life as it was originally created and now tell everyone openly what in the old days only few were given; how can you possibly bear them ill will?!
15
For look, what they say is the same as what I have told you, only they tell it with somewhat more naked truth.
16
First recognize the true value of what they say and grieve if it is possible; but now, since what they say seems a little too uncomfortable for you, you are obviously wrong to become morose. Let Mathael speak on, and it will be shown whether what he says is practical or not, and whether it contradicts My teaching!"