The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 54 -
A second miracle in accordance with Ribar's desire.
I say, "Good then; but tell me now quite openly whether you wouldn't like to be personally introduced to the great Master of Nazareth! If you want, I can lead him to you."
2
Suetal says, "Honestly speaking, this man hiding the fullness of the divine spirit in himself is too endlessly high for people like us in each and every thing, and I am decidedly afraid even to see him from afar, not to mention to come into his near presence! Thus I prefer not to get to know him personally. You see, I am ashamed now even to be in the presence of this young disciple of his, and honestly speaking, I wouldn't even mind if he returned to his companions again. He passed the test, and that is enough! Anyway he wouldn't let himself be put through a second one, and it would be unnecessary; because for whomever one test does not provide adequate conviction, another thousand miracles will not be enough for him. And so I would prefer if he went back to his companions, we cannot reward him for it, because we do not possess anything but ourselves. So tell him, dearest friend, that he may return to the society of his equals!"
3
I say, "Ah, why then?! He is free and can go whenever he wants; and he will go when he has nothing more to do here! You are now fully satisfied, but not all of your companions are, even Ribar is not, who agrees with you in everything. He is still chewing over the first miracle and still cannot come to terms with it. Therefore, because there is still time, we will ask him to do another sign!"
4
Suetal says, "That would be fine, and I myself would like to see something of him; but that only begs the question whether that would also suit the holy, great Master; for the masters do not like to see their disciples producing too much."
5
I say, "Don't worry about that; for I will take responsibility for all that Myself and will know how to be answerable when the time is right, if I could be held to account for it. But nevertheless we must ask Ribar and the others in which fashion they want to see a sign, otherwise one of them could soon say that we prepared the sign a long time in advance and had organized ourselves quite exactly; but if they decide the sign themselves, there can be no trace of an earlier decision. Do you agree with that or not?"
6
Suetal says, "That is thought and spoken as wisely as Solomon, and one must agree with it!"
7
I say, "Well then, we shall ask Ribar! - Tell us, Ribar, what the following signs performed by the disciple should consist of!"
8
Ribar says, "Friend, if he wants to perform another, then he should make this stone that I am now holding in my hand into one of the noblest fish which live in this sea!"
9
I say to Raphael PRO FORMA, "Will you be able to solve this task?"
10
Raphael says, "We will try; but the asker should firstly stand firm, otherwise the fish will throw him to the ground. The most noble fish in these waters are big and strong, so that a man cannot overcome them; thus if Ribar stands very firm, an eighty pound fish will immediately take the place of his now barely ten pound stone."
11
Ribar says, "Oh, don't you worry about that! I am a little bit of a Samson and have already mastered hundred pound fish! In any case, I am now standing quite obediently firmly."
12
At this Raphael says, "Let it be, what you have demanded!" - Raphael had hardly uttered these words, when a good eighty pound noble fish in the hands of Ribar to the shock and incredible amazement of all present made such a hefty thrust, that Ribar actually fell on his back and the fish flapped quite violently up and down, the witnesses fled from all sides, and even Ribar, who had quickly picked himself up again from the ground, showed no more desire to touch the great fish. But Mark"s son was also nearby; he came quickly with a strong little hand net, threw it over the yet strongly flapping fish, bound it up and carried it to a tub full of water.
13
When the fish found itself in its natural element, it naturally became quiet, and everyone now came to the tub and watched with wonder the great fish, and Ribar said, "Now I and all my empty wisdom are completely defeated and I now believe everything that I have heard about this great Master! Here all human wisdom ends and the majesty of God reveals itself in an only too tangibly true way! Mathael was right with every one of his words, and the friend as well, whose goodness we have to thank for the two never-before seen miracles. So great God, and eternally praised be His great name, that He has given the people of this world such power! We are highly unworthy to see such pure miracles of God with our sinful eyes, but since God has made us worthy of Himself, let His great name be eternally praised!"