The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 30 -
Action and speech.
After we managed to give Zinka some rest in this way, also Risa, as the second son-in-law of Cyrenius, came and started to make similar excuses.
2
However, Raphael touched him on his shoulder and said: "Friend! Remain only with the truth of your heart; since by quite a margin you are not Zinka! You are good and honest, but you should never talk differently from what is in your heart! - Do you understand this?"
3
Says Risa: "Yes, friend out of the heavens, I understand what you have told me, and I will speak, if I speak, according to what is in my heart, and no untruth should come over my lips! I'm still a young person and have less experience than some of the others; but I have particularly little experience with the female gender and was never in love with any maiden. But I feel my heart exceptionally drawn and feel it, how I will be beyond all measure happy, if the heavenly beautiful Ida would become my wife; but I also feel how terrible stupid I will appear by this great happiness. Because of this very reason I would like to miss out on this happiness!
4
For now my love for Ida has not become a passion, and I can renounce this expecting luck with my soul quite easily; but if later on I become more inflamed, and the luck would not become part of me, it would cause me a lot pain in my heart, which would be then quite difficult for me to get rid of. Because of this reason I would like it to have it from the Lord and from Cyrenius, to free me from every hope on such luck!
5
See, you my heavenly friend Raphael, this is how I feel, and this is what I have spoken! If you can help me a little, do it before it is too late! Since a proper help must also happen at the right time, - otherwise it is of little use!"
6
Says Raphael: "Friend, for this you will require only very little or even no help at all from me; therefore it stays like the Lord has instructed it to be! You yourself can renounce everything - because against the free will of man the Lord never determines anything, except for the measure and form of the body -; but it does not bring man a lot of bliss, if he regards too little, what the Lord, even when indicated by a slightest sign, has advised. - Do you also understand this?"
7
Says Risa: "Yes, also this I understand and say therefore nothing else than: The will of the Lord must always happen; since who carries out the will of God, can never go wrong. Since God the Lord must always knows it best, what is best for us people. Therefore, from now on, I will always accept everything with the greatest thankfulness in my heart and do what the Lord will prescribe! What man can do very easily, because he already has a longing in his heart for it, he should always do and never try to be more. There is enough of a battle with other things, in which man's weak will finds it quite difficult to become a winner. Should he with easy and very pleasant things also become weak, he will not make good progress with regard to the true virtues! - Did I spoke the truth or not?"
8
Says Raphael: "Very much so; but it should also be said to you, that it is better to do a lot of good, than speak a lot of good! If people see you doing a lot of good, they will do likewise; however, if they hear you a lot talking good, they will also try to do likewise. But since many are lacking the right wisdom to make truly good speeches, they are forced to speak a lot of nonsense and thereby doing a lot of damage to many weak souls and to themselves, since it makes their hearts to become haughty and egocentric. By an unnecessary desire to talk, in time all kind of false teachings are spread, and poor mankind is blinded and brought into all darkness, so that it afterwards becomes quite difficult to enlighten them again; but by many and good deeds, mankind becomes noble and open hearted. A noble and open heart is in anyway the best plant school for true wisdom and will then also understand to speak good and right, where necessary.
9
I have told you this, because quite often you carry a great desire to speak in you, but are still lacking a lot, what is required to make a perfectly good speech; therefore you should speak less, but instead listen and act even more, and you will become a true disciple of the Lord, and this according to His will and according to His pleasure!
10
Those who in time should speak and preach, the Lord will select them Himself; but those who are not specifically chosen to speak and teach, are destined by Him to only act according to His word and according to His teachings and should always only do, wherefor they have undoubtedly the assignment from the Lord. In this way they always can find joy to be pleasant for God and in obtaining any special mercy. Say this also to your friends and work companions; since also among them there are those, who think a lot of themselves, to be able to speak orderly and smooth! They are not destined by the Lord to speak, but only to act.
11
The reason for the Lord allowing you to become earthly happy, is, so that one day you can do a lot of good things; however, if the Lord would have chosen you as a speaker and teacher, He would say to you: 'Come and follow Me, wherever I'm going, and learn about all wisdom of the kingdom of God!
12
See, how pleasant is Cyrenius for the Lord; surely not because of his good speeches, but because of the good and manifold noble actions! But who does many good and noble things, can if necessary, also make a good and right speech; since an open and noble heart does never stays without light from the heavens. But who has this according to the measure of his many good and noble deeds, to him it always will also be very clear, where, when and how much he must speak. Do you understand this, what I have spoken to you, very clearly, my dear Risa?"
13
Says Risa: "How can I not; since you have spoken the purest truth, and this is always for everybody clearly understandable! I will always keep strictly to these your words. What I have learned from you, I will also immediately convey to my companions; there is only one thing I would like to know, if Zinka is also called to only act or whether he also must teach alongside!"
14
Says Raphael: "My friend Risa, between your and Zinka's experiences exists a great difference! He is a great soul coming from above, and has many and great experiences behind him, despite being only ten years older than you; and, hence, he is destined by the Lord to act and to speak. But once you also have many experiences behind you, you will also have to speak and teach. But for now collect experiences and become rich in good and noble deeds!"