The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 82 -
Humility and arrogance.
1
(The Lord:) "But now comes another very important field of life, whereupon one only can reach truly the full rebirth of the spirit in his soul, which is life's truest triumph and highest end goal. This field is completely contrary to pride and arrogance and is called - humility.
2
In each soul lies the same feeling of highness and ambition, which at the slightest opportunity and reason only too easily ignites into an all destructive raging passion and cannot be damped or rather completely extinguished, until it has consumed the offending victims. However, by this horrible passion, the soul becomes so damaged and material, that she becomes many times less suitable for an inner, spiritual perfection - than the glowing hot sand of the great desert of Africa to quench a thirst!
3
By the passion of the wretched arrogance the soul finally itself is transformed into a glowing desert sand, in which not one wretched little moss plant can grow, never mind any other more juicy and more blessed plant. This is the soul of a haughty person! Its wild fire singes and burns everything from the ground which is noble, good and true in life, and thousand times thousands of years will pass, until the sand desert of Africa will change in friendly and blissful fields. It will take for the whole sea many times to drive its floods over it!
4
Look at a proud king who was offended by his neighbour about any small matter! His soul is getting more and more into the wildest fire; from his eyes flames of rage are spraying, and the irrevocable resolution is: 'The most dreadful revenge to the offender who forgot nobleness!' And a most disastrous war whereby hundred of thousands must allow themselves to be killed in the most wretched manner for their proud and wanton king, is the well-known and sad result of it. With great pleasure does the rage inflamed king overlooks from his tent the most insane battles and murders and rewards proudly each raging soldier with gold and gemstones, who was able to inflict the greatest and most sensitive damage to the opponent.
5
If such a king has robbed his insulter of nearly everything with his overwhelming power, it is by far not enough for him! He wants to see him tortured in front of him in the most gruesome manner! No imploring or begging is of any use. And even if the insulter has died in front of the king's proud eyes under the most painful tortures, on top of it his flesh will be cursed in the most horrible manner and scattered as food for the ravens, and never will any remorse enter the diamond heart of such a king, but the rage or the glowing desert of Africa remains, bringing continuously the most fearsome death to everyone who ever dares not to show the highest honour to the place where the proud king was standing.
6
Such a king has of course still a soul; but how does it look like? I say to you: worse than the most glowing spot of the great sand desert of Africa! Do you think that such a soul can ever be transformed into a fruit garden of the heavens of God? I say to you: A thousand times sooner will the desert of Africa produce the most marvellous dates, figs and grapes, than such a soul only the smallest drop of heavenly love!
7
Therefore all of you, beware above all about haughtiness; since nothing in the world destroys the soul more than the rage-snorting haughtiness and pride! An always present thirst for revenge is its companion, just like the everlasting and unquenchable thirst for rain is the continues companion of the great, glowing sand desert of Africa, and all animals putting their feet on its ground, will also soon be seized by the same plague, just as the servants of the proud king finally becomes also tremendously proud and revenge-thirsty. Since who is a servant of pride, must in the end become proud himself; how could he then otherwise be a servant of the proud?!"