The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the Sea of Galilee (John 6)
- Chapter 117 -
The story of the wealthy man and his workers.
1
(The Lord:) "See, in ancient times there was a man who emigrated with his family to a still unpopulated land which was not inhabited by any other person and he said: "As far as the eye reaches, everything is my property!" He soon build himself a very scanty dwelling and fed himself with the milk of the many wild goats he found there, which were not shy because they have never before been hunted by any hunter. With the years also his family has grown and in place of the former simple and scanty dwelling a solid castle has been build. This however, was taking place because on his land he found a lot of pure gold and an even larger amount of the most precious stones, which he did not dare to store in his former simple hut.
2
But when by his diligent collecting, his treasures of gold and precious stones increased, he endeavoured through messengers in inhabited lands to exchange his treasures for other items which he thought necessary for his household. Initially he made good business and also allowed other people come into his land who were destined to work for him.
3
Since he offered them only a small wage and they nearly had to work day and night for him and his family, they became indignant and demanded a higher wage and better treatment. But the now rich man said: "Be patient until I have arranged my house more properly, - I then will give to you to your contentment!" The workers were consoled by this and went to work.
4
But the rich man thought by himself: "I am now afraid of you, indeed; but I will send out my trusted messengers again, so to bring me guards and fighters. I will care for them somewhat better and they will know how to manage the wantonness of the workers." - He did this and when the workers saw this, they became very sad and swore the hard rich man revenge.
5
Now also they secretly send for help in their home country. They soon came because they expected a rich prey. When the workers were strengthened in this way, they again came to the rich man who now could call a large land his own and in all seriousness demanded a higher wage and the long overdue better treatment.
6
The rich man now called the guards to punish the workers for their iniquity and to limit them in everything even more. The workers then ran out of patience and they said: "Lord, through our diligence you have become rich! Our hands have builds this solid king's castle, build all kinds of workshops, cultivated the land with grain and have set up vineyards. We collected gold, silver and all kinds of precious stones and carried it to all the markets in all the world for you, and for that you want to treat us even harder than before?! Just wait, we will make you pay for this!
7
Every person on this earth must have the right to pick and to collect for himself; if he however serves a fellow-man, the employer must provide for him quite well, since he renounced his own right to pick and to collect. We many have done this for you and have given you our just advantages and for that you want to remunerate us in this way?! Do you know, hard man, that we for all our efforts and our diligence have not only received any remuneration, but on top of it were also treated badly, which in recent times went so far, that your henchmen insultingly searched our houses to see if we have not collected some trifle things for ourselves? And if you have found something, you not only have taken away everything from him, but also instructed your guards to cruelly punish him and you also have announced a law according to which, anybody revealing something about the treasures, would be punished by death.
8
If you wretched, old goblin, would be able to even do this to us without the slightest thought that also we are people just like you are and from God we have on one hair exactly the same rights on this earth like you, - we now demand from you to give us all the treasures which we have collected with great troubles for you; for through our troubles they also have become our property! The earth has given them to us, and nowhere neither a God nor a person has refused us to take them, and thus they are completely our property. However, for us you are just a thief and a robber if you are going to deny them to us! We only take from you what we have collected and do not ask anything for having build this castle with great troubles and were plagued by it for seven years. Give willingly what belongs to us, otherwise we are going to use force and take everything from you and also will destroy this your solid castle!"
9
When the rich man now realized that he could not do anything with force against the many workers, he reconsidered and said: "Be calm! I realize the wrong I have done to you and from now on I will treat you as if you were my own children and grant you the full picking- and collecting rights and to me who found this land with great troubles and many fears and worries, you only have to pay one tenth of everything collected, for which I will provide you with all protection within my powers."
10
Then the workers said: "If you would be a man of your word, we would have believed you, however, since you never kept your word of what you have promised us, we are not going to believe you now! Since your great stinginess will never allow you to keep your word. We would have believed you again, - but we only know too well when leaving here in peace that for this our forceful act, you would immediately strengthen your guards tenfold inside your castle and would punish us beyond measure by your then superior guards. Therefore give us our proven property and we will leave here for all times to come!" But the man hesitated and did not want to; they then took it by themselves and left."