The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives (John Chapter 8)
- Chapter 199 -
The Lord and his adversaries
When I spoke such with all seriousness to the Jews, their eyes widened and they said: "Truly, the person speaks like someone who has power, and nobody dares to touch him or forbids him to speak such in the temple! If someone of us would have spoken such against the pharisees, they would have stone him ten times already, - and him they allow to speak to their obvious disadvantage and does not dare to come forward. This is truly something supernatural, and we are going to believe his words!"
2
Thereupon I said to the Jews who started to believe in Me: "If you stay with My words, you thereby will become My right disciples. You will recognize the truth in it, and this truth will make you free, as I already have said earlier."
3
Thereupon the incredulous part of the Jews said: "Remember, we are the seed of Abraham and never have been anybodies servants or slaves! How should we as free lords and citizens become even freer?"
4
Thereupon I said to them: "Truly, truly, I say to you: Who sins, is also the servant of sin, as I have mentioned earlier! However, the servant is not free, since he always has to obey the itching and passions of his flesh. The servant does not stay forever in the house, but only the Son. Every sinner is a servant, and the house is the kingdom of God and its justice, and the Son is the truth. But if I as the true Son of the kingdom of God make you free, you are truly free."
5
Said again the unbelievers: "Do not forget that we are the seed of Abraham and never have been anybodies servants! What are you talking all time that you will make us free?"
6
Said I: "O, I know it quite well that you are descendants of Abraham, - according to the body I am as well! Despite you saying that as the seed of Abraham you never have been anybodies servants, still your fathers were servants in Egypt and later on in Babylon and now you are servants of Rome, - if you then want to speak about the physical circumstances. But I speak of the inner relationships of life, and according to those you always were servants of your passions and allowed yourself to be controlled like possessed. That it is so, is proven by the fact, that you try to kill Me, just as zealously the pharisees are trying to kill Me. And you do this for the reason because My words does not strike among you, and you do not understand them and you therefore hate Me because I speak the truth. I only speak to you what I always see and hear from My Father, and you do not pay attention to it, but only to this what you also have seen and heard from your fathers, which however is of no use."
7
When I have rubbed such under their noses they again said: "Do not forget that Abraham is our father! This cancels all of your accusations against us. - Do you understand this?"
8
Said I: "O, I understand this quite well! O, if you would have been the children of Abraham, you also would have done the works of Abraham! But now you are trying to kill Me like the worst criminal, and this only because I tell you the truth, which I always hear from God. Truly, this, Abraham would never wanted to do to the three youths, because they have told him the truth. You do the works of your fathers indeed, - but not those of father Abraham! Understand this!"
9
Then the already very angry Jews said: "Friend, we were not born illegitimately! We all have a father, and this is God Himself!"
10
Said I to them: "O, if God was your Father, you also would love Me, like those love Me who have recognized Me; since according to the spirit I have gone forth from God and I am coming from God. Since truly, I have not come from Myself like a human, but God has send Me, this means this body, through which He reveals Himself to you and which body you now try to kill. If you are the children of God, what might then be the reason that you cannot hear My voice?"
11
Said the Jews: "Are we not hearing you then?"
12
Said I: "O yes, you certainly listen to Me with the ears of your flesh, - but I only ask you, why don't you like the meaning of My words. Why does it appeal to the many others, even to the Romans over there, who have surrounded the chest of God?"
13
Thereupon they were quiet and did not know what they could have answered Me; since they feared the people and did not dare to become too loud with their answer, which of course would be quite coarse and offending.
14
But the people shouted to Me: "Lord and Master, see to it that You can get rid of those rich dark characters; since we want to hear from You only salutary light words, but not the continuous and exceedingly stupid replies from those blind. For once, tell them clearly and straight, what and who they are, so that they can go!"
15
Said I: "Only patience! I already have told them that they are not children of God, and this should be sufficient for them!"
16
Said the Jews very angered: "How can you say that we are not God's children?!"
17
Said also I with a fully serious expression: "I have showed you the reason clear and true. Why do you ask Me any further?! Yes, I then will also tell you further what you are, since you have asked Me about it! Know, whose children you are: You are children of the father of devils! He was a murderer from the beginning and did not passed the truth; since the truth was never in him (in matter). If this spirit, who is your father, speaks lies, he speaks of his own; since he was always a liar and a father of lies."
18
Said the very angry Jews: "Who gives you the right to speak such in front of the people? Why are we children of Satan?"
19
Said I: "Because I speak the truth to you and you don't believe Me!"
20
Said the Jews: "Why should we believe you?"
21
Said I: "So that you do not die in your sins and can become blessed!"
22
Said the Jews: "You are also a person like us; why exactly should your word make us blessed?"
23
Said I: "Indeed, now I am also only a person, - but a person who can say: 'Who among you can accuse Me of a sin?!' If I as a sin-free person before God and all people speak the truth, why don't you believe Me then? Who is out of God, also loves to hear the word of God. But My word, which is God's word, you don't want to hear, because you are not out of God!"
24
Said the Jews, already quite stupid of anger: "Are we not right, that you are a Samaritan and have the devil in you instead of the spirit of God?"
25
Said I: "I am not a Samaritan and even less so have the devil in Me, as thousands can testify for Me, but I always truly honour God, My Father. Why do you dishonour Me and so many others not, who indeed have recognized Me and the Father?"