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 227 -
Not knowledge, but the act of love blesses the soul. On diligence and thrift. Fair wealth.
Said the beyond measure astonished pharisee: "Lord and Master, only now I recognize that You must be full of the spirit of God; because regarding such matters only God alone can give man a true and fully right light! Where is there the mind of even the most wise person of this earth, which he through some experience and observations of the outer form of things, has made his own?! What is the little, limited person against God?! Thus man never can comprehend God out of himself and hence also not His everlasting workings and effectuating and creating!
2
I only wish that the whole temple would be filled with that light! However, such is totally unthinkable given the general stubbornness of the temple! We seven have sometimes thought about such matters, of course more contra than pro, and how difficult was it not for us to enter this light! How would it go with our colleagues and fellow priests, who perhaps never have thought about these matters - neither pro nor contra -, but were only concerned how to fill their stomachs even more! O Lord and Master, You will know it best, what You will do with the temple and its most blind priests! In me a true horror rises, when comparing this light with the most cardinal darkness of the temple. How large and important does one of us in the temple thinks he is, and how endless small would he feel if he would be coming into this light!
3
O David, how true you have spoken, when you said: 'O, how absolutely nothing are all people compared to You, o Lord! Do not depend on the help of people; all of them cannot help you!' Yes, how much all the laws and selfish teachings of the temple yielded us, we only now recognize quite properly and will recognize this in future even better! Lord and Master, do not ever leave us with Your spirit!"
4
Said I: "Who remains in My teaching, remains also in Me, and I remain in him; who however leaves My teaching according to deed, also leaves Me, and life is not in him. I am the true day of life. Who walks in this day, will not stumble, and who works on that day, will harvest the true reward of life.
5
For the time being you now know the most important issues; to learn all other things, you still will be having sufficient opportunity. However, the knowledge alone does not provide a blessing, only actions!
6
But actions exists twofold: actions for the world out of selfishness - and true actions in the world out of true love for God and out of love for the neighbour. From the first action man yields the judgement and easily everlasting death, but from the second action the love and mercy of God and the everlasting life of the soul.
7
By that I do not say that someone should not work the earth with all diligence, and that he should not be thrifty: since I Myself recommend to everyone all diligence and a justified thriftiness. But all this one should do to have a justified supply, to support at every opportunity the poor. Since what someone does to the poor in My name, I will accept as if he did it to Me, and I will bless Him here and there; however, who works and provides only for himself and his children, and is also not shy to collect unjust goods, should not expect any blessing from Me, and he will not last in the beyond in front of My judge-chair, but will be expelled to the dungeons of extreme darkness. There will be a lot of howling and crunching of teeth, and such a soul will not that easily ever attain the full view of God.
8
Who however, will cross over from his selfish thriftiness to full stinginess, is already here a devil in human form, who always opposes the spirit of God, which is pure love, and therefore is forever excluded from any bliss. For as certain as there is a heaven, there also exists a hell, whose worm never dies, and whose fire never extinguishes. Who goes in there by his very own will, will never come out by his very own will, - and this is the true, everlasting death of the soul. This remember well, and be careful not to fall into selfishness, self-love, jealousy, stinginess and haughtiness of the world! Since all other sins a person can get rid of more easily than those just named.
9
Look now at our Lazarus, who is now one of the richest persons of the whole of Judea, - but he is not rich for himself, but for thousands of poor people, who always find work with him and a justified good accommodation; therefore he is blessed and even if he dies with regard to his body, I will still awaken him, so that he can keep on living for the poor for a long time to come. And he shall not see, feel or taste death, but he will have a free choice to leave his body and enter My kingdom which is always open to him. In the dwelling where I reside forever, also he will reside forever!
10
From this you can see that I am not only a friend of the poor, but also a friend of the rich, if they use their riches according to the true and right intentions of God. Who is rich should act accordingly and he shall live!"
11
Said here Lazarus to Me in complete humbled love: "But Lord, You only Good, what have I done good, that I, a poor sinner before You, am looked upon by You so mercifully!"
12
Said I: "I know how and what you do; therefore do not be surprised if I provide you with a justified praise in front of many people!
13
Another rich man who also wanted to follow Me, but still loved his riches a great deal, I said: 'Sell all your goods, divide the yield among the poor, only then come and follow Me!' - Since however this person loved his riches a lot, he became sad and went away.
14
But to you I say: Buy even more goods; since what you call yours, this also belongs to the many poor which consume most of your goods!
15
To a rich person who loves his riches too much, for the sake of the riches itself and for the sake of himself, I say, that a camel will more easily pass through the ear of a needle, than such rich person can one day enter heaven!
16
But there are also some poor, who come to the good hearted and ask him for alms; and once they have received it, they waste it and on top of it are also extremely thankless towards there benefactor. However, no benefactor should make anything of it; since the less thanks you will earn in this world, the greater your reward in the beyond; since thereby such rich people show, that they resemble God, who also allows His sun to rise and shine over good and bad.
17
Yes, I tell you even more: Do good to your enemies, pray for them who curse you, and bless those who hate and pursue you, and you will soonest gather glowing coles above their heads and turn their evil souls in the quickest way to become better and nobler! Lend your excessive money to those who cannot repay you with interest, and invite those as guests who cannot counter-invite you as guests, and you will thereby gather great treasures for your souls in heaven!
18
If you are a rich man and someone comes to you again, to whom you have done good in the past and who has misused your goodness, admonish him with good words; however do not keep the love from him! If he betters himself you have done good to him twice; if he does not better himself, does not become angry with him, - since alongside physical poverty their also exists spiritual poverty, which is always greater and more unfortunate than the physical."