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 48 -
At the inn of the innkeeper of Capernaum.
We however, when we returned to our inn from the school, already found a well-laid table with wine, bread and fish, and the innkeeper took great joy in having Me and My now significantly fewer disciples as his guests.
2
Only when we all had sufficiently eaten and drunk, did the innkeeper ask us by saying: "Lord, this time Your secret teaching seems not to have cheered the many local and foreign listeners in the great, open synagogue; for they all went out in anger and left. Some of them complained more, some less, and the foreigners and also everyone who was still with you yesterday as disciples said: You spoke deliberately like this to get rid of them in a way, which was not good of You, since they already used their money to provide for themselves to be there.
3
There were several with me who were very annoyed at this and also said that they had placed great hopes on You, but they were now disappointed in a very unpleasant way, and they also said that You would find very little inroads with the people in this way with such Your teachings, despite Your highly miraculous signs. I allowed them to speak and said nothing to it. They then paid for their food, got into their ships and sailed away.
4
However, it was quite pleasant for me to hear that these bragging wise men for once had found their match in You, oh Lord, with their reasoning. For already yesterday in the night, when You had gone to rest after the meal, much was said for and against Your multiplying of the bread and about Your miraculous arrival over the sea. Everyone expanded his wisdom as wide as possible. But I thought by myself: 'Just wait, you wise Jews!' The Lord will certainly place a limit to your wisdom at the right time, beyond which your very bright reason will certainly not be able to jump! And today my secret wish has already come into the greatest fulfilment!
5
I was also in the synagogue myself and have heard the main part of Your speech very clearly; but I did not find anything in it which in the slightest manner could have been foreign to me. For although You are now in full human form, it has been clear to me for a long time already that You are the Lord over heaven and earth and over all the spiritual and sensual world. Who besides You can provide for all people and animals the daily bread, and who besides You gives the spirits as well as our souls the eternal life, its love and its wisdom, which I see as the true and living bread which comes from heaven?! To some of the better ones I tried to make this clear in this way, but their foolish and very puffed up mind did not understand it all the same.
6
I did the same when You began to speak very tangibly about Your flesh and blood, because they asked me how I understood it all. Well, I said: This is even clearer than the previous points and explains and confirms my previous opinion! earthly speaking, is the earth not in a certain way a true body of God and all the nourishing waters its blood?! Where else does all this earthly daily bread come from then? And in a spiritual connection is God's love to us unworthy people not the truest earthly ground for us which carries us physically and spiritually, tolerates us and feeds us, and is the gift of reason and understanding and now His teaching not the truest and most living blood of God, which animates, strengthens and truly makes our souls, thirsting for truth, more alive?!
7
Then several said: Yes, that is all very true; but why then does he not explain his speech in this way too?
8
I then said: He will indeed have His good reasons! Probably He will think thus: Whoever truly believes in Me will also understand Me; but whoever does not believe with the many signs and with the wisdom of My teaching that I am the Lord Jehovah Zebaoth, should go back to his world and should squirm around in the dirt of the earth like the most foolish swine!
9
They then became angry and left. Lord, have I done anything wrong in this?"
10
I said: "Oh, by no means! For firstly you have understood My words quite well right from the basics and have also explained them to the blind very well, and secondly your final remark was also quite appropriate! For such people are truly to be compared to the swine who, the brighter and warmer the sun of heaven begins to shine, the more greedily and fervently they run to the dirtiest pools of mud in the world and feel completely happy there if they can roll around in their own excrement. I told them all in the end very clearly that the flesh and blood that they mean is of no use, and that My words are spirit and life! But the oxen and swine did not understand it and therefore your final remark was quite appropriate, and I will therefore remain several days with you here.
11
But now bring more wine; for we will be very cheerful today and the other days! I have now great joy in you; for you have understood Me better than any of My disciples. Towards evening we will go fishing, so that there will be a supply for you and for us. However, do not speak of Me in the city; for then we would have little peace. And now bring us wine and bread!"