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 70 -
The sunken land.
Said the innkeeper: "There would be something; but it appears to me as almost too trifle, to bother You, o Lord, with it!"
2
Said I: "Then speak; since there is nothing too trifle for Me in this world!"
3
Said the innkeeper: "Then mercifully listen to me! See, together with this property I also own a sizable farm not far from here, where I keep my best cattle and sheep, and also have quite loyal servants and maidens there! In the large animal garden which is covered all over with the best pasture, a few month ago a piece of land the size of a quarter of an acre sank away, that now there exist a hole which depth can not be measured and one cannot know whether even more land will sink away.
4
An old quite knowledgeable man about these matters asked me, if the animals get close to the hole. And I told him as it is, the full truth. I brought some cattle and sheep to the hole; but the closer they came to the hole, the more they resisted, and when only about ten steps away, they tore loose and ran away. Even the goats could not be brought close to the hole, although otherwise climbing comfortably and without fear the highest rocks. Thereupon the knowledgeable man said that this was a sure sign for more land to sink away. And as property owner in this awkward situation I now also ask You, what this means, what still can be expected and if this evil can perhaps be remedied by something.
5
Said I: "Let us go out and have a look at the wantonness of the raw earth spirits, who caused this through the influence of other spirits of those deceased people, who walked over there as your enemies, because you bought the farm as a result of a judicial garnishment in relation to an unpaid large depth! Thus let us walk over there and investigate the matter!"
6
We now got up from our seats and went to the fateful farm which was about half an hour away from where we were. We thus soon came to the uncanny hole. Except for Me and the innkeeper did nobody dared to come close to the edge of the hole. The twenty new disciples shuddered backwards already from far away; since the hole was really dreadful to look at. The innkeeper said that he himself has never came so close to the hole and only now saw its unpredictable depth.
7
But I said to him: "Go and bring me a rather proper stone, and I shall see if the hole cannot be filled up!"
8
The innkeeper went and brought Me an at least ten pound heavy rock. But I took the rock and threw it with great strength into the hole. Soon an immense pillar of smoke rose from the hole and spread a strongly sulfuric smell.
9
But I threatened the smoke mass and said: "All you evil spirits. I, the Lord, order you to immediately fill this hole for now and all times!"
10
One then could hear voices from the smoke masses which called: "Jesus from Nazareth, Son of the living God, we know You! Why did You came to torment us prematurely? Why don't You grant us this freedom? A large injustice happened here to us which killed our bodies. We have lost everything. Why should the buyer not also loose something? We need this piece of land in our terrible depth. Why should we not own it?"
11
Said I: "Do what I have ordered you to do, or something worse will happen to you!"
12
The smoke then sagged and inside the hole it began to immensely rave and to roar. This however, only lasted quite briefly and one already saw how the sunken soil was building up again and after a little hour the hole was completely unrecognizably filled, so that no-one could notice that this section had sunk.
13
I now called upon all the old and new disciples and said: "O you faint-hearted! Thus go and walk on the sunken ground raised from the depth, and recognize that nothing can oppose the power of the divine will!"
14
Then all disciples went and convinced themselves that nothing could oppose the power of My will.