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 83 -
The Lord raises the deceased son of the tax collector from the dead.
Hereupon the tax collector hastily went home and immediately asked about the condition of his so much beloved son.
2
But the three doctors said to him: "Lord, the state of your son is very bad! He cannot be helped anymore! We have tried everything whatever our science and experience has given us, but everything was in vain. If we could have prolonged his life with only one hour, we would have performed a miracle!"
3
The tax collector then went to the son who already was lying on the death bed; but he said to him: "My son, these three doctors will not help you, but soon another doctor will come who will help you; since in him I now place my fullest faith."
4
The sick then raised his head and said with a broken, weak voice: "Yes, death will help me, - but no doctor can!"
5
Here the father got tears in his eyes and he said to his son: "No, no, not death, but life will help you! For the foreign doctor to whom I spoke but never have seen before, knew that you were ill for already a full seven years and he also said that he could help you even if you have died already, and thus I firmly believe his words."
6
Thereupon the son did not respond anymore and the doctors said: "Let him rest; since the slightest effort will kill him! Look, his face has already the marks of death!"
7
It took another half an hour and the sick son sighed for the last time and died.
8
And the doctor said: "Where is your doctor now who could help your son, even if he had died already?!"
9
In that moment I stepped into the room and said with a loud voice: "Here I stand and am not a loudmouth like you are, but what I say is the fullest and never deceiving truth out of the heavens of God!"
10
Then the three enraged doctors said: "There lies the dead before you, you foreign braggart! Help him now if it is possible to you, and we will bow to the earth before you and acknowledge ourselves that we are nothing than pure boasters!"
11
Said I: "I neither need your bow and even less so your confession, but I do what I do and because I can do it and because I also want to do it! But if I say that I can do it, I do not arrogate, since I do it out of My very own power which is in Me and I do not need any other means than My very own and freest will; but you loudly tell all the world that you are the first masters of your art, - and what is the result of your boasting?
12
There he lies before you! The young man had a light fever, - one spoon full of burned salt with seven spoon full of wine would have cured this person forever! You knew quite well about this remedy; but you thought and said: 'O, this is the son of a rich man, he can carry the light fever for years and will earn us a lot of money! When the son gets old enough, the fever will leave him anyway.' But I say to you, you evil doctors: The fever would have left the son a long time ago, but you maintained it for the sake of your income and you turned it into sap fever, which you were not able to heal anymore, and therefore you became true murderers of this young person for the sake of your contemptible greed!
13
You called Me a loudmouth and never have seen and recognized Me before; but I know you from long ago and as your 'loudmouth' tell you now the fullest truth and thereby saved you from making your own confession! But that I now have spoken the truth about you, the reanimation of this deceased person will provide the clearest testimony for you!"
14
Said the three doctors disdainfully smiling: "Now, then we are freed from every charge!"
15
Said I: "This we will see straight away!"
16
Here I stepped to the deceased and said: "Jorabe, stand up from your sleep and give testimony over the falseness of these three, who earlier called Me a loudmouth!"
17
In that moment the dead rose from his bed and was so fresh and healthy as if he never was ill. The father was overwhelmed with so much joy that he did not know whether he should first hug My or the chest of the son out of love and gratitude for the reawakening of his son.
18
But I said to him: "Leave it for now; but make sure that the son Jorabe gets something to eat and afterwards some wine!"
19
Everything was quickly arranged and likewise a great meal was prepared for us.