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 91 -
The physician receives the power from the Lord to heal the sick through the laying on of hands.
Thereupon we went back to Jored's house where in the already familiar hall a copious morning meal was waiting for us together with the disciples who stayed behind this morning. We sat at the table and ate and drank. The food consisted mainly of fish, honey-bread and lamb, and the wine was from Rome and was particular well tasting. Also wine from Greece, specifically from Cyprus, was served together with completely white wheat bread and butter, which especially the Jew-Greeks enjoyed a lot. We sat at the table for two hours and a lot of things were said, however more about agriculture matters.
2
Only after the meal did the disciple John taught all the people of both genders living in this house My teaching about the love for God and for the neighbour.
3
After the speech all promised Me to precisely follow this teaching and to act accordingly and I said: "Believe and do it, and also you will soon and easily attain the mastership of life!"
4
Thereafter I laid My hands on all of them and strengthened them for their good and serious undertaking.
5
To that the doctor said: "O Master, see, I am now the only doctor here in this place where there are always a lot of sick people, as well as in the wider vicinity! Since nothing is impossible to you, You could provide me with a little of Your miracle healing power, especially for the poor who do not have anything to buy expensive medicine."
6
Said I: "Jesus is My Name; in this name put your hands on the sick and they will become better, if it benefits their soul's salvation! But to the rich give the medicine like before; since only for the poor I provide you with this power!"
7
When I said this to the doctor he thanked Me for this and immediately left, since there were some poor sick people whom he wanted to help at once. And he succeeded in helping them; since everyone got better the moment he put his hands on him in My name. After one hour he returned and thanked Me once again for the power he received and told us about the great surprise of the healed, who were afflicted with all kinds of maladies.
8
(The doctor:) "They could not understand that all the earlier medicine could not help them and that suddenly, just by laying on of hands, they became so healthy like never before. They asked me how I suddenly have acquired this unheard of healing method and why did I not apply it earlier. But I said: 'This healing method has been shown to me by a foreign and great Saviour, and I only heal the sick by calling on His name and He Himself wants it together with me, that the sick will be helped!' Then all started to ask only about You and expressed the wish to get to know You personally; for they are of the opinion that You must be equipped with divine powers, since without it such would be completely impossible. I said nothing to this and left them their opinion.
9
But now I will have a problem with my wealthy clients; since this new healing method will be quickly spreading around town, and the wealthy will insist to be healed in the same manner. What will I say to them if they demand what You, o Master, has so to speak forbade me to do?
10
Said I: "Now, give them conditions which they as healed have to honour towards you and towards the poor! If they joyfully and willingly accept the conditions, then lay also your hands on them; but if they refuse, then leave them in their illness and give them medicine if they want and take such! - Are you now satisfied with this?"
11
Said the doctor: "O dear Master, absolutely! But now comes another question and it is as follows: How and with what can I thank You for this? I'm of course not rich and presently in the least at all, since my vanishing companions most certainly have not left me much; but I still want to do my best, whatever is in my power! Lord and Master, I ask You, urge me to remunerate You or pay you a tribute!"
12
Said I: "Leave it; for in the world nobody can give Me anything which he has not received from God before, and therefore also not you! But keep the teaching which was given to all of you, love God above all and your fellow-men like yourself, and keep the to you familiar commandments of Moses, and also teach them to the Greeks, and you will bring Me the best and most valuable sacrifice! And also all the other people should do the same, so that they shall live in truth and in the mercy of God, the Creator and Father of all people!
13
If I would take money from people to whom I do good, I then would testify straight against Myself and I would not be Him who I am; for if I bring and give you treasures from the heavens because I have the power for it, I cannot allow Myself to be paid by dead matter. But you people can do this with good measure and purpose; since also Moses has prescribed that the priests and judges should be fed and maintained by the people and should receive the tenth from everything that is harvested on the fields and the vineyards and also from the domestic animals. But I and My disciples will not need this; for who is a master of life like Me, will forthwith not be needing these preservative means. Wherever they go, everything they need will be given to them from above. For whatever good you will ask the Father in My name, He will give to you without retention.