The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7

Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching

From the Lord's years of youth

- Chapter 228 -

In the forest of the neighbor.

I wanted to end the long story, but our Agricola asked Me if I still would like to tell more that was relating to the time of My youth.

And I said: "Then listen to Me again for a short while.

Thus, those two citizens left and we said to our neighbor: 'Everything is completely in order now with you, but keep the miracle for yourself until there will come a time when it will be meaningful to tell it also to other people.'

The neighbor said: 'But what will I say to my men when they will come home this evening and surely will be astonished when they will see that the whole house has been totally repaired?'

I said: 'Your men, who are no heroes in faith and who rather believe anything else except in a miracle, will not ask you how the house has been repaired in such a short time because they will think that we have worked on it with all our might and consequently can be repaired in 1 day. Your wife has often expressed her opinion that the carpenters could easily build a house in a couple of days if they only worked harder. Well, this time we have worked hard, and thus, for once your wife was right.'

The neighbor agreed completely with this advice. We left him and went home to rest there until midday. Then we took our midday meal and deliberated what we should do during the afternoon because no work was waiting for us.

Joses, the oldest son of Joseph was of the opinion that we could try to find work.

But I said: 'There are still other carpenters in the neighborhood who also want to work and live. Therefore, we must not try to be ahead of them. The people know us and our work anyway and will come when they need us, but we will not force it upon them.

If we want to do something, then let us go to the forest of our neighbor who lives the closest to us and which is only a little half-hour from here. There we surely will find work for this afternoon.'

Joseph thought that this could well be the case, although he still did not yet receive an assignment from the neighbor.

I said: 'Leave this entirely to Me. The assignment is his secret wish already for a long time and we will meet him in the forest while he is considering how he can make those 10 old cedars suitable for the constructing of a new barn. He wanted to cut down those cedars this week by his 3 helpers, and only then discuss with you to make them ready for the construction. But because now - as he thinks - his best and first helper lies sick in bed, he is thinking all the time about how, when and by whom he can make his 10 cedars suitable for the construction.

He already thought a few times about Me, since I made that oak tree in question ready for construction, but he did not have the courage to speak to Me or to you about it. Now, if we will offer our help today in this matter out of our own accord, it surely will be all the more welcome to him. Therefore, let us go immediately.'

Joseph said: 'What kind of equipment will we take along?'

I said: 'We only need an axe and a saw. Then we have more than enough.'

Then we took the axe and the big saw and went on our way.

Although Mary asked why we seldom stayed at home.

And I said: 'Because we have nothing to do at home. If we have something to do at home we also will stay home. But you always have many things to do at home and therefore it is also good that you stay more often at home than we.'

On this, she said nothing anymore and we left. Soon we came on the spot where our neighbor was all alone staring at his cedars and considered how he could handle it in the best way.

Suddenly he saw us, came to us in a very friendly way and said to Joseph (the neighbor): 'Oh brother, you are coming as if you have been called a 1.000 times. You know that I urgently need a new barn, just like that new grain container. In the whole wide environment one cannot find better wood for it than this. However, it already took me much brain racking to know how I have to make this wood ready for the construction. Often I have been thinking about you, but cutting down these huge trees is actually not a work for an architect and his master sons. That is why I did not dare to discuss it with you until now, although we have talked about it a few times about the necessity of a new barn. But since you are here now anyway - probably taking this way because you have an assignment in the mountains - I gladly want to deliberate with you what will be the best thing for me to do.'

Joseph said: 'You are mistaken to think that we are now on our way to work somewhere in the mountains. We came to this place especially for you in order to do that about which you did not dare to discuss with me.'

When the neighbor heard that, he was very glad and immediately he talked to Joseph about the wages.

But Joseph said: 'Only when the barn is ready we will talk about the wages. But let us now go to work at once because the day will still last for a few hours and we still can do a lot of work.'

The neighbor said: 'Do what is according to your ability and knowledge, because I know very well what you are often able to do in an extremely short time. Especially your youngest son. But I will not talk any further about that now.

I said: 'Do you believe in My inner power and omnipotence?'

The neighbor said: 'Master, how could I not believe in it while I still have so many proofs of it?'

I said: 'Very well then. But take care all of you not to speak about Me before the time. And when it will come, you will hear of Me. Now, give Me the axe, so that I will cut down these 10 trees at once.'

I took the axe and cut with every blow one tree, of which other woodcutters would need at least a whole day.

When the 10 trees were lying there, all the others had a strange feeling, and Joseph said to his other sons: 'All of you have doubted Him, although I often have told you: once he who is chosen by God from the cradle will never be left by Him. And now, all of you were able to convince yourselves how God is still entirely with Him and works in a wonderful way. Therefore, from now on, you should not doubt Him, but also not betray Him to nobody, because He Himself knows why He still wants to stay hidden.'

They all agreed with Joseph and also promised solemnly to keep silent about this and also about every other miracle as long as I Myself wanted it.

Footnotes

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