The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives. (cont.) Gospel of John, Chapter 8
- Chapter 29 -
The fourth commandment.
1
(The Lord:) "See, in the fourth commandment the children are instructed to love their parents! On earth the parents are the closest neighbours of their children and love them very much. They are their breadwinners, protectors and educators and therefore surely deserve all love and honour from their children.
2
If a well raised child loves and honours his parents, then it will try to do everything that pleases the parents. And such a child will prepare for himself a long and healthy life and a best well-being; a child which loves and honours his parents, will also love and honour his siblings and will always be prepared to do good for them.
3
But a child or a person who truly loves and honours his parents and siblings, will for the same reason also love his fellow man, since he knows and recognises that they are all children of one and the same Father in heaven. Out of the original true love for the parents, a person will come to the recognition of God, himself and to the right recognition of his fellow man and soon understands quite easily, why God has created man, and what they all should become. Thereby he achieves more and more love for God and through this love he reaches the perfection of his inner, true, spiritual life.
4
Who thus loves and honours his parents, siblings and also other persons and therefore also loves and honours God above all, - will he ever commit a sin against anybody? I say to you: No, because he will not envy anybody, he will not hate or curse anybody, will not kill anybody, not physical nor emotionally. He will be chaste and well-behaved towards everyone, he will leave everyone that which is theirs, he will not lie or cheat anybody, and if he became along proper ways the husband of a woman, or the virtuous maiden the wife of a husband, then he will not long for the wife of his neighbour and his wife not for the husband of the neighbour's wife, and from that your mind can clearly conclude, how and in which manner the law and all the prophets are contained in the two commandments of love, and how the two commandments I have explained to you, do not allow any abolition of the laws of Moses and the other prophets, but only are the fulfilment thereof. - Do you understand this now?"
5
Said Helias: "O Lord, You extremely wise and good Creator and Father of all people, only now I understand the laws of Moses! I myself must openly confess before You, that I previously never properly understood the laws of Moses and even less so the proverbs and teachings of the other prophets. And the more I discussed this with my parents, with proper consideration, the more I discovered gaps and true imperfections, that the very much incomplete seeming laws of Moses do either not originate from an all-wise God, or, that the later priests' caste has completely given up on the laws of Moses and put in their place a human version with gaps to serve their material advantage. Because of that, my good, old rabbi quite often had a problem with me, when I proved to him the obvious shortcomings of the laws of Moses. But now, after Your explanation, o Lord, the laws of Moses have completely new appearance and can be joyfully and easily followed by everyone!"
6
Said I with a very friendly face: "Now, main critic of Moses' laws, what do you regard as imperfections and gaps in the law of Moses? Let us hear your criticism!"
7
Said Helias under the general attention of all present: "O Lord, what shall I say before You, who knew my thoughts even long before I had thought them! Also this omnipotent and omniscient youth over there will know it too, to the last dot, and therefore I think that such a loud presentation of my criticism of Moses' laws is quite irrelevant."
8
Said I: "O no, My very dear Helias, the circumstances are quite different! I and this youth over there admittedly know about your criticism regarding Moses' laws and also regarding the prophets; but the others, with exception of your parents and your brother, do not know this, but now, since you have awakened the thirst for knowledge in them, they want to know and this is why I have encouraged you, to also inform us loudly about your criticism regarding the laws of Moses and regarding some of the prophets. Therefore you can open your mouth and tell us without any omissions what you think the shortcomings of the law of the prophets are and show us very courageously the gaps of the law and the prophets!"