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 38 -
On human criticism. The Lord's advice to divest oneself of all doubts. The inner communion with the Lord.
Said Helias: "O Lord and Master in Your spirit from eternity! What should I poor maid still say? Talking to You about divine things appears to me like a simple-minded fool trying to scoop the whole, immeasurably large sea into a water bucket with a tablespoon. Everything You, o Lord, say, is the truth; but us people altogether know absolutely nothing. My criticism of the last commandment, appeared to me as fundamentally sound as something irrefutable true in the whole good world, but what has become of my criticism of the law now? Not only nothing, but a distinct something for which one could be ashamed for an eternity, because one has stupidly spoken it in and thereby has very properly expressed ones own stupidity openly in public. Lord and Master, verily, I am now discontented with myself in the highest degree, and I deeply regret it, that I ever have dared to allow myself to become involved in a verbal exchange with You! What will all these wise men gathered here think of such know-it-all and conceited girl? O Lord and Master, I'm beginning to feel dreadfully ashamed!"
2
Said I: "Now, why actually? I Myself have requested you to do so, and every time you have said: Who does what I want, does not sin! But you have done what I wanted you to do, and therefore you have not sinned; and if you have not sinned, then you do not have to be ashamed before Me. Since what you have said, was of great importance not only for your one sake, but also for the sake of these many others; since all of them carried precisely the same doubts inside and are now healed from the depth. And see, this was more or less also a result of your truly very agile tongue, and see, this was something very good and not at all bad, and as such you should not be ashamed of what you have said. For your young age you have a particular clear mind, which is the initial light of the heart; and who has a right light in the heart, can also very soon and easily find the right light of life. - Do you understand what I have said and shown you by that?"
3
Said Helias: "O Lord and Master, I understand that very well; but nevertheless do I have in myself the fullest realisation that I am the most complete nothing in the nothingness and You are the most perfect all in all! But from now on I beg You, o Lord, do not ask me to talk anymore; since I'm very blind!"
4
Said I: "You should have said more, since you also doubted the prophets; but because you recognise and understand now, that the law of Moses is of pure divine origin and does not contain any shortcomings or gaps, as if it were of human origin, you can spare yourself any further discourse. But if there is anything that fills you with doubt, you can ask, and light will be given to you.
5
But here around Me sit My old disciples and this apparent youth over there is My servant, as I have many more of them; you can also ask him, and he will, just as I Myself would and as My disciples here, give you the right explanation about everything. However, I Myself will now go to My youths, who are staying in a room on the opposite side of this inn, and will lead them outside. Only Lazarus, the Roman Agrikola and the slave trader Hibram are allowed to accompany Me.
6
Now you know, My Helias, what you should do, if you want to obtain more light; since I must perform another task, because the sun will stay above the horizon only for a little more than half an hour. After sundown the many foreign guests will come to have their dinner in the tents outside, and then there is no time for Me to walk around outside among the worldly people, since I want to be back again in your midst. But when the foreigners leave after dinner to return to their huts, we will all go outside together, and you all will have many wondrous experiences. And so, stay here and edify each other spiritually, until I again will return to you!"
7
Said Helias with a somewhat saddened voice: "O Lord and Master, why am I not allowed to go to outside with You? I would most ardently like to stay close to You for ever!"
8
Said I: "This is really very praiseworthy of you; but you can always stay close to Me without being near My person, if you only stay close to Me in your heart! See, in Gennesaret there lives a very dear maiden, her name is Jarah. She hasn't seen Me in person for close to a whole year, but still, in her heart she is considerable closer to Me than you are now! I can talk to her in every moment and she can hear very precisely every word I say in her heart and keeps strictly to it. You should do the same, then you will, just like Jarah, always stay close to Me, and even then, when I no longer walk around on this earth in this body and this flesh! Understand such and direct your life accordingly, and you will have everlasting life in you!"