The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 117 -
The innkeeper relates about the first visit of the Lord.
Look, I was here a year ago and have healed at that time in the environment many paralyzed, cripple and blind people. When I traveled then to Galilee, many people came with Me up to Capernaum. Those people wanted to exalt Me on the way by making Me King, because they saw the signs that I had done. But when I then let them faithfully hear in the synagogue in Capernaum profound words from the Spirit, they all started to be irritated, said that it was a hard teaching and wondered who had to hear and understand it, upon which they left Me and went home again. Since you know a few of them and have also talked a lot with them about it, I would like to hear now from you what these people think about Me now."
2
The innkeeper said: "O Lord, who test heart and kidneys of men, what will I now still be able to tell You what You probably know endlessly better than me?"
3
I said: "Yes, My dear friend, the question is not if I yes or no already know it beforehand, but it is to relieve your own heart and to purify completely your thoughts and words, and therefore I gladly want to hear it from you. Besides, in that case all men had to walk around in My presence as if they were mute, because those who have once recognized Me can always conclude that I know everything about what goes on in them.
4
But I want that you also will speak and freely express what goes on in you. And so you can now in My presence in short also tell everything what you have heard here and there from the people."
5
The innkeeper said: "Yes, God, Lord and Master, that would be all right if all the things that the people say about You would be nice to relate to You further in the presence of these men here. But it is quite different."
6
I said: "It does not matter here anyway. Now speak freely."
7
The innkeeper resumed: "God, Lord and Master, the people with who I spoke about You, without knowing You as I know You now, said that a great prophet, who gave in Jerusalem and also in this region very wise teachings to the people, had performed such signs - more in particular the healing of all kinds of sicknesses - which no man had ever done before. These people were very much attached to that great prophet, as they call You, followed Him closely and they also felt a great joy over Him because they could well perceive that He was no friend of the now already commonly hated Pharisees. As far as Capernaum they have found nothing at Him that was offending, except that He on a mountain where before He had fed them in a wonderful manner with a few breads and little fishes and they wanted to make Him king, He went off and has left His old disciples. But later at night He still came back to them, possibly in a wonderful manner walking on the waving sea as if it was dry land.
8
They were all very glad that He came back later and they rejoiced for the coming day and for His teachings and deeds. But this fully expected joy came completely to nothing, because the next day He had said such absurd words to the people that even His old disciples were offended about it, and except for a few, they all left Him, and so also all people who had followed Him from here. For they became very convinced that He had gone mad, for in His speech He had summoned all of them in full seriousness to eat His flesh and drink His blood, without which nobody could receive the eternal life, for He only would awake those on the youngest day for life who would eat His flesh and drink His blood.
9
Yes, this is of course quite hard, and I could not really blame the people - who otherwise are really open for all higher things - for the fact that they have left after such preaching, and are complaining until this day that God had permitted that such an unmistakable great prophet to whom the people had already so many things to be grateful about, had to become suddenly insane.
10
But if You have already given such a speech before, then You certainly wanted to tell the people a hidden truth by that in the manner of the old prophets, as I actually am only now imagining it. But if one year ago I also had been among that group I certainly would have left with the others.
11
But now I surely can imagine what You wanted to tell the people with that, and I think that we soon will take now Your flesh and blood materially to us, just like we have really taken spiritually from Your mouth Your flesh and blood to us. And so I have spoken now without any reserve."
12
Now I commended the innkeeper, and all those who were present were very pleased with him, and My old disciples, just like the Romans, were surprised about his intellect.