The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 118 -
The innkeeper relates about his inn.
But now also the children came and invited us for the midday meal to which we responded. The inn-house, surely one of the most beautiful and most impressive in the whole extended region, was entirely build from fine hewed quader stones and had above the ground floor still 2 more arched floors. On each floor there were 3 big halls, and in each of them about 700 people could eat. But besides the 3 dining halls there were on each floor also 30 living rooms, each provided with 2 windows, which could of course not be closed with glass panes as (nota bene) during this time in Europe, but at that time there were factories in Damascus which produced a completely transparent parchment, just like the nowadays glass, and with such pieces of parchment the many window frames were covered very elegantly, and the wind and the often great heat of the day could not come into the halls and the rooms. This kind of window arrangement was a little rare because it was too costly, and instead of that, different colored curtains were used on the inside of the window bars.
2
We were escorted to the second floor by means of easy and broad marble stairs, and from there to the middle main hall, where a big, long table was set for us. On it there was a large quantity of the finest bread and big cups in silver and gold, full of the best wine. The well-prepared calf was already cut in pieces, lying on the many platters, which were also made of the purest silver. Besides that, there were also a few well-prepared side dishes like well-prepared fishes, and also chicken, doves and lambs and all kinds of good general fruit, like all sorts of fruits and sweet berries.
3
The Romans opened their eyes widely and Agricola said: "Truly, such a magnificence and such a wealth I did not encounter for a long time, and such a good and richly provided table neither, and the dining hall of the emperor in Rome does not surpass this one in graceful beauty."
4
When the Romans had somewhat recovered from their amazement, we went to sit at the table and began to eat and to drink. They all strengthened themselves and enjoyed intensely of this excellently prepared midday meal, but they could of course not eat half of what had been prepared, because it was present in a too large quantity.
5
Little was spoken during the meal. Only when the wine had more and more loosened the tongues of the guests, the Romans were the first to be very talkative, and Agricola asked the contented and besides that still very piously disposed innkeeper: "But tell me: does such an inn really produce so much profit that certainly already your ancestors were able to build such an impressive beautiful building?"
6
The innkeeper said: "Just and mighty lord, such an inn produces indeed after a year a nice benefit, but even if I would add the profit of 100 years, then it still would not be possible to build such a house with it.
7
Look, although the covering of the windows was installed by my father and partly also by me, but the house and the walls are already very old and older than the city of Bethlehem, which David, the great king of the Jews, let it be build, for which reason it still is called the city of David.
8
Already Saul, the first king of the Jews, must have partly built this house, and when after him David by God's decree was anointed as king, he was the first to finish it, even before he started to build the city, and after that, he also lived in it for a long time. He wrote a lot of his psalms in this house of which still a few can be seen in the white marble stones, and for someone who is acquainted with the old script, they can also be read and understood.
9
Also the scales and the cups that I have placed before the Lord and Master, who deserves the highest worship and reverence, must still be the property of this old house from the time of David. But He alone will know best if anything is true of all that.
10
So also, me and my ancestors must be descendants from a sideline of David. But at least it is sure that in our house chronicle, which goes back a few centuries, it is not stated that someone has ever received this house and this estate as property by a purchase. But no matter how, still it is sure and true that firstly nor my grandfather nor my father nor I myself had build this house, and secondly that everything that belongs to the house and that is in the house is completely and rightly my property and that I do not owe anyone anything in this world.
11
The silver and golden objects are indeed for the greatest part acquired reasonably and honestly by my grandparents who are more familiar to me from our house chronicle. I have until now still not brought anything of such valuables into the house, because firstly this house is surely already richly enough provided of it, and secondly I am really not so attached to all those sort of things, because these, no matter how beautiful they are, must still all be left behind after a short time, and in the eyes of the eternal Judge then only those treasures will be valuable which we have made our own by keeping His very holy will which is revealed to us through Moses and His prophets.
12
This is my inner conviction to which I will always remain loyal until the grave, and from now on all the more stronger since by the never expected arrival of the Lord and God such endless great salvation has come to me. But now I will turn with all respect to the Lord Himself."